Meta announced at Connect in September it was working with Microsoft to bring Windows 11 PCs the ability to automatically pair with Quest wirelessly. Now, the companies say we can expect preview access in December.
The feature will allow Quest 3 and Quest 3S to connect to Windows 11 PCs for a multi-monitor work environment—pretty familiar territory to anyone who owns a Vision Pro and some flavor of Mac, as Apple’s XR headset has been able to similarly connect via Mac Virtual Display since launch in February 2024.
Microsoft says it’s launching the feature in public preview at some point in December, which they hope will appeal to users looking to increase productivity.
“Windows in mixed reality brings the full capabilities of Windows 11 to mixed reality headsets, starting with Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S. Access to your local Windows PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC from a Quest headset is seamless and it takes only seconds to connect to a private, high-quality, multiple-monitor workstation,” said Melissa Grant, Microsoft 365’s Senior Director of Product Marketing in a blog post.
At the feature’s unveiling at Connect in September, Meta teased the ability to seamlessly connect to the PC by simply looking at the keyboard, allowing you to instantly access the computer and drag windows across the multiple virtual monitors—a notable departure from the Remote Desktop experience available when using Meta’s own Air Link.
And while Quest has largely filled the role as VR’s premier standalone game console, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks greater Windows integration is a step in the right direction for Quest.
“This is the path to building a general computing platform,” Zuckerberg said. “It’s not just games, although [Quest] is really good at that. You’re also going to be to use it for apps, watching videos, and all of the different things you would do with a general purpose computer. Quest is the full package.”
We’ll be keeping an eye out for release dates, and will update this piece when we learn more.