The Meta Quest 3 headset is a great way to enter the virtual world For example, it is my favorite way to experience Microsoft Flight Simulator

I had the opportunity to try out Real Racer's remote controlled car, which recently released an app that lets you control it using the Meta Quest 3 Here's how it works and what I found

Real Racer's car works well on its own and is a pretty fun toy for $150 It has a 720p camera right above the windshield that transmits to a smartphone app via Wi-Fi The car also comes with a headset, so you can mount your phone inside the car and zoom around the floor for a first-person view

The car also comes with a remote control, which allows you to move forward and backward with a simple trigger and rotate the car with the wheels on the side Sadly, the kit does not come with the four AAA batteries needed for the remote control

However, pairing this car with the MetaQuest 3 took it to a whole new level

Once everything was set up, I sat (figuratively) in the driver's seat The MetaQuest 3 transformed as if I was inside a racing car: looking forward through the windshield, I could see a live feed from the on-board camera Looking forward through the windshield, I saw a live feed from the car's camera, with the steering wheel and dashboard directly in front of me, otherwise the cockpit looked like a stock car

Instead of using the controller that came with the race car, we used the MetaQuest 3 controller: by pressing the two Pinch buttons (the buttons at the bottom of the controller), a virtual hand gripped the steering wheel The car could then be steered by turning the hands left and right, just as in reality

Pressing the right hand trigger button would move the car forward, while pressing the left hand trigger would move it backward

Driving the car with the headset was quite fun In no time at all, I was chasing a cat around the house In no time at all I was chasing cats around the house, although I did wish the haptic feedback on the controller would beep as the car roared around the house

Video quality was fair It degraded quickly in dark environments, but you can't expect 4K from something that costs only $150 and is a toy

Using the car with the Meta Quest 3 requires installing an app on the headset and pairing the headset with the car via Wi-Fi The setup process was a bit funky, with the app crashing several times and having to back out of the app several times to select certain menu items

Aside from the app glitches, the only thing I found really annoying was the battery in the car itself The battery can run for about 20 minutes, but to recharge it, one must unscrew a panel on the bottom of the car body, remove the battery, and plug it into its own USB-A plug The car comes with a small screwdriver, like those found in eyeglass repair kits, but this will almost certainly be lost Therefore, always put it in a safe place

Real Racer is a fun and fairly inexpensive way to get a little more out of your Meta Quest 3 headset It will be much enjoyed by children, especially since they can see where the car is going when they drive it out of sight The battery life is also reasonably long, with some drones lasting less than half as long as cheaper drones