The Meta Quest 3, a beloved Augmented Reality headset within enthusiast circles, is undergoing a substantial update to address a persistent issue in passthrough mode and introduce two new user-friendly features.
One of the most notable changes highlighted in the recent announcement from Meta is the effort to reduce visual distortion in Passthrough mode. This enhancement aims to create a more natural appearance for objects in Mixed Reality, while also minimizing the warping effect experienced during motion. These improvements promise a smoother and more immersive user experience, particularly when interacting with virtual objects.
A significant addition to the Meta Quest 3’s features is the introduction of ‘Wrist Buttons’. This experimental feature is designed to improve menu accessibility by providing users with virtual buttons on their wrists, featuring Meta and Menu icons. These buttons serve as convenient shortcuts for opening and closing menus within games, apps, and system navigation, enhancing overall usability.
Version v66 of the Meta Quest 3 firmware brings a notable change to background audio functionality for 2D apps like browsers. Users can now enjoy videos or music while minimizing the app, without any interruption to playback. This update facilitates multitasking, enabling users to listen to podcasts or music while gaming or using other applications seamlessly.
Beyond mere updates, Meta has made waves by open-sourcing its operating system for Quest VR headsets. This bold move empowers third-party developers to innovate on the Horizon OS platform. Horizon OS offers features such as gesture recognition, passthrough functionality, scene understanding, and spatial anchors to compatible devices. This move is expected to spur innovation and expand the capabilities of VR experiences on the Meta Quest 3 and future devices built on the Horizon OS platform.
In conclusion, the latest update for the Meta Quest 3 headset brings significant enhancements to the Mixed Reality experience, addressing visual distortions and introducing intuitive features like Wrist Buttons. Additionally, improvements to background audio functionality and the open-sourcing of Horizon OS signify Meta’s commitment to fostering innovation within the VR community. These developments promise to elevate the user experience and expand the possibilities of VR technology on the Meta Quest 3 and beyond.
