If Windows in mixed reality sounds like your idea of a good time, rejoice. Microsoft said on Tuesday at Microsoft Ignite 2024 it’s bringing the

Windows comes to the Meta Quest

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2024-11-19 18:00:16

If Windows in mixed reality sounds like your idea of a good time, rejoice. Microsoft said on Tuesday at Microsoft Ignite 2024 it’s bringing the “full capabