Microsoft has announced Meta Quest 3 users will soon be able to access the “full capabilities” of Windows 11 from their VR headset.
One element to get out of the way right from the off is this does not mean a Meta Quest 3 will be able to natively run Windows.
Quest 3 and Quest 3S will instead stream from your own Windows 11 PC, or a virtual Windows Cloud PC. These virtual PCs are available through a Windows 365 subscription, generally aimed at pro and business customers rather than the average PC user.
“Access to your local Windows PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC from a Quest headset is seamless and it takes only seconds to connect to a private, high-quality, multiple-monitor workstation,” reads a Microsoft blog post.
“This will be available in public preview in December.”
Such a feature will bring the Quest 3 series into much closer competition with the technical impressive but slow-selling Apple Vision Pro headset, which is sold as a “spatial computer” rather than a VR headset.
In this initial Windows 11 VR experience, you’ll be able to setup multiple virtual monitors in your Quest 3 or Quest 3S field of view.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked about future plans for Windows 11 integration back in September, during Meta Connect 2024. The catchy sell was you’ll be able to pair a Quest headset with a Windows 11 PC just by looking down at the keyboard.
It’s not clear how much a Meta Quest 3 wearer will be able to control Windows 11 through gestures, in Vision Pro fashion.
At present the third-party apps Virtual Desktop and Immersed are among the best options for Quest owners wanting to use their headsets for productivity work. Meta and Microsoft need to improve upon the experience offered there to meaningfully move the conversation forward.
What better Meta and Windows 11 integration won’t do, though, is recreate the kind of optical clarity provided by the Apple Vision Pro. A Quest 3 has contextual resolution of around 25 pixels per degree, compared to around 34 pixels per degree for the Apple headset.
That improved sharpness is even more beneficial when looking at text-filled virtual screens than movies. Such technical supremacy appears to have done little to help the Vision Pro’s sales momentum, though.
