Microsoft is scaling back its own mixed-reality headset ambitions, but continues to partner with Meta to make its software accessible on Quest devices.
Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headset owners will soon gain access to the “full capabilities” of Windows 11 in mixed reality, Microsoft announced at its Ignite conference this week.
Users will be able to access a local Windows PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC “in seconds,” Microsoft said in a blog post, providing access to a “private, high-quality, multiple-monitor workstation.”
Although it’s already possible to cast a PC desktop to a Quest device, the update should make the process simpler.
Microsoft has been working with Meta to bring its apps to the mixed-reality headsets for a while. Last year,the company launched several Microsoft 365 apps on Quest devices, with web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as Mesh 3D environments in Microsoft Teams. At its Build conference in May, Microsoft also announced Windows “volumetric apps” in a developer preview that promise to bring 3D content from Windows apps into mixed reality.
Meta is the market leader, with Quest headsets accounting for 74% of global AR and VR headset shipments, according to data from Counterpoint Research. At the same time, Microsoft has rolled back its own virtual and mixed reality plans, recently announcing it will discontinue its HoloLens 2 headset, with no sign of plans for new version in the works.
The number of devices sold globally fell in the second quarter of 2024, according to IDC analysts, down 28% year on year. However, IDC predicts the total number of devices sold will grow from 6.7 million units in 2024 to 22.9 million in 2028 as cheaper devices come to market.
Using a Quest headset as a private, large or multi-monitor setup makes sense from a productivity persective, said Avi Greengart, founder of research firm Technsponential. Access to all of Windows — rather than just a browser and select Windows 365 apps — adds “a lot of utility.”
“Large virtual monitors are a key use case for investing in head-mounted displays, whether that’s a mainstream headset like the Quest 3, a high-end spatial computing platform like the Apple Vision Pro, or a pair of display glasses from XREAL that plug into your phone or laptop,” said Greengart.
Several hardware constrains limit the use of Quest devices for work tasks, including display resolution and field of view (the amount of the observable virtual world visible with the device), and the discomfort of wearing a headset for extended periods.
Meta’s Quest 3 and 3S devices are more comfortable than Apple’s Vision Pro, but lack the high resolution of the more expensive device.
Greengart added that some people — particularly older users — might struggle to focus on small text at a headset’s fixed distance focal length. Those that require vision correction lenses inside the headset can find the edges of the display distorted, he said.
“I love working in VR, but compared to a physical multi-monitor setup, it isn’t quite as productive and it gives me a headache,” said Greengart. “That said, I’ve been covering this space for years, and each iteration gets better.”
