The Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S are easily the best bang-for-your-buck VR headsets you can get now, but what’s wild is just how close they’re getting to the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro, a device that costs seven times Meta’s top-of-the-line headset. The latest update rolling out to Quest users “soon” will add hand tracking and easy PC pairing that closes in on some of the Vision Pro’s best features.
In a blog post, Meta said the v72 update should add a new pairing method for your Windows 11 PC. You have to download the Mixed Reality Link app from the Microsoft Store on your computer and set up your PC with your Quest’s “Pair to PC with Microsoft Mixed Reality Link” in the headset’s settings. After you pair your PC, you should see a prompt to “Connect,” without needing to go through settings.
It’s a similar feature to one of the headlining capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro. The iPhone maker has updated visionOS2 to allow for wide and ultrawide MacBook screens, something that Quest is still lacking. However, the $25 Virtual Desktop app on Quest and third-party Vive and Pico headsets also allows for multi-screen view and ultrawide monitor mirroring.
The Meta Quest update simply makes it easier and faster to load your Windows PC into VR, rather than going through a separate app. The new feature still requires some hoop-jumping, but Meta said it will try to make this the “default experience” for Quest 3 and 3s users. If you’re trying out more PC tasks through Quest, Meta claims you should have an easier time pairing your third-party keyboard. The Quest should automatically detect any keyboard nearby.
The other side of Meta’s move to beat Apple is better hand tracking. The five sensors and 12 cameras on Apple’s “spatial computer” allow for accurate tracking, even when you move your hand outside your field of vision. Meta, on the other hand, is relying on software to make up for the relative dearth of sensors. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company said v72 will make it easier to use your hands in a confined space, so you can move windows around with the pinch gesture more easily without reaching for the controller.
Meta’s video demo shows that hand tracking should be more accurate when your digits are in motion. Currently, you can pinch and select objects relatively easily on Quest, but the controllers still offer the most fine-tuned controls on VR. Apple’s Vision Pro still doesn’t have controller support, though Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported the tech giant is working on getting PlayStation VR2 controllers and other third-party options to pair to its premium headset.
Some of these features won’t arrive with the initial Meta Quest update rollout, like enhanced keyboard detection. These are only available to a “subset” of Quest owners, for now. The rest of those touted features should come to most users’ headsets over the coming days, according to Meta.
The Quest 3S was our pick for the best MR headset of 2024, simply because at a starting price of $300 you don’t need much more for quality VR. To control your PC, you may want to dig up the $500 Quest 3 for the better displays and wider FOV. That’s still seven times less than what you can pay for the cream-of-the-crop mixed reality experience on the Vision Pro.
Earlier this year, Zuckerberg claimed his headset wasn’t just the cheaper option, it’s a better headset than Apple’s spatial computer. Meta’s working on reaching feature parity with Vision Pro, but if it can get its hand and eye tracking on par with Apple’s headset, perhaps Zuck’s claims may have some merit.
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