Tech

Meta and Microsoft team up for better VR productivity and gaming

Who actually cares about VR productivity though?

by
Joe Rice-Jones
October 12, 2022

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft and Meta are teaming up to bring productivity and gaming to the Meta’s Quest virtual reality (VR) headsets. The biggest Microsoft services are coming to VR, including Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The biggest takeaway is that Meta hopes that actual, industry-standard productivity tools will drive some Quest VR headset sales.

With reports of troubled development of Meta’s flagship metaverse app, Horizon Worlds, bringing Microsoft on board might not be the worst decision. Here’s what’s coming to Quest VR headsets.

Your next Teams meeting might be in VR

The partnership means that Teams and Horizon Workrooms users can join each other’s meeting rooms. Avatars from both systems will also carry over, one of the early promises that hadn’t shown up until now.

Microsoft is also bringing Windows 365 to Quest so you can use your virtual Windows desktop from your VR headset. 2D versions of Office are also coming to the platform.

Imagine being able to use 3D Excel spreadsheets in VR in the future. We can’t quite work out if it’s horrifying or exciting, but the promise is there.

Xbox Game Pass in VR

Microsoft has long said it wants to bring Xbox gaming to everyone, wherever they play. Meta wants everyone to live in the metaverse.

Now you can do both, as Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to the Meta Quest Store. That will significantly increase the number of games available on the platform, which will be playable on a virtual screen.

It’s their metaverse – you’re just living in it

With Microsoft now allying with Meta, the metaverse is going to happen. Will we see Windows VR Edition one day, untethered from virtual screens?

The will is certainly there, but hardware makers must figure out battery life issues.

The two-hour maximum for the Meta Quest Pro isn’t going to convince purchasing departments to spend $1,499 per user so they can take their Teams calls in VR.

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