Do you need a PC for Meta Quest 3?

Girl playing with building blocks using the Meta Quest 3.

Girl playing with building blocks using the Meta Quest 3.

For people looking to get into the Virtual Reality space by purchasing a VR headset of their own, the Meta Quest 3 is one of the best options out there. Its seamless user experience is pretty well-known, but those looking to buy their first VR headset might wonder whether the Quest 3 needs a PC to run.

The VR headset market features both standalone headsets, but also those that need a PC to run, such as the HTC Vive or the Valve Index. But which category does Meta's Quest 3 fall into? Let's find out.

But before that, you may also want to check out our guides on how to cast the Quest 3 to a TV and how to connect the Quest 3 to Mac and Macbook.

Do you need a PC to use the Meta Quest 3?

The Meta Quest 3 is a standalone device, so no, you don't need a PC or any other external hardware to power it up. Of course, there are a bunch of accessories that you can buy for the Quest 3 that can add to its user experience, but nothing you need just to boot up the VR headset.

However, you will initially need a smartphone to set up your Quest 3. Once that's done, though, the device's Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor will take it from there, and the Quest 3 will natively give players almost all the functionality they would get from a PC or smartphone, such as access to various apps and browsers.

Still, this doesn't mean that you can't connect your Quest 3 to a PC. On the contrary, if you're looking to play games on your VR headset connecting the Quest 3 to a PC will significantly enhance your experience. This is through a little thing called SteamVR.

User holding a virtual gun in a game on the Quest 3.
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What is SteamVR for the Meta Quest 3?

SteamVR is Valve's framework for the Steam Store that offers a bunch of VR and non-VR games that may not be available natively on VR headsets like the Quest 3 due to their hardware limitations. By connecting the Quest 3 to a powerful PC, players can play anything from Minecraft to Baldur's Gate 3

However, one should keep in mind that most users of the Meta Quest 3 do not make use of SteamVR, so you're not missing out on the core VR experience if you don't have a PC to connect your headset to.

That's all you need to know about whether you need a PC for the Meta Quest 3. For more, check out our list of best games on the Quest 3 and how to play Xbox Game Pass games on the Quest 3.

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