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Do You Need a PC for Meta Quest 2 & 3?

You may be wondering if you need a PC to go with your Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest 3 VR headsets, and in this article, I’m going to answer that question.

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Do You Need a PC for Your Meta Quest 2 & 3?

Strictly speaking, you don’t need a separate computer to use your Meta Quest 2 or 3, as both VR headsets are fully functional without one. You’re able to get through the entire set up process without ever once using a PC — though you may need a phone or some other way to access the internet for some of the verification required. From there, you can download games like normal. I’ve even taken my headset on extremely far away from my PC on vacation and had everything work without any problems to speak of.

However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t use a PC with your VR headset, if possible.

Why You Should Connect to a PC

If you do own a PC, it’s pretty easy to connect your Meta Quest 2 and 3 to it. Doing so gives you the ability to play VR games through your PC, which opens up a lot of options for gaming. That being said, it’s not even strictly necessary to do that. If you can connect an Ethernet cable directly to the back of your PC, you can cast games to your Meta Quest 2 and 3 through Steam Link. That gives you the ability to play a lot of the games you own, provided you’re within a reasonable distance of your PC.

Another factor to consider is the storage size of your headset. If you don’t have a PC you can connect to, or you have problems with your internet, you may want to consider a larger 512GB Meta Quest 3, for example. However, if you’ve got a PC and you’re aiming to play games on that through your headset, you’re perfectly fine to get the 128GB model, since the game will be stored on your PC and then streamed to your headset.

And that’s whether you need to have a PC for your Meta Quest 2 or 3. The Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 are available to buy now.


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Author
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Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan has been the Managing Editor at The Escapist since August 2023, during which time he's covered Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Starfield, and several other major releases. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.