by theygamesThe updates just keep rolling for the Meta Quest 3, but this latest one is less about gaming and more focused on the future of productivity. Microsoft Office programs Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are now available in VR.
The Meta Quest 3 is one of the best VR headsets you can buy right now, but outside of gaming, it’s struggled to present a real unique selling point despite its passthrough technology. There are plenty of experimental uses of passthrough that can be found online, but in the realms of productivity, Office compatibility is a very interesting addition.
All of the apps are web-based and not natively installed, meaning you’ll need a stable internet connection to use them. That being said, because it’s the web-based version, no Microsoft 365 subscription is needed so they’re free to use.
You can connect a mouse and keyboard to your Quest headset via Bluetooth to avoid having to touch-type on a virtual keyboard. Having tested out the apps myself, with and without peripherals attached, it’s a surprisingly smooth experience and just as simple as booting up a laptop or PC to do the same thing.
With multiple browser tabs open, there’s no performance impact in switching between tasks, and you can even have all three programs running in three separate windows if you really want to increase your productivity. Or, if you take the low road, just have Netflix loaded on one browser tab with Excel on another, and just pretend you’re being productive.
As the mixed reality capabilities are the Meta Quest 3 are pushed, it seems obvious that passthrough is about far more than just gaming, and there will no doubt be a case for how VR can change the modern workplace even more than the recent work from home boom already has.
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint can be used on the Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro. If you’re happy to stick to gaming on your VR headset, check out the best Meta Quest 3 games that you can get stuck into right now.