VR can be a very social form of gaming and often we want to share that with our friends and family. The trouble with gaming in VR is that with the headset on, only we can see it and it becomes a very self contained experience. To share this experience with others we can cast it to a television or mobile device. This means that everyone can else can see exactly what we are seeing.
To do this you must have a TV with a built in casting option enabled or purchase a separate Chromecast add-on device.
There are 2 ways to cast, either via the oculus mobile app or through the headset itself. Both are straightforward but we prefer to do it via the headset as it must be turned on to begin casting anyway.
How to cast Oculus Quest to a TV using your headset
We can cast directly from the headset to the TV in 3 easy steps:
- Turn on the Oculus Quest headset and put it on. When the headset loads you will see the home screen. Using your controller, click “Cast to” in the Utilities panel on the right side of the screen.
- A window will pop-up which will list all available devices we are capable of casting to. From this list, scroll down and choose your TV. Use the controller to choose the “Next” button.
- If the Quest headset has successfully paired to your TV you should see a notification pop-up showing “headset casting started“.
- You can continue to use your headset as normal – everything you see will now be displayed on screen for others to follow.
How to cast Oculus Quest to a TV using your phone
Alternatively, we can enable casting from the Oculus app on our smartphones.
- Firstly, make sure that your phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Oculus Quest headset. It will not work via a mobile data connection.
- Turn on your Oculus Quest headset and the TV you want to cast to.
- Open the Oculus app on your smartphone. You should be logged in automatically. If not, log in to the Oculus app with the same credentials as your headset.
- Tap the cast icon located at the top right of the screen within the app – it’s the one shaped like a headset with Wi-Fi waves.
- If this is your first time using the casting feature, you may need to grant permission to enable the app to connect to the Wi-Fi network before proceeding.
- The app should have selected your headset in the “Cast From” section. If there’s more than one headset listed here, be sure you select your headset.
- In the “Cast To” section below the list of available devices, tap your TV or Chromecast device. If it doesn’t appear on screen, make sure your TV is on, the Chromecast is enabled, and then tap “Tap to search for other devices.” You should now be able to see yours listed.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap “Start.” The Quest’s display will now be able to cast to the TV.
How to cast Oculus Quest to your smartphone
To cast to your phone, you’ll need the Oculus app on your device. This is a useful method for recording content from the headset as you can simply screen record from your smartphone.
- Put your headset on and turn it on.
- Press the Oculus menu button on your controller to open the universal menu.
- Select Sharing, then select Cast.
- Select Start.
- On your phone, select the notification to open the Oculus app and begin casting.
- If you already have the Oculus app open on your phone, select Start casting from the in-app prompt.
You can set up casting from the headset to the smartphone from the smartphone by this method;
- Open the Oculus app.
- Tap the Cast icon in the upper right-hand corner (the one shaped like a headset with Wi-Fi waves).
- Select your Quest or Quest 2 (though any supported devices will show up on this list).
- Select This Phone in the “Cast To” menu.
- Tap Start.
- Your headset will now cast to the screen on your smartphone.
How to stop casting
To end casting from your headset simply do the following;
- Press the Oculus menu button on your controller to open the universal menu.
- Select Sharing, then select Cast.
- Select Stop casting.
- Your headset will no longer cast to another device