Microsoft has announced a new exciting development for Meta Quest headsets. Since December last year, Windows 11 will stream over to your VR environment via Meta Quest 3, and beyond. This does not in any way mean that a Quest 3 or Quest 3S will run Windows 11 natively. The integration works to integrate the seamless streaming of your local Windows PC or a Windows 365 Cloud PC for professionals and businesses looking for immersive productivity tools.
A New Era of VR Productivity
At Microsoft’s Ignite 2024 event, the company announced this, stressing that they are partnering with Meta in order to expand mixed reality. The feature allows users to plug in and create their multi-monitor setups in virtual reality in a matter of seconds. The process is described, regardless, be it working on a local PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC, as fast, private, and of high quality.
Microsoft posted on a blog that access from a Quest headset to your local Windows PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC is seamless and takes only seconds to connect to a private, high-quality, large multiple-monitor workstation.
Expanding VR Capabilities
During Meta Connect 2024, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had already hinted at deeper Windows integration. Users could soon connect a Quest headset to a Windows PC simply by looking down at the keyboard, he explained.
Details of gesture-based controls are still slim, but the Meta Quest 3 series offers something to compete well against Apple’s Vision Pro, a ‘spatial computer’. On the resolution front, its Vision Pro boasts 34 pixels per degree vs the Quest 3’s 25 pixels per degree, but its selling has been tepid. The Vision Pro’s sharpness benefits text-heavy tasks, but it is not sufficient to spark major market adoption.
History of Microsoft and Meta Collaboration
It is not the first time Microsoft has worked with Meta. In 2022, the companies said they were ready to bring Microsoft Teams and some of its Office apps to Meta headsets. Xbox Cloud gaming also debuted alongside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps on Quest in December 2023.
Microsoft launched Microsoft Mesh on Meta Quest, which lets you make VR meetings in Teams via VR. The HoloLens 2 was canceled with no signs of a follow-up, so it seems Microsoft is solely looking to extend its footprint in virtual reality through partnerships rather than proprietary hardware.
The Competition Heats Up
Including Windows 11 on Meta Quest headsets closes the gap between these devices and rival Apple’s Vision Pro. Meta and Microsoft attempt to improve user experience as Meta brings multi-monitor support and Microsoft rolls out cloud computing, but both companies wrestle with optical clarity and user adoption.
The partnership of Microsoft and Meta largely signifies that virtual reality is on the verge of becoming mainstream with its immersive & flexible working spaces and changes the way professionals are going to work.