The Meta Quest Pro’s latest update has delivered some major improvements that I wish the Oculus Quest 2 was getting, too.
The first, and my favorite, is the introduction of background audio. Now when you’re sitting at your virtual desk in Horizon Worrkrooms, or if you’re playing a round of Walkabout Mini Golf, you can enjoy audio that’s playing from the Browser app in the background. Log into your music streaming service of choice, or stick on a podcast, and if the background audio feature is on, you should be able to hear the audio while using a different app.
To turn this feature on, you head to the Experimental section of your Meta Quest Pro's settings. Once there, you should be able to toggle Background Audio Playback on and give it a try.
The other update is a major change to the Quest Pro’s mixed reality capture tool.
At a pre-launch event for the Meta Quest Pro, I remember that the YouTubers in attendance weren’t excited to hear that mixed reality recordings wouldn’t capture the real world. Instead, the in-game elements in the video would be shown against a completely blank black background. This wouldn’t make for interesting content and certainly wouldn’t properly demonstrate the Pro’s MR capabilities.
Thankfully v47 is changing that. Now when you hit record while playing a mixed-reality app like Tribe XR or Painting VR (one of the VR apps I recommended in October (opens in new tab)) you’ll be able to capture both in-game and real-world elements in one video. So take this as your warning to clear anything embarrassing out of your VR space before you hit record as now it’ll be on show for everyone to see.
Make your Wishlist come true
Meta hasn’t forgotten about those of us still using the Oculus Quest 2 as v47 is also bringing some (albeit minor) upgrades to your headset, too.
If you’re hoping to digitally unwrap a few new VR games this year – perhaps some from our best Oculus Quest 2 games list – then you might appreciate the new sharable wishlist feature. In the Meta Quest Store, you can head to the Wishlist tab, make your Wishlist public, and then create a link so that other people can check it out.
The update will also make it easier to switch up your Meta avatar’s look. Thanks to the new mirror that’ll be appearing in your Horizon Home environment, Quest 2 and Quest Pro users will be able to check out how your avatar looks in real time. You'll be able to mix up and rate your digital fit before jumping into a metaverse hangout.
Looking for something that's still not offered by Meta's hardware? Check out our other picks for the best VR headsets.
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