After Apple Vision Pro, Meta seems to be testing a feature for its Quest 3 headsets that allows you to place windows freely. Reportedly, the proposed feature will be similar to Vision Pro’s feature of allowing you to move windows freely.
For the last few years, it looks like multitasking with multiple windows has been part of Meta Horizon OS (formerly Meta Quest OS), However, the current version of Quest only supports three virtual windows docked in a side-by-side layout, which Meta aims to improve with the proposed upgrade.
Meta to upgrade Quest headsets
According to RoadtoVR, a data miner named Luna, had posted a demonstration video on X. It looks like Luna had spotted the experimental feature in version 67 of the Meta Quest Public Test Channel. “ Meta Quest OS v67 PTC Settings > Experimental Features > New Window Layout, “ data miner Luna, explained in a post on X.
Reportedly, the update also allows you to switch between curved and flat windows. Additionally you can also get a ‘dimmer’ option that lowers the brightness of virtual environments while using 2D apps. However the ‘dimmer’ feature doesn’t yet work for passthrough mode.
According to The Verge, the new update can bring the Quest 3, in particular, a step closer to Apple’s spatial computing when used in mixed reality mode. However, sources suggest that from the video, it doesn’t seem to work quite the same way.
Quest VS Vision Pro
It is believed that with the new updates, you can freely move up to three windows from 2D apps. For example you can scroll through the browser or OS windows like your library and settings around your space and keep another three docked.
Reportedly other demos suggest that the windows will only remember their placement within a limited distance. Unlike Apple’s Vision Pro, the windows will return to their default positions if you switch orientation or reset the view, as reported by The Verge.
On the other hand the Apple Vision Pro allows you to move windows around whichever space you’re in and keep them locked in place even while you move around and after you take the headset off. With this feature you can have a window sitting next to your refrigerator and another positioned alongside the TV in your living room, and then walk to and from the windows as if they’re actual objects.
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