The Quest 3 just got its ‘most requested feature’

By Alan Truly Published August 15, 2024

Meta HDMI Link lets you connect your phone to your Quest VR headset. — Meta HDMI Link lets you connect your phone to your Quest VR headset. Meta

The Quest 3 was already the top pick on our list of the best VR headsets, and now it’s getting what Meta calls its “most requested feature.” The company has launched the Meta Quest HDMI Link app, now available to download in the App Lab.

With the app installed, your Quest can accept input from a UVC or UAC capture card that supports USB 3.0. That’s a small $20 to $30 device that accepts HDMI video and converts it to 1080p, 60-frames-per-second video that streams over USB-C. Meta’s new HDMI Link app works in mixed reality with the Quest 3, Quest Pro, and even the old Quest 2.

Recommended Videos

Note that this was already possible, but required sideloading an Android phone app, a trick to get around Quest limitations. Meta’s HDMI Link should be a much better experience by comparison. It supports viewing your console, phone, or computer in a movable and resizable virtual screen alongside other 2D apps like the Quest browser, Messenger, and more.

We just dropped Meta Quest HDMI Link on App Lab! Streaming content from an HDMI/DisplayPort supported device (phone, laptop, gaming device, etc) has been a most requested feature and you can now set it up if you have the app installed on your Quest 3, Pro, or 2, plus a… pic.twitter.com/fiXVtvZwY2

— Boz (@boztank) August 15, 2024

A Meta blog post shared more the disclaimer that “capture cards do not display video if the HDMI signal has HDCP protection enabled.” That’s a common problem with XR devices. Thankfully, you can watch most streaming services via the Quest browser.

You can still use Horizon Workrooms and remote desktop apps to connect to your Windows PC or Mac via Wi-Fi or a Quest Link cable, but HDMI link is now a third option. It’s great to have multiple methods of connecting to a device as versatile as a VR headset.

If you have a robust home network, Meta Quest HDMI Link might not be as useful, but it’s worth considering if you suffer from latency when using your computer. Meta Quest Air Link and Quest Link support higher-resolution computer displays than HDMI Link.

The biggest advantage of HDMI Link is connecting devices like gaming consoles, phones, and tablets to your Quest. HDMI Link is a one-way device, only sending output to the Quest. You can’t use your Quest controllers to interact, so keep your console’s controllers and phone handy if you try it.

Meta Quest HDMI Link is free and available now in the Quest app store. Meta considers the app experimental but listed it as an App Lab title that’s still in development.

Computing Writer

Alan Truly is a Writer at Digital Trends, covering computers, laptops, hardware, software, and accessories that stand out as…

Topics

Computing

I didn’t think fake shopping could trick my brain until I tried the viral dopamine websites

On these fake shopping and delivery sites, nothing ever ships or costs a cent, yet the dopamine hit still felt real.

fake-shopping-on-viral-dopamine-websites

I spent some time in the internet's fakest mall, filling a shopping cart with things I could not buy, hunting for discounts on products that do not exist, and checking out three separate times for a grand total of $0.00. Then I placed a fake food order and smoked a cigarette I could not taste, with strangers I will never meet, on a rooftop that does not exist either. My bank balance never changed, but my brain, annoyingly, did.

When I first heard about South Korea's growing "dopamine sites," I assumed they were another internet oddity I would poke around for five minutes and forget by lunch. Instead, I found a surprisingly clever idea hiding beneath the absurdity. You can browse endless imaginary products, add everything to your cart, and complete a purchase that never actually exists. These websites aren't trying to sell you anything. They're trying to recreate the feeling of shopping while removing the part that empties your wallet.

Computing

LG wants to build humanoid robots, and NVIDIA is giving it the brains

This isn't just another robot teaser. LG and NVIDIA just outlined actual hardware.

Robot, Appliance, Device

With time, more and more legacy hardware companies seem to be racing to bolt a humanoid robot onto their roadmap. The latest entrant is LG, joining the race with tentative timelines.

The company's bipedal humanoid, built on Nvidia's robotics stack, is planned for early 2027, and it's backed by a broader push into AI factories and self-driving vehicle platforms.

Computing

Googlebook may use older Snapdragon chips to build more affordable laptops

Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite models could be in development

Googlebook

Google has already confirmed that Googlebook will support more than one chipmaker, and a new leak may have revealed the first Snapdragon models in development.

New code references uncovered by GbookHub reportedly link two Googlebook designs, codenamed Annite and Pic, to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor. Both are also said to be tied to a board platform called Mica.