The Public Test Channel build of the Quest v54 system software lets you set a Custom Skybox for your home.
Currently, each home environment you can choose from on Quest has a built-in skybox – the 2D 360° far-off background visible behind the 3D geometry of the home itself.
Spotted by @Lunayian on Twitter, a new Custom Skybox View setting in the Experimental section of the v54 software lets you change this skybox. There are 3 preinstalled skyboxes to choose from, or you can upload your own from the file system.
In late 2021, when then-Facebook announced the ‘Horizon Home’ update that added the ability for other people to visit your home, the company teased the ability to build and customize it would also come “in the future”, “a little further out” than the social features.
Horizon Home shipped in June 2022, but customization has yet to arrive. The ability to set a skybox may be the first step toward it.
As the setting description notes, however, your custom skybox won’t be visible to other people. The text also states it may not work in all environments.
Meta tends to ship a new Quest system update every month or so. Version 53 shipped just under three weeks ago, so v54 could ship later this month. Most features spotted in the Public Test Channel make it to the full release, but not all, so it’s not guaranteed that Custom Skybox View will.
