Virtual reality or VR is the next big thing. For those who are wondering new to VR, it’s nothing but a technology that uses software to produce realistic images and videos that create a real environment to make you feel like you’re really there.
The virtual reality technology has advanced quite a lot over the past couple of years. Virtual reality headsets and glass are already available in the market at affordable prices. Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are two of the best virtual reality headsets available right now.
If you often play games on your Windows 10/8/7 PC and plan to get into virtual reality gaming, you might want to know if your PC’s hardware meets the recommended hardware specification by popular VR system developers like Oculus and Valve/SteamVR/HTC. In short, you might want to know if your PC is VR ready or your PC has the power to run VR content.
All major VR product developers offer free tools to check if your computer’s components are VR ready. The following are the three such tools out there to check if your PC for VR readiness.
Use Oculus Rift Compatibility Check to know if your PC is VR ready
Oculus also offers a nifty tool called Rift Compatibility Check to check if your computer meets the recommended system specifications for Oculus Rift.
Step 1: Click here to download Rift Compatibility Check tool on to your Windows PC.
Step 2: Run the tool (it requires no installation). Click the Start button. The utility checks your PC’s graphics card, processor, memory, operating system, USB port to make sure that your PC is Oculus Rift ready.
Step 3: The Rift Compatibility Check displays the following dialog with what all parts of your PC are VR ready. As you can see in the picture below, my PC’s graphics card and processor don’t meet the minimum specification set by Oculus.
Use HTC Vive Check to check if your computer is VR ready
HTC Vive Check is another good tool out there to check if your computer is VR ready. The Vive Check utility checks your PC’s components and displays what all components are VR ready. The tool is extremely easy to use.
Download HTC Vive Check
SteamVR Performance Test tool to check your PC is VR ready
SteamVR Performance Test is the best utility out there to check your PC’s VR readiness. Unlike the other two utilities, this tool provides detailed information.
Download the SteamVR Performance Test tool (you need to sign up, but it’s free), run the same on your PC to know if your PC has the power to run virtual reality content.
