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

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.

HDMI Link is fantastic, and easy to set up

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).

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

Today’s best deals in the UK

More of today’s Black Friday sales in the US

• Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99
• Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99
• Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99
• Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99
• Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping
• Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99
• Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture
• Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31
• Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses
• Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry
• Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances
• Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing
• Walmart: cheap TVs, robot vacs, furniture & appliances

More of today’s Black Friday sales in the UK

• Amazon: up to 58% off Kindle and Echo
• AO: savings on games consoles and appliances
• Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts
• Boots: up to 60% off Dyson, Oral-B and Philips
• Carphone Warehouse: iPhone from £19.99p/m
• Currys: deals on TVs, appliances, laptops
• Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299
• Dunelm: deals on homewares and appliances
• Dyson: up to £150 off
• Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech
• EE Store: £40 off the PlayStation5 Pro
• Emma: up to 50% off mattresses
• Jessops: up to £900 off cameras and drones
• John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs
• LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances
• Ninja: up to £70 off air fryers
• Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets
• Shark: up to £100 off vacuums
• Toolstation: discounts on tools and smart home
• Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing