The term “VR-ready” gets thrown around a lot when talking about virtual reality but what does it actually mean?
VR-ready is a term used to refer to a system (such as a PC) that has the components necessary to efficiently run VR titles.
This post will take a look at some VR options for you and explain how you can tell whether or not you have a system that’s VR-ready.
Quick Summary
In this post, we will shed light upon:
- How to check if your PC is VR-ready?
- Some generic system requirements for the most popular VR headsets in the market
- How to check if your Mac is VR-ready?
So without further ado, let’s get started.
How To Check the VR-Readiness of Your PC? (Easy Guide)
When you consider checking your PC to see if it’s VR-ready, oftentimes, the first thing that pops into your head is to check your hardware.
While that’s definitely the most obvious choice, the truth is that there are a variety of relatively easier ways to check if your PC is VR-ready. This comes in the form of different software that assesses your PC’s hardware for you.
Once they check your PC’s hardware, they check it against general system requirements and determine if your system is VR-ready or not.
More sophisticated apps will even tell you what your system is lacking and what components you need to improve to run VR effectively.
You can try out a number of different tools that are free to use, including:
Steam VR Performance Tool
If you log into Steam right now and search for the Steam VR performance tool in the Store search bar, you’ll easily find this software. It’s completely free to download so you don’t have to worry about spending any money.
The tool works by running a benchmark on your PC. The benchmark is designed to test your PC’s limits so that the tool can figure out whether or not it’ll be able to run the latest VR titles.
The benchmark itself is a 2-minute sequence that’s taken from Valve’s Aperture Robot Repair VR demo.
Once the benchmark is done, you can check out the results to see if your PC is VR-ready or not.
If it’s not, the tool will tell you what components in your PC are lacking and what you need to buy in order to run VR on it effectively.
The Valve Index Tool
This is a great tool to download and try out if you’re someone that wants to buy the Valve Index headset for your PC. The headset has a specific tool that is designed for it.
The test will not only test out your PC’s compatibility with the Valve Index headset but also tell you if it has the resources necessary to run it efficiently.
Similar to the Steam VR performance tool, it also tells you what you are lacking if your PC is deemed not VR-ready.
Check Your PC’s Specifications Before You Buy
It’s almost never a good idea to buy a pre-built PC. However, building your own PC is hard, demanding and can take up a lot of time. Hence, it’s understandable if you just want to jump into it by buying a pre-built PC.
However, it’s important to at least be mindful of the specifications of the PC you intend to buy.
Assess what you require from your PC.
When you buy a PC, of course, you’ll have some idea of what you want it to be able to do and what titles you want it to run.
The requirements for such titles are often available online and thus, you can take note of that and keep it in mind. Then, when you go out to buy a pre-built PC, you can cross-reference those requirements to find the best option for yourself.
Many brands also brightly advertise PCs that are VR-ready by having large stickers or icons that showcase this capability.
Please note that even if a pre-built PC says it’s VR-ready, it’s still important to check out its specifications yourself and make your own judgments.
However, if you have the time and are willing to put in the effort, it’s always better to build your own PC.
If you intend to build your own PC, then it’s a good idea to decide what VR headset you want to buy with it.
This will ensure that whatever type of PC you build, it’ll be able to run with your particular VR headset. You won’t have to buy any other additional components for it.
Once you decide what VR headset you want to buy, you can easily look up its system requirements online. Then, you’ll know exactly what requirements your PC needs to have to be VR-ready.
Speaking of system requirements, let’s take a look at some of them for the most popular VR headsets in the market.
System Requirements for Popular VR Headsets
Oculus Quest 2
- CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or better
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD 500 Series or higher
- Memory: 8GB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
- USB Ports: 1 x USB port
Important note: The Oculus Quest 2 is a standalone VR headset. This means you don’t necessarily need a PC to run VR titles with it. However, if you’d like to link the Oculus Quest 2 to your PC, you’ll have to buy the Oculus Link Cable separately.
HP Reverb G2
- CPU: Intel Core i5, i7, Intel Xeon E3-1240 v5, equivalent or better, AMD Ryzen 5 equivalent or better
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM or more
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
- USB ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.3 + 1 x USB 3.0 Type C
HTC Vive Pro 2
- CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500 CPU or better
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 or better
- Memory: 8GB of RAM or more
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
- Ports: 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.3 + 1 x USB 3.0 Type C
Valve Index
- CPU: Quad Core or better
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or better
- RAM: 8GB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.0 + 1 x DisplayPort
Samsung Odyssey+
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or better
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD RX 470/570 or greater
- RAM: 8GB
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort + 1x USB 3.0 port
Wrapping Things Up…
It’s always a good idea to ensure that the PC you build or a pre-built one that you buy is VR-ready.
This is true even if you don’t intend to immediately buy a VR headset. That’s because even if you’re not interested in VR at that moment, that could very easily change in the future.
If that happens, you’ll thank your past self for getting a VR-ready PC so that you don’t have to buy anything else except for the VR headset itself.