Playing Black Ops 6 on my Meta Quest 3 is fantastic – all you need is a PS5, a free app, and one of these capture cards

Deals
By
published

Use an Elgato 4K X like me, or take advantage of a Black Friday sale

A Meta Quest 3 owner watching a spatial video of their husky dog in a field
(Image credit: Meta)

It’ll be no surprise to regular readers that I love my Meta Quest 3. Whether it’s diving into the excellent Batman: Arkham Shadow or streaming a Netflix show onto a giant virtual screen I love using the VR headset – and thanks to a capture card I might have a new favorite use for it.

A few months ago Meta launched HDMI Link, a tool which allows you to use it as a display for your PC or a console like a PS5. The only catch is you need a capture card, as the Quest 3 lacks the hardware to translate the HDMI signal through its USB-C port.

I’ve finally picked one up – the Elgato 4K X – and have been spending my evenings playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in my own private cinema. Folks, it’s superb and as I write this all I can think about is my next gaming session.

After tweaking the HDR settings to suit the Meta Quest 3’s displays the picture looks excellent even on the vision-filling immersive screen. If anything the screen is a little too big, as there have been times I’ve had to physically turn to see action on the fringes of the virtual monitor.

The latency and refresh rate seems manageable, though. Black Ops 6 comfortably runs at 60Hz and I haven’t noticed any obvious issues with lag – if there is any, it didn’t stop me earning a free-for-all victory (even if an in-game bug counts 1st-place finishes as a defeat right now).

The Meta Quest 3 and Elgato 4K X on top of a PS5

It's not the pretiest setup, but looks excellent in VR (Image credit: Future)

Plus, HDMI Link was super-easy to set up. After downloading the latest firmware to the Elgato 4K X and turning off HDCP in my PS5’s HDMI settings I simply had to connect my console to the capture card via the HDMI-in port, and my headset to the card via the included USB-C to USB-C cable and I was off to the races.

It’s not just a PS5 that should work. Any gadget that outputs video via HDMI should be able to work with the capture card and the Quest’s HDMI Link, provided it doesn’t have any HDCP restrictions.

Given that I mentioned it above, here's a quick explainer on HDCP: High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection is used by some apps and devices to try to prevent you from recording content from the best streaming services, such as Netflix, or in some games it stops you being able to stream key cutscenes that contain major spoilers. On PS5, if HDCP is turned off, you won’t be able to use some media apps – but you can always switch it back on when you’re finished using the HDMI Link app.

Today’s best capture card deals

If you’re wanting to try Meta’s HDMI link for yourself you’ll need a capture card. They can be a little pricey – especially the Elgato card I used – but thanks to this year’s Black Friday deals you can score one at a great price.

Below I’m highlighting four for the US and UK respectively: two from Elgato and two from other brands. I can only vouch for the Elgato cards from my own experience, as that’s what I used, but other HDMI Link guides have relied on the two cheaper alternatives that you might want to try if you plan to use the capture card as solely a Quest 3 add-on, rather than for creating gaming content for YouTube or Twitch as well.

Today's best capture card deals in the US

Elgato 4K X: $229.99 at Elgato

Elgato 4K X: $229.99 at Elgato
The Elgato 4K X I have relied on and am loving isn’t on sale right now, but it will be on December 1 and December 2, so unless you’re desperate to get a capture card today you might want to wait and see what deals become available.

View Deal
Elgato HD60 X
Elgato HD60 X: was $159.99 now $139.99 at elgato.com

The HD60 X is on sale at the time of writing, and the only big difference between the two is that this capture card supports video passthrough at 1080p 60Hz, rather than the 4K X’s maximum of 4K 120Hz. For many this limitation won’t be an issue, but if it is for you then you might want to wait for the 4K X to get a discount.

View Deal
UGreen USB C Capture Card
UGreen USB C Capture Card: was $54.99 now $38.49 at Amazon

I haven’t tested the UGree capture card but it is apparently compatible with the Quest 3 HDMI Link system – albeit only for devices that support USB-C display port – and has one advantage over the Elgato cards above in that it can draw power from a wall socket rather than your VR headset (which should let you game for longer).

View Deal
Hagibis USB3.0 Video Capture Card
Hagibis USB3.0 Video Capture Card: was $21.99 now $17.59 at Amazon

This super -affordable alternative can support HDMI input and also promises to allow you to enjoy gaming on a large virtual monitor via HDMI Link on your Meta Quest 3. It is limited to 1080P HD 60fps, but if you want a no-frills capture card option, this looks like one of your best bets.

View Deal

Today's best deals in the UK

Elgato 4K X: £229.99 at Elgato

Elgato 4K X: £229.99 at Elgato
The 4K X isn’t yet on sale at the time of writing, but for 1 day only on November 30 it will be discounted from its full price. We don’t yet know by how much, but if you aren’t desperate to try HDMI Link ASAP you might want to hold off a few more days to see if this deal is worth your time.

View Deal
Elgato HD60 X
Elgato HD60 X: was £159.99 now £129.99 at elgato.com

If you want an Elgato capture card that is on sale right away the Elgato HD60 X is your best bet. It’s very similar to the 4K X except that it limits you to gameplay at 1080p 60Hz rather than the 4K X’s maximum of 4K 120Hz. For the Quest 3 and many content creators this limitation won’t be much of an issue, but if you want better video passthrough then you’ll want to grab the pricier model.

View Deal
UGreen USB C Capture Card
UGreen USB C Capture Card: was £29.99 now £25.49 at Amazon

The UGreen capture card only allows you to stream content to your Quest 3 if the device supports HDMI-out via a USB-C display port, but as an affordable alternative to Elgato’s cards it has one advantage in that it is powered by a separate cable – meaning it isn’t running off your headset’s battery which should hopefully mean you can use it to game for longer.

View Deal
Guermok Video Capture Card
Guermok Video Capture Card: was £18.99 now £13.44 at Amazon

This super-affordable alternative to any of the above options can reportedly allow you to connect an HDMI-compatible device to Meta’s HDMI Link app. If that’s all you care about this could be the best deal of the bunch for you.

View Deal

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

More of today's Black Friday sales in the UK

TOPICS
Hamish Hector
Hamish Hector
Senior Staff Writer, News

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.