Players may indulge in nighttime Oculus Quest 2 gaming for the sake of minimizing to no light seepage, but that simply doesn’t work for its systematic program. Yes, many of your friends claim they play in dim conditions. And that brings the question, “How to experience VR in the dark?” The easiest answer would be you can play in the dark, with dimming lights without a problem.

With the best IR light for Oculus Quest 2, you can even play in absolute darkness. Otherwise, you would have to turn off the tracking system (3 DoF) to turn on Oculus Quest 2 night vision. For more information on VR gaming in the darkness, read on.

Lights On Oculus Quest 2 tracking

To become a true VR gamer, knowing the how-tos and whys of gaming is helpful. To be able to navigate your way out of a situation with wisdom, you need to know how tracking works. But for that, let’s get into how it started. The previous models of VR headsets tracked their environment with a traditional light spectrum. 

A ray of light that the controllers and headsets of the previous models send to the virtual field. This is a place where obstacles and items around you in the virtual world precede you. Recently, the manufacturers released an update with a brand-new feature denominated Inside Out Camera Tracking. Furthermore, Oculus Insight is another feature that has never been seen before.

Without a bit of light, tracking is impossible. 

After Dark, Oculus Quest 2

Some of us might come across a peculiar need to be able to play in the dark. Perhaps you are in the vast outdoors, trying to infuse nature with your technological entrapment to make yourself feel less Gen Z. This could just as well be a way for teenagers to play in their rooms after hours. But that is not our concern. What we aim to do is make your plans easier for you. So it seems that playing in the dark is impossible, right? Nope. 

You will need a secondary source of infrared light. IR illuminators are another name for it, and they come in different types and brands. 

Most experts will nominate the Tendelux IR illuminator, an IR light for Oculus Quest 2 selected as Amazon’s Choice. When you find a place for it that allows for uniform distribution of the light around the area where the portal to the fantastical world opens, you have got it right.

While Tendelux is quite the rage, other brands with high ratings will work too. If you foresee an experience tantamount to VR gaming in an alighted room, you might consider connecting 2 IR emitters. For that to happen, IR must be able to penetrate more space. And you don’t have to worry about the room you are moving to, so the tracking won’t suddenly stop working mid-game and possibly ruin an essential mission for you.

Disable tracking

DoF, also known as 6 Degrees of Freedom, allows you to coordinate your action in the real world with that of the virtual world. But it has to leave if darkness is your calling. 

Here’s how to disable tracking:

  1. Hit the Settings button after clicking on the main menu on the Oculus Quest
  2. Tap on “See All”
  3. You should find a “Device” option now, towards the left
  4. And now you have found the “Tracking” option, so just turn it off

Similarly, when you are in the mood for some light gaming, turn it on.


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