How to use Meta Quest 2 with F1 22

F1 22 is the first time we can officially race all tracks in VR. This has been a much-requested feature and one that we’re extremely happy to have included. In F1 22, the only way you can race in VR is on PC.

There are a variety of VR headsets that are compatible with F1 22. But the Meta Quest 2 is one of the most accessible and represents the cheapest way to race F1 22 in VR.

In this guide, I’ll run through two methods of racing F1 22 on your PC using the Meta Quest 2. I’ll show you how to use both Air Link and the Link cable, both of which are compatible with F1 22 on PC.

How to connect Meta Quest 2 to your PC

The Meta Quest 2, formally known as the Oculus Quest 2 before Facebook/Meta’s renaming, is one of the newest VR headsets. It is also one of the only headsets to offer a complete cable-free experience.

Air Link vs Link cable

With Air Link technology, you can mirror your PC’s display allowing you to play any PC game in VR (as long as it’s compatible). You can also continue to use your PC in VR mode, doing anything that you could do on your PC. Everything is controlled by the Quest 2’s controllers, giving you full control over your PC.

Air Link is a little more convoluted to get set up as you’ll need to incorporate a few extra steps to get working. Connecting with a Link cable is by far the easiest method of connecting your Quest 2 to your PC. The downside is that you’ll then have a cable linking your headset to your PC.

When sim racing with the Quest 2 headset, I much prefer using the Link cable. While this does mean the headset is tethered to our PC, this doesn’t impact gameplay as much as you don’t tend to move much while racing.

The Link cable opens up higher bitrates and reduces latency giving us the best performance while racing in F1 22 in VR. Plus the cable provides power to the Quest 2 headset, allowing us to race for longer at a time. Racing over Air Link limits play sessions to around 3 hours before the headset requires charging.

Pros of connecting with Air Link

• Completely tether-free experience
• Full mobility without cables
• Can stream VR games from PC to Quest 2 headset wirelessly

Cons of Air Link

• Battery life will limit how long you can play for
• Requires a fast and stable internet connection
• Additional latency

Pros of connecting by Link cable

• Minimal latency for the most responsive experience
• Higher bitrate
• Powers headset while playing

Cons of Link cable

• Physically connected to your PC
• The cable can pull on the headset

What you need to get started with F1 22 in VR

To get started playing F1 22 in VR mode with the Quest 2, you require a few things.

PC capable of VR

Ensuring your PC can handle VR is the first step before purchasing a Quest 2 or any other VR headset. You will need a relatively powerful PC or a gaming laptop with a decent graphics card.

Some VR headsets will also require a display port, however, the Quest 2 can be connected wirelessly or via a USB port.

The recommended minimum specs are below;

• Processor – Intel i5-4590/AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or better
• Graphics card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super or better
• Memory – 8 GB+ RAM
• Operating system – Windows 10
• Connection ports –  1x USB 3.0 port

Good internet connection (if using Air Link)

This isn’t as important if you are connecting your Quest 2 via the Link cable. But if you’re planning on playing F1 22 over Air Link you’ll require a fast and stable internet connection. Meta themselves recommend using a 5Ghz network.

Air Link streams everything from your PC over your Wi-Fi. This can put a lot of strain on your router and internet connection. If you don’t have access to high-speed internet, consider connecting via a Link cable.

Oculus App

When you first unbox your Meta Quest 2, there are instructions on how to connect your headset to your PC. One of these instructions talks about the Oculus App.

You will need to have the Oculus App installed on your PC to be able to connect by Air Link or Link cable. This is free software that you can download here.

Racing wheel

To really immerse yourself in F1 22 with VR, you should look to have a racing wheel. Racing with the VR headset on, with a racing wheel is one of the most immersive ways to experience F1 22.

You don’t need to spend a fortune on a racing wheel, in fact, there are some very good options that are cheaper than the Meta Quest 2 headset! Read our complete guide on the best racing wheels for F1 22.

Our favourite budget racing wheel pick for F1 22 is the Logitech G923 below.

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Using Meta Quest 2 with Steam VR

While Meta would ideally like you to purchase games from their own storefront. One of the most popular ways to play PC games in VR is to use Steam VR with your Meta Quest 2. The good news is that Steam VR is completely compatible with the Quest 2, and is easy to set up.

If your purchased F1 22 on Steam, this will be how you should connect your Quest 2 to be able to race in VR.

You will require another piece of software (Steam VR) to use VR with Steam, however, it is completely free. Download Steam VR and ensure you have Steam installed on your PC. Once you have Steam VR installed, as well as the Oculus PC App installed, you should be good to start playing in VR.

• Download and install Steam VR.
• Download and install the Oculus App.
• Connect your Quest 2 to your PC via Link Cable or Air Link.
• Open Steam VR from the Oculus App.
• Start playing your game of choice, in this instance, F1 22.

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How to use Air Link with F1 22

Air Link may be the preferred method of playing F1 22 on the Quest 2. It means you don’t need to have any physical connection to your PC. And you won’t need to be overly close to your PC. This is great for those who may have a sim rig in a different room or far away from their gaming PC.

Below are the exact steps to connect your Quest 2 to your PC via Air Link.

