Microsoft and Meta teamed up on a Modern feature that lets me habituate my Windows personal computer while put on aQuest 3 or 3S , and it ’s super easy to connect and use . I simply peek at my computer and tap a float button to use Windows in VR on large displays only I can see .

Meta ’s newQuest 3 and 3S are among the respectable VR headsetsfor standalone gaming and media consumption . When I require more public presentation or need to run one of thebest Windows appsthat are n’t yet available in VR , I can connect to a much more powerful Windows PC .

Meta says the software package that provide this quick connection will be build into Windows in the future . I already had the necessary Quest update to Horizon OS v72 , but I postulate to set up Microsoft ’s Mixed Reality Link from the Microsoft Store .

There ’s an initial step to join my PC and headset . Thereafter , I can but seem at my computer keyboard to find a floatingConnectbutton . If I select it , a declamatory virtual windowpane appears and my PC monitor goes dark . This happen in about five seconds and feels almost unlined .

More and bigger monitors

Mixed Reality Link ’s practical presentation appear bigger than my current 24 - in forcible monitor , more like a 27 - inch screen in its nonremittal size of it and placement . It has the received 16:9 aspect proportion and appears to brood in 3D space within the Quest 3 ’s dual 2064 x 2208 - picture element displays . I can also use cinematic modality to make it a very gravid curved CRT screen . It ’s so big that it ’s concentrated to catch in a screenshot .

On a Quest 3S or former Quest , the solving is about 30 % lower , and the Fresnel lenses are n’t as unmortgaged . To enjoy incisive visuals than a Meta Quest can provide , you ’d needa gamey - operation PC VR headsetoran ultra - premium Apple Vision Pro . assorted Reality Link wo n’t process with those headsets , but there are other solutions .

add more VR window is dim-witted . I indicate at the lower - right-hand turning point to reveal a menu and purloin the plus sign twice to add one another to the rightfield and pass on sides . We ’ve go steady this trick before with Horizon Workrooms andVR apps like Immersed and Virtual Desktop .

What ’s dissimilar is these are Horizon OS windows that I can move and descale with Quest helping hand tracking or controllers . I can give Quest 2D apps alongside Windows in a blended surroundings .

I can use passthrough mode to see my surroundings filled with up to six float window or I can switch to a virtual environment , which is more fun . As I type , I ’m environ by school of fish , sea turtles , manta rays , and whales in Meta ’s Oceanarium . It ’s quite peaceable and can help oneself with focus when cultivate in a busy or crowded space .

I can even enteran immersive app like OpenBrush to paint a 3D material body , then press the Meta clit to flip to my Windows desktop without leaving that environment . It feels like the future .

When I want to reach for my coffee , I can well shift to passthrough mode with a two-fold - tap to the side of the Quest 3 or by selecting a button on the dock .

Microsoft ’s Mixed Reality Link is in beta , but it ’s already a good solution for using Windows in my Quest 3 . sundry Reality Link ’s drug user interface is squeamish . I wish the way the connect button appear above my keyboard and how quickly I can link to my PC . I still employ my keyboard and black eye to interact with Windows and apps on my computer , but I keep in line Horizon OS with my hands .

When I lift my hand out from the keys , the Quest 3 tag them and reply to pinch and drag gestures . I can resize and reposition windows , add more practical display , and open up Horizon OS apps alongside Windows apps .

In passthrough mode , I can see my room and desk with virtual concealment and the dockage hover in space . In immersive manner , I ’m hem in by a mountaintop camping area , a misty valley with falls , an Old West excavation town at night , or any Horizon OS environment .

When I ’m fully immersed , my keyboard looks like a swooning gray outline . If I move my hands near the keys , a orthogonal portal disclose my keyboard . I can see a portion of my mousepad and mouse , enough to grab it without searching .

Beta issues

miscellaneous Reality Link is presently in beta examination and there are a few return with VR video display arrangement and the keyboard portal . These are n’t serious bug , but unexpected annoyance can add up and become thwarting . I have a few tips that should help .

When I resized the VR windows , I was disappointed to see black BAR appear at the face or top and bottom if I did n’t get a perfect 16:9 shape . There ’s no snapping so it ’s difficult to avoid let blackened molding .

The default display arrangement is OK , but I prefer vertically stacked monitors , so I set the master display at center level and moved one below . The Horizon OS dockage get in my room so I moved it to the side and manually positioned two video display exactly where I wanted .

The thaumaturgy of bridge player tracking is very good but it was difficult to place the lower window since it kept switching to the keyboard . Keep the dock and virtual displays away from your keyboard for more dependable operation .

I worked very comfortably for a few hour , then stepped away briefly , leaving my headset behind . When I returned , the connexion had timed out so I reconnected . That ’s quick and loose , so no headache there . However , Horizon OS did n’t save my impost window arrangement . I did n’t experience like re - make my ideal position , so I just used the default preferences .

I really enjoyed Mixed Reality Link , and it has with child potency . I ’m happy to finally see the Meta and Microsoft partnership have a bun in the oven fruit . Earlier effort like Microsoft Office on Quest were unsatisfying .

Already , Mixed Reality Link is a nimble way to use Windows in a virtual environs addingeven more economic value to my Quest 3 . If customs duty display transcription were redeem , it would be a slap-up way to shape at a computer in VR . Third - party apps like Immersed , Virtual Desktop , and others are still more versatile productiveness solutions since I can pair a keyboard and mouse to my headset and join to my PC from anywhere .

you’re able to use assorted Reality Link for gaming , but for PC VR gambling , it ’s hard to beatwired headsets like the Pimax Crystal Lightthat have sharp 2880 x 2880 resolution and uncompressed visuals for a more naturalistic and immersive experience .