Meta gives us a glimpse of what the new Quest UI might look like
The Meta Quest 3 is a fantastic headset. What some people don’t like about it however, is the UI of the operating system powering it: Horizon OS. Meta has recently uploaded two new videos, one on YouTube and another on Instagram. These new videos indicate that changes to the UI are about to be implemented soon.
The common theme both videos focus on is support for multiple windows. Multiple, independent, windows that can be moved around with hand gestures. Something like what the Apple Vision Pro already does.
Luckily, the Quest 3 has good passthrough.
This opens up more uses for Meta’s VR headsets. Meta is heavily banking on Mixed Reality (MR) becoming the future of computing, hence its investments into the XR industry. For example, the company is working on a pair of supposedly very futuristic AR glasses codenamed Project Nazare.
Apple’s headset lacks support for existing VR games, primarily because of the lack of dedicated controllers. The Vision Pro is marketed as a productivity and passive media consumption tool. Meta’s headsets on the other hand focus mostly on gaming. But VR enthusiast and occasional news leaker Lunayian thinks Meta is showing off how it will evolve the Quest platform.
It's a pre-rendered ad, but this might be our first glimpse at the future of Meta Quest/Horizon OS https://t.co/Pkslr2fwD1
— Luna (@Lunayian) May 27, 2024
ABI Research recently predicted that the AR and VR industries are predicted to grow exponentially this decade. The firm’s market research indicated this will be driven by adoption of the technology in various fields across the world. And if Meta wants to stay ahead of the curve, it needs to start preparing now.
The Quest headsets are great devices at much more affordable prices than the competition. And if Meta beats its competitors to the punch by enabling enhanced productivity on its headsets, many people might never switch from Quest.
I do still personally think that the shown use cases will work better on AR glasses than headsets, however. Most people don’t want to wear a headset to do something they can also do on their phone.
Lastly, the videos indicate some features might not be available on the Quest 2. So Meta is definitely phasing it out in favor of Quest 3 and the rumored Quest 3 Lite.
I do still personally think that the shown use cases will work better on AR glasses than headsets, however. Most people don’t want to wear a headset to do something they can also do on their phone.
Lastly, the videos indicate some features might not be available on the Quest 2. So Meta is definitely phasing it out in favor of Quest 3 and the rumored Quest 3 Lite.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: