The Meta Quest 2 is a lot of things, but a night vision headset? Yes, it turns out that some clever geeks figured out that you can actually repurpose the popular second-generation headset from Meta to help you see in total darkness.
However, that’s not even the best part, because using this trick can actually help make your VR experience better too.
The Quest 2 Sees in Infrared
Both the original Quest and Quest 2 see the world in black and white. They were never really meant to be mixed reality headsets, so these cameras only needed to provide a clear image so that thespecial tracking softwarein the headset could use features in the environment to figure out the position and angle of the headset in 3D space.
However, if you put your Quest 2 in passthrough mode (the default shortcut is two taps on the side of the visor) you can see what these cameras see—a ghostly world of gray. What you’re actually seeing is a false-color representation of the infrared spectrum.
Using an IR Light Makes the Dark Bright
If you take, for example, a TV remote that uses IR to send signals to a TV and press a button, you’ll see bright flashes of light in your headset. These would be invisible to the naked eye, but from inside the headset you might as well be holding a flashlight.
This means that, even if you’re in total darkness, you can still see everything around you clearly as long as you have an IR light source to shine. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people strapping IR lights to the sides of their Quest 2 headsets, and then walking around their homes or even outside and being able to see perfectly in the dark. Considering how expensive “real” night-vision goggles are, it’s actually a creative and very cool use of a headset. Obviously, you shouldn’t buy a Quest 2 specifically to work as night vision goggles, but if you already have one, getting a cheap IR light from an online store and strapping it to your head can be fun.
You Can Buy a Dedicated IR Light Attachment for Your Headset
The thing is, you don’t actually have to buy some random IR flashlight and MacGuyver it to your face, there are actually purpose-built Quest 2 accessories for this very use case. TheKKCOBVR I2 Indoor IR Illuminatoris a popular example, and simply plugs in to the USB-C port on the side of the headset. There’s USB passthrough, so you can still use a battery headstrap too.
The light has two brightness levels, and it’s only $20, which is pretty reasonable considering how much less silly this is compared to a duct-taped flashlight.
KKCOBVR I2 Indoor Ir Illuminator
This little light lets you play your Meta Quest in the dark.
You might be wondering why I’m only mentioning the Quest 2 and not the latestQuest 3. Well, an IR illuminatorshouldwork with a Quest 3 too, but I don’t have one, so I can’t try it, and based on what other people who own that headset have said, it doesn’t look like it works quite as well in terms of being able to see at night.
Meta Quest 3
While the same steps should work with the newer Quest 3, we can’t test it personally. So, your mileage may vary.
However, if you have the cheaper Quest 3S, it hasIR illuminator lightsbuilt in! It doesn’t see in color like its big brother, but unlike any other Quest headset, it has two bright IR lights on the front from the factory. Which means that you’re able to already see in the dark with it, or at least play in the dark.
Yes, This Means You Can Play in Total Darkness
Now, you might have realized that while it’s cool that you can use IR lights to see in the dark with these headsets, that’s not actually the main reason to do this. As you know, your VR headset needs to be used in a brightly-lit area, or the tracking won’t work correctly. In fact, if it’s too dark it won’t just be glitchy, the headset will refuse to work.
However, the room doesn’t have to be brightly-lit withvisiblelight. Having the option to use VR in a completely dark room has plenty of benefits. Firstly, it means that you don’t have to worry about light leakage ruining your immersion, because you can’t see anything outside the headset anyway. Secondly, it means you can play without disturbing other people, and certainly you can play in the evenings without anyone seeing your goofy moves through an outside window.
It also means you can sit in bed next to someone and enjoy watching movies or doing some other more passive VR activity without having a bright light on. Actually, the more I think about it, the more playing VR with all the lights off is starting to appeal to me!
