If Windows in Mixed Reality sounds like your idea, rejoice! Microsoft announced Tuesday at Microsoft Ignite 2024 that it will bring “full functionality” of Windows 11 to Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December as part of a public preview.
“Full-featured” in this context means that your Quest headset can access your local Windows PC or a cloud instance of Windows (via Windows 365). Microsoft says the connection takes just “seconds” and likens the experience to “a large, private, high-quality multi-monitor workstation.” We are the ones to judge that.
Apps supported in this new Windows modality extend into 3D space, a feature enabled by what Microsoft calls Volumetric Apps. During a demo in May, Microsoft showed off a digital exploded view of the Xbox controller from the perspective of a Quest 3 wearer. This is an object that the wearer can manipulate with their hands.
Developers can sign up and access an API that allows them to build plugins for new or existing 3D Windows desktop apps.
Microsoft has been teasing Windows content for the Quest as far back as 2022, when the company announced it would partner with Meta to bring some Windows apps, including Microsoft Teams, to Meta headsets. Last December, Microsoft launched Microsoft 365 productivity features for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Quest, and brought Xbox Cloud Gaming, its video game streaming service, to the hardware.