Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t wrong when he said Meta Quest 3 beats Apple Vision Pro in most areas, but it’s not a clean sweep. Its rival is far better for productivity, handling windows with an elegance the CEO can currently only dream of. The company is making progress, though, debuting a new layout that doubles the number of simultaneous programs Meta Quest 3 can handle.
One of the biggest selling points for virtual reality headsets is that you can strap a giant display to your face. However, unlike the best gaming monitors, Meta Quest 3 limits users to just three windows side-by-side.
By comparison, Vision Pro doesn’t set an arbitrary limit to how many windows you can have open. The more processes there are, the more you risk slowing the device down, but Apple’s M2 chip handles itself well. Better yet, the fruity headset gives you freeform control over where you place each window. It’ll remember exactly where you left them, even if you head out into the wild with your goggles. Himels Tech showcases the ability wonderfully:
Meta has now bridged the gap every so slightly, debuting an additional three freeform windows alongside the standard static trio. Looking at Zuck’s Threads preview, it’s not quite as smooth as Apple’s solution. In fact, the previews look more like slideshows than videos, but it’s a start. Previously, these kinds of solutions were only available using third-party apps, and few lived up to the hype.
It comes part and parcel with the Horizon OS v67 update, which is out now. The patch also includes better social integration with Threads and a new Theater View mode that expands the size of previews and dims the background to improve your focus. If you don’t already see the update, don’t fret; it’ll likely roll out in stages.