This page is for IT staff and anyone setting up a Windows PC to run X-ray Pro VR, RadSafe VR or BirthWise VR in VR with a connected headset. It covers OpenXR runtimes, SteamVR settings, Meta Horizon Link and how to tell whether a laptop can run VR.
Which headset uses which software
The simulations run on a VR-ready Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC through the PC's active OpenXR runtime. OpenXR is the standard that lets the simulation talk to the headset. Check the PC against PC Requirements. Macs cannot run VR.
Step-by-step setup for both: Using a VR headset with a PC. For a standalone Quest with no PC, see Why can't I find your app on the Meta store?
Keep one OpenXR runtime active
The simulation uses whichever OpenXR runtime is active on the PC. Ideally install only one. If a PC has both SteamVR and Meta Horizon Link (for example a test PC used with several headsets), set the right one as active before you start:
| Headset | How to make its runtime active |
|---|---|
| HTC Vive, Vive Pro, Vive Pro 2, Valve Index | In SteamVR, open Settings, then OpenXR, and select Set SteamVR as OpenXR Runtime if the button is shown. Restart SteamVR. |
| Meta Quest with Link or Air Link | In the Meta Horizon Link app, open Settings, then General. Next to OpenXR Runtime, select Set Meta Horizon Link as active. If it is greyed out, it is already active. |
To see which runtime is active, or to switch, you can use the free third-party tool OpenXR Explorer.
SteamVR settings (HTC Vive, Vive Pro, Vive Pro 2, Valve Index)
We recommend changing two settings. Both are in SteamVR's advanced settings.
| Setting | Change to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Video: Pause VR when headset is idle | Off | Highly recommended. When it is on, controllers can be invisible or the simulation may not start. |
| General: SteamVR Home | Off | Optional. It uses PC performance for no benefit. |
- Open SteamVR and click the menu button.
- Select Settings.
- Set Advanced Settings to Show. Click the selector shown below.
More options now appear.
- Open Video and turn Pause VR when headset is idle Off.
- Optional: open General and turn SteamVR Home Off.
Can't install Steam on institution PCs? Valve offers a licence for using SteamVR without the Steam client in organisations. See SteamVR for Enterprise / Government Use.
Meta Quest with Link or Air Link
- Install the Meta Horizon Link app on the PC. It replaces the old Oculus app. Meta's guide: Set up and connect Meta Horizon Link and Air Link.
- Update the headset. Meta requires the latest headset software for Link.
- Turn on Unknown Sources. In the Link app, open Settings, then General, turn on Unknown Sources and select Allow. Without this, Meta blocks the simulation.
- Set Meta Horizon Link as the OpenXR runtime. Still in Settings, General: next to OpenXR Runtime, select Set Meta Horizon Link as active.
- Choose cable or Wi-Fi. A USB-C 3.2 cable into a USB 3.2 port is the most reliable. Air Link needs a strong, uncongested Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 network with the headset close to the router.
Will this laptop run VR?
Many laptops have two graphics processors: a powerful discrete GPU (usually NVIDIA) and a low-power integrated GPU built into the processor. VR headsets must connect to a port wired directly to the discrete GPU. If the ports are only wired to the integrated GPU, or the discrete GPU is only reached by passing through it, the laptop will not run VR, even with a strong graphics card. Laptops with only a discrete GPU rarely have this problem.
Sales staff often can't answer this, so check it yourself:
- Open the NVIDIA Control Panel on the laptop.
- Go to 3D Settings, then Set PhysX Configuration. Menu names vary a little between driver versions.
- See which ports are linked to the NVIDIA GPU. The diagram shows each physical port and the GPU it connects to.
Not VR compatible: both ports connect to the Intel graphics. The NVIDIA GPU is only reached through it, which does not work with VR headsets.
VR compatible through DisplayPort or HDMI: those ports connect to the NVIDIA GPU. The USB-C port connects to the Intel graphics, so a headset that needs a display signal over USB-C would not work on it.
Only a discrete GPU: every port connects to the NVIDIA GPU.
| Situation | Will it work? |
|---|---|
| A port on the NVIDIA GPU matches your headset's connector | Probably yes. |
| Only a USB-C port is on the NVIDIA GPU, and the headset uses DisplayPort | Usually yes, with a good quality USB-C to DisplayPort adapter. You may need to try more than one. |
| Only HDMI is on the NVIDIA GPU, and the headset uses DisplayPort | Probably not. DisplayPort to HDMI adapters generally don't work with VR headsets. |
If you connect by USB-C, use the right port. Often only one is wired to the NVIDIA GPU, usually marked with a DisplayPort or Thunderbolt symbol.
- Ask the chatbot: the Ask me anything box, bottom right of any Help Center page.
- Submit a help ticket.
Help us fix it first time. A ticket that only says "it's not working" doesn't tell us what has gone wrong, so we can't fix it. We'll have to write back and ask for details, which slows everything down. Please include:
- which simulation (X-ray Pro VR, RadSafe VR or BirthWise VR)
- your headset model, and whether you use SteamVR or Meta Horizon Link
- the PC or laptop make and model, and its graphics card
- whether the headset works in its own home environment
- what happens, with any error message word for word or a screenshot