Meta Quest headsets testing Vision Pro-style freeform window placement

One of the many differences between Meta Quest headsets and Vision Pro is the far more flexible windowing arrangements possible on Apple’s device.

But Meta is now testing an approach which comes much closer to emulating Vision Pro’s approach, and you can get early access by joining the beta program …

Vision Pro allows freeform window placement. That is, you can have multiple windows, and position them wherever you like in your environment. Impressively, they will remain exactly where you placed them even if you go for a walk while wearing VP and then return home.

Meta Quest headsets, in contrast, offer a much more limited experience by default. You can only have three windows, and they can only be positioned side-by-side.

There’s an app that allows greater flexibility with virtual Mac monitors, and I tested this last summer, but it seems Meta is now aiming to offer more powerful windowing in the OS itself.

XR enthusiast Luna first spotted it (unfortunately Quest video capture is very low resolution, but it’s enough to get the idea):

The feature also lets you choose between flat and curved monitors, and the virtual background offers the same variable dimming you get with the fixed layout.

Road to VR reports that the virtual keyboard is also more flexible.

There’s also set to be a new virtual keyboard feature that lets you to place the keyboard both vertically or at an angle for easier typing.

To use the new features, you’ll need to sign up as a beta tester, or what Meta calls its Public Test Channel (PTC):

1. Open the mobile app, tap Menu in the bottom-right corner, then tap Devices
2. Tap Headset settings, then tap Advanced settings
3. Tap the toggle next to Public Test Channel to try to join Quest PTC

If the toggle is unavailable, that means the company is not currently accepting more sign-ups, so just try again a few days later.

Once you’re in the PTC, toggle on the feature in Settings > Experimental Features > New Window Layout.

Photo by Azwedo L.LC on Unsplash