Meta beat Apple to its own punch: Spatial Video playback is rolling out on the Quest 3

This latest software update for the Quest is one of the most feature-rich that we’ve received in recent times. I wish I could tell you that it also adds augments, but hey: we’ll get there soon enough. And in the meantime, we've got something new to play around with while we wait. 

So, what’s new in update v62 then? Let’s get to it:

Spatial Video Playback

Also known as “the big one”. This literally makes one of the Vision Pro’s seemingly unique features less, well, unique.

So long as you’ve got either an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max — which are, as of now, the only phones that can let you record spatial videos — you can take such a clip and then upload it to your Quest headset via the Quest app.

Once that happens, the service will need a moment to convert the clip — a process which I like to refer to as de-Apple-fying — and after that’s done, you can play the vid from your Files app.

But in case you aren’t an iPhone super-fan, Meta will be providing some samples for your viewing pleasure in the app, so you can check those out if you’re interested. It sounds like they are stored in the cloud, so don’t worry: they shouldn’t be taking up space.

Oh, and Meta is making this out as something that works on all Quest models. Neat! 

Proper console gaming on the Quest Browser

It finally happened: the Quest Browser supports Bluetooth controllers, like ones made by PlayStation, Xbox or other brands.

And if the controller itself supports it, you can even plug it in via USB-C and have it work!

Naturally, this one is primarily aimed at Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Quest, which is still in Beta. But hey: nothing is stopping you from playing free browser games with controllers now.

Single-Gesture Quick Actions

Basically, this is a slightly more complicated version of gesture controls. It enables you to set up several actions to specific hand motions and then execute them through said motions. 

The issue? You’ve got to be looking at your hand in order to ensure that the gesture is being registered, so even though the example for this one features the Vision Pro’s infamous pinch, it doesn’t seem to be as seamless.

Streaming upgrades

This update enables every Meta Quest headset to stream to Facebook from the device itself and the workflow has been adjusted to be more simple and intuitive.

But in case you’re more into streaming on YouTube, you can still do that, but you also get access to your chats from within the headset. The only limitation here is that you need to be using OBS as your streaming software of choice.

Is this the start of the Meta vs. Apple war?

It is very difficult to ignore the fact that Meta basically delivered Spatial Videos to the Quest series of headsets before Apple officially launched its Vision Pro spatial computer, which essentially introduced the concept of Spatial Videos as a whole.

But what does that mean? Like, are Meta and Apple now at war with each other? I think not. I think that Meta is trying to showcase that not every Vision Pro feature is that exclusive or groundbreaking, while banking on the popularity of Apple’s headset in the process. 

In other words: some typical marketing shenanigans. 

After all, we mustn’t forget: the Quest 3 or Quest Pro and the Vision Pro aren’t in the same league at all. Meta’s headsets are all about entertainment and fun, while the Vision Pro is targeting productivity freaks and multitaskers. Competition isn’t excluded, but the two companies aren’t really directly competing.

I mean, Apple doesn't even want to admit that the Vision Pro is a headset, preferring to call it a "spatial computer" instead. 

Who knows? If this behavior continues, maybe we’ll get a headset that offers the best of both worlds sooner than we thought. And I, for one, am looking forward to that.