Meta’s premium VR headset has quite a bit to offer.
Today marks the launch of the Quest Pro, the first in a new line of “high-end” VR headsets from Meta. The device is powered by an upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ chipset, offering 50% more processing power than the Meta Quest 2. There’s also eye and face tracking, full-color passthrough for mixed reality, and a suite of other interesting features.
There’s so much to do that it can be a little overwhelming. To help you get started with your new device, we put together a small list of games, apps, and features we recommend trying first.
Next-Gen Workspace
The Quest Pro is designed to enhance or even replace your current workplace setup. As such the device features a number of useful productivity tools. The Quest Pro pairs beautifully with Horizon Workrooms, Meta’s VR coworking app. The open peripheral design makes it easy to work and communicate in VR while remaining aware of your physical surroundings. Each Quest Pro also comes with a pair of stylus tips that can be attached to the bottom of each Touch Pro controller to offer more realistic writing and drawing in VR.
Productivity apps such as Immersed also benefit from the new hardware by allowing you access to multiple desktop monitors in mixed reality. There are also 3D art and design tools like Painting VR and Gravity Sketch which allow you to develop and design in your real-world space. Whether you’re an artist interested in exploring a new medium or a web developer looking for a new way to collaborate with your coworkers, the Meta Quest Pro features a little something for almost every type of creative professional.
Eye & Face Tracking
As previously mentioned, the Meta Quest Pro features eye tracking and face tracking, bringing a new level of expression to the metaverse. These features are turned off by default. You’ll need to activate them manually in your settings. The quickest way is to visit the Explore app in your app library and select ‘Enhance Avatar Movement.’ You’ll then have the option to enable Natural Facial Expressions and calibrate eye tracking.
The list of supported apps is short at the moment. That said, you can hop into Horizon Workrooms, Meta’s VR co-working app, and show off your fancy new facial expressions to your friends and coworkers. While it may sound like a relatively small update, these expressive avatars add a whole new level of immersion to the experience. While you’re in Horizon Workrooms, try out the aforementioned stylus accessory for the Touch Pro controllers to more comfortably write and draw in VR.
Mixed Reality Gaming
The Meta Quest Pro is advertised primarily as a multipurpose design and collaboration tool, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a little fun. In addition to supporting the entire catalog of Quest 2 games and apps, the Quest Pro features a growing lineup of interactive mixed reality experiences powered by the aforementioned color passthrough technology.
We’ve already tried a handful of interesting games and apps that make excellent use of the technology. This includes Wooorld, a GeoGuessr-type app that allows you to explore exotic locations around the world in mixed reality or as 360-degree photos and Figmin XR, a sandbox experience that allows you to populate the real world with 3D models, animated GIFs, and various other digital content.
More content is coming out every day. Existing games such as Resolution Games’ VR dungeon-crawler Demeo and realities.io’s VR puzzle game Puzzling Places are even better in color passthrough. Schell Games also launched I Expect You To Die: Home Sweet Home, a new mixed reality mini-mission based on the popular VR series.
We’ve only spent a few days with the headset so far. As we continue to discover all this fantastic piece of hardware has to offer, you can expect our list of recommended activities to grow over time.
The Meta Quest Pro is available now for $1499 through the Meta Store in 22 countries as well as Best Buy and Amazon in the United States. Each headset comes with two Touch Pro controllers, two stylus tips, two partial light blockers, a charging dock, a 5W USB-C power adapter, and a front cover.
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Image Credit: Bob Minkin for Meta
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