Meta and Microsoft today announced at Connect that starting in 2023 the Quest platform is getting a host of Windows productivity tools along with the ability to use Windows 11 via the cloud.
First, here’s a list of what’s coming to the Quest platform:
- Microsoft Teams immersive meeting experiences for Meta Quest: Connect,
share, and collaborate in Teams immersive experiences. - Microsoft Windows 365: Stream the Windows experience on Quest Pro and Quest 2 devices, and access your personalized apps, content, and settings in VR.
- Microsoft 365 app experiences: Interact with 2D content from
Sharepoint or productivity apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook directly from Quest Pro and Quest 2. - Microsoft Teams/Workrooms integration: Join a Teams meeting from inside
Workrooms. - Meta Avatars in Microsoft Teams: Use your Meta Avatar in Teams for
whiteboarding, brainstorming, and meetups. - Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory support: Enable
enterprise security and management on Quest Pro and Quest 2 devices.
Notably, Windows 365 gives business and enterprise users access to a version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, streaming from Cloud PCs to the user’s web browser.
The partnership is ostensibly building on Meta’s early steps towards virtual offices with Horizon Workrooms, something Meta says will help make Meta Quest Pro “an enterprise-ready device that’s easy to use, deploy, and manage at scale.”
Key Quest Pro Coverage:
Quest Pro Revealed – Full Specs, Price, & Release Date
Quest Pro Hands-on – The Dawn of the Mixed Reality Headset Era
Quest Pro Technical Analysis – What’s Promising & What’s Not
Touch Pro Controllers Revealed – Also Compatible with Quest 2
There’s no launch date in sight yet, however the companies say we can expect to see these apps sometime next year.
A new ‘Meta Quest for Business’ subscription bundle for Quest Pro and Quest 2 is also said to include “essential admin features” such as device and application management, premium support, and access to Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory.
“This means companies that want to provision Meta Quest devices can be confident that the security and management options they expect from PCs and mobile devices will be available in VR,” Meta says.
This comes alongside the official unveiling of Quest Pro, which carries with it the very business-centric price tag of $1,500 for the 256 GB model.