The Meta Quest 3 uses Vision Pro’s spatial video to help you relive your memories
Just as the Vision Pro is launching, Meta has started rolling out software update v62 for its Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro and Quest 2. The main feature of the new software is that it is now a lot easier to view your spatial video recordings on Quest hardware – stealing the Vision Pro’s best feature.
You’ve always been able to watch spatial 3D video (or stereoscopic video as most people call it) on Quest hardware. And using a slightly tricky workaround, you could convert spatial video footage captured with an iPhone 15 Pro into a Quest-compatible format for viewing in 3D without needing Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro. But as we predicted, Meta has made this conversion process a lot easier with v62.
Now you can simply upload the captured footage via the Meta Quest mobile app and Meta will automatically convert it and send it to your headset – even giving the videos the same cloudy edge you would see on the Vision Pro.
You can find the recordings and a few meta-made demo videos in the Spatial Videos section of the Files menu on your Quest headset.
Spatial video is a standout feature referenced in almost every review in our roundup of Apple Vision Pro reviews – with our own Lance Ulanoff calling it an “immersive journey” after one of his demos with the Apple headset. So it’s almost certainly no coincidence that Meta has announced that it has literally adopted the feature now that the Vision Pro is launching.
Granted, Quest’s spatial video isn’t identical to the Vision Pro version, as you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro – on the Vision Pro you can use the iPhone or the headset itself – but over time there is one potential benefit that Meta’s system might have. Non-exclusivity.
Considering that other smartphone makers are expected to launch their own headsets in the coming year – such as the already teased Samsung iPhones will come.
If this happens, you can probably use any brand of phone to record 3D videos that you can then convert and watch on your Quest hardware via the Meta Quest app. Given the typical walled garden approach, you’ll probably always need an iPhone to record 3D video for the Vision Pro and Apple’s future headsets – and Samsung, Google and other smartphone brands could also have some sort of walled garden garden to lock you in their hardware.
Other v62 improvements
It’s not just spatial video coming in the next update to the Quest operating system.
Meta has added support for a wider range of controllers – including the PS5 DualSense controller and PS4 DualShock – that you can use to play games through apps like the Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) or the Meta Quest Browser.
Facebook Livestreaming, after being added in update v56, is now available to all Meta Quest users. So now anyone can share their VR adventures with their Facebook friends in real time by selecting ‘Go Live’ via the camera icon in the Universal Menu while in VR (provided your Facebook and Meta accounts are linked via the Account Center).
If you prefer YouTube streaming, it’s now possible to see your chat while streaming without taking off the headset, provided you’re using OBS software.
Finally, Meta improves the hand tracking controls so you can quickly access the Universal Menu by looking at your palm and making a short squeeze. A long squeeze will re-center your screen. You can always go back to the older Quick Actions menu by going to Settings, looking for Advanced Quick Actions and turning it back on.