A bit more like the Vision Pro: Free window placement in Quest headsets

Meta will enable owners of a Quest mixed reality headset to position the screen windows anywhere in the headset's field of vision. A corresponding function is currently in beta testing for the next firmware version. With this flexibilization, Meta is once again moving closer to Apple and its Vision Pro, which has provided this option in the visionOS operating system since the very beginning.

Multitasking with multiple windows has long been supported in Meta Horizon OS (formerly Quest OS) – until now, however, the three windows could only be docked and displayed next to each other. This is now set to change in version 67 of the Quest firmware - although Meta is still talking about an experimental feature and has made it available for activation in the corresponding section in the settings. Interested parties can download the beta version to try it out via the Public Test Channel.

Quest headset more forgetful compared to Vision Pro

A few months ago, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke of Meta becoming the "Android of mixed reality". In fact, the Facebook parent company is taking up Apple's functions with some verve and integrating them into its own system. Examples include Spatial Videos, which can also be loaded and viewed on Quest headsets, or the Quest 3's hand control, which has been significantly improved since the Vision Pro was announced and is now an alternative to controller control in a number of applications.

However, Meta's new function for free positioning of the windows does not go as far as Apple's by any means. Testers report that the operating system only remembers the positions of the windows for a certain period of time, whereas with the Vision Pro they remain in place even when the headset is removed or the wearer of the glasses moves further away. In addition, only three windows can be moved freely, another three can be parked in a dock.

(mki)