1. With your Quest 2 and your PC turned on and connected to the internet, open the Oculus app on your PC.
2. Click “Devices”, then “Add headset”. Choose Quest 2 from the headset selection menu. Then choose Air Link (Wireless).
3. Put your Quest 2 headset on.
4. In the headset, using the controllers, select the quick settings option by clicking on the clock in the navigation bar.
5. Open the full settings menu by selecting the settings icon in the top right of the screen.
6. At the bottom of the settings, you’ll see the box titled “Experimental”. Click this, then scroll to the Air Link option. Enable this by selecting the toggle.
7. Once enabled, you can go back to the previous quick settings menu, and you should see a box titled “Oculus Air Link”. Select this and then select your PC from the following list.
8. You will be presented with a pairing code that will also display on your PC screen. Ensure both of these codes match and click confirm.
9. Once confirmed you will be fully connected.
10. Next, select the option to mirror your PC display. This will mirror your PC in your Quest 2 headset.
11. Finally, open up F1 22 in Steam, and click play in VR.

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How to use the Link cable with F1 22

Connecting your Quest 2 to your PC with the Link cable is easier than using Air Link. There are fewer steps to get connected, allowing you to start racing F1 22 even quicker. Combining the quicker set-up with the improved latency and bitrate that the Link cable offers make it our preferred connection choice.

Below are the steps to connect your Quest 2 to your PC via Link cable.

1. With your Quest 2 and your PC turned on and connected to the internet, open the Oculus app on your PC.
2. Click “Devices”, then “Add headset”. Choose Quest 2 from the headset selection menu. Then choose Link (Cable).
3. Next, plug in the Link cable to both your PC and Quest 2 headset.
4. Then click continue in the Oculus App and you’ll be fully connected.
5. Finally, repeat the steps above from step 10 onwards to start playing F1 22 in VR with your Quest 2.

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How to cast Meta Quest 2 to a TV or monitor

This step will allow you to show what you’re seeing on a TV or monitor. This opens up the fun of the Quest 2 by showing others exactly what you’re seeing. You can include others in the fun, and enlist their help to call out things you may have missed.

This step will require a Chromecast plugged into your TV.

1. Ensure your Quest 2 and your TV are both turned on. Ensure your TV’s source is selected to show your Chromecast.
2. With the Quest 2 headset on, open the home menu. Then open the share menu by pointing to and clicking the share icon.
3. Click the cast button and then select your Chromecast from the menu. Click next to proceed, and your TV should start mirroring your Quest 2’s display.

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Ideal settings for Air Link VR in F1 22

Racing F1 22 in VR will put more strain on your PC and your graphics card compared to racing on a single monitor. This is because a VR headset such as the Quest 2 is rendering two screens instead of one.

The Quest 2 has a resolution of 1920 x 1832 pixels in each eye, meaning a total rendered area of 3664 x 1920 pixels.

Ensuring you get good performance from your PC in VR mode can take a little tinkering. You may need to reduce some of the graphics settings to ensure you hit a consistent minimum of 60FPS.

Refresh rate

The Quest 2 headset is capable of up to a 120Hz refresh rate, allowing you to push your FPS if your PC is capable of it. When using Air Link, the Quest 2 will default to a refresh rate of 72Hz to minimise the amount of data that needs to be streamed to the headset.

You can increase the refresh rate back up to 120Hz while using Air Link. Simply head into the settings menu, click on Graphics Preferences to be able to change the refresh rate.

Resolution

While in the Graphics Preferences menu, you can also change the rendered resolution. By default, this is controlled automatically. This will tailor the resolution based on the Air Link connection quality.

To adjust this setting manually, simply disable the automatic toggle. Then you can choose to increase or decrease the rendered resolution. Lowering this below 1.0x will reduce the picture quality, but can improve performance.

Increasing it won’t push the maximum resolution past the 3664 x 1920 limit that the Quest 2 display has. Leaving the resolution at 1.0x will render F1 22 at 2816 x 1424 px. You can increase this all the way up to a maximum of 5408 x 2736.

You may think that this is higher than the Quest 2’s display maximum, and you’d be right. However, VR headsets have to warp the image to ensure the image looks correct in each eye. To do this, the rendered image is slightly stretched across the display.

Rendering at a higher resolution than the Quest 2 is capable of displaying, will fill in those areas that are stretched. This will give slightly more clarity to the overall image quality.

Bitrate

You can choose to either manually adjust the bitrate, or let the software automatically adjust it on the fly. Automatic adjustment will allow the bitrate to be dynamic based on your PC specification. A more powerful PC will allow you to run at a higher bitrate.

You can adjust the bitrate manually to try and get some extra performance from your Quest 2. Do this in the Air Link settings. Set a static bitrate and choose the value you wish to set.

I would recommend adjusting this up and down and then running a play session to test how the bitrate is affecting performance. It may take a little while to tailor the perfect bitrate, but you can really fine-tune your performance using the static bitrate option.

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Overview

Following these quick set-up guides will allow you to start racing F1 22 in VR mode using your Meta Quest 2. Whichever route you opt for, either Air Link or Link cable, you will be able to enjoy a more immersive Formula 1 experience for the first time!

Here is a link to purchase the Meta Quest 2 on Amazon.

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