You’ve decided to jump onto the early stages of the Metaverse to experience all that virtual reality has to offer. You look at the best options that are currently available on the market, and you decide to settle with the company that’s literally calling themselves the future technology we’re discussing.
This is, of course, Meta (previously Facebook). Keep in mind that the Oculus Quest has been renamed the Meta Quest, and there are a few versions out there to consider when you’re looking to cast it to your Vizio Smart TV.
Why would you want to cast to your TV?
Although Virtual Reality these days is an exceptional experience, the only place they’re looking to expand and grow with is the interactivity, not only with the technology itself but with the technology in as much of a social scenario as feasible.
After all, it’s a lot more fun to enjoy entertainment with friends and loved ones. When casting VR headsets such as the Meta Quest or Meta Quest 2 onto your Vizio Smart TV, you’re actually sharing what you see with the VR goggles to everyone via the TV.
That allows them to be entertained with their actions while playing the games on the Smart TV without having to limit the VR headset functionality as a pass and play option. So now everyone can enjoy what’s going on at the same time.
What type of Oculus Quest do I need?
Currently, there are three versions available the Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2, and the Oculus Go. While each one of these come with its own features, and the Oculus Quest 2 is the most enhanced option out there, all three of these models are able to be streamed to any type of Vizio Smart TV out there.
That means you won’t have to buy a specific type of Oculus Quest and all you have to do is follow the standard instructions for connecting. Keep in mind that you’ll need a Smart Vizio TV with a Chromecast for TV installed. If you don’t have it but still have the additional Chromecast hardware, that should be able to work just fine.
TVs that do not have smart technology will not be compatible for obvious reasons as it does not have the right software installed, so keep in mind that your Vizio TV needs to be a Smart Vizio TV.
How to do it exactly
Make sure your devices are on the same wi-Fi network
The first step is that you want to ensure that both your VR headset and your Smart TV share the same Wi-Fi network. Especially these days, when our Wi-Fi has gotten so complicated that most homes now come with both 2.4 and 5G frequencies. Although 5G is a better experience in many cases, it doesn’t have the range of a 2.4 band Wi-Fi.
Also, depending on their model, many smart TVs may only connect to either 2.4 or 5G Wi-Fi bands, and it’s important to note these limitations when trying to sync up with your Oculus headset. This is one of the most commonly found errors, so once you’re able to handle this, you shouldn’t run into any serious issues.
Head back to the Oculus controls
Now that you’ve confirmed that all devices are on the same Wi-Fi to be able to find each other, you can head back to your Oculus controller. There you’re going to want to hit the home button, which is the oval-shaped Oculus logo. This is where you can find all your primary settings and options.
Find that share button
You’re going to want to search for the arrow pointing to the right, and that’s your share button. This is where you can communicate and share externally and where we’ll find our casting options for your Smart Vizio TV. Once you click on that arrow, you’ll be able to see the cast option on the next screen. It should be the first option available.
Once you click on the cast option, you’ll be able to see all the different possible devices that you may be able to cast to. These are usually devices that are also on the same network. Here you should see your smart TV, and it should have a standard name if you haven’t renamed your smart TV during its initial setup.
Then, all that’s left is to click that button, and you should be able to cast what you’re doing onto the TV. It should mirror exactly what you’re seeing (and what you’re doing).
What are some common issues that can happen?
We’ve already discussed how all the relevant devices need to be on the same WIFI. Another major issue that isn’t always transparent is that either the Smart TV software or the Oculus VR headset isn’t up to date. You’ll want to always turn on auto-update, so this is avoided. This way you won’t have to go in and try to update manually.
There also might be a compatibility option. In our instance, we’ve discussed that the best way to cast to your TV is through the Chromecast app. You might not know if it’s installed or not, and even when you try to cast, it still might show the TV as an option but still unable to connect. It might be attempting to connect to the TV, and that simply won’t work directly.
How to end everything
Once yo u’re ready to shut down the casting, you can simply turn everything off, but there’s a better way, and that’s to go back to the Share menu and hit the cast button again to turn off the casting. This will be less error-prone and properly disconnect your devices.
This is an ideal way of expanding the usability of any of the Oculus models, as long as you have a Smart TV, and even if it’s a Smart Vizio TV. So now you can show off your skills on your big flat-screen during the next hang out or party you end up throwing.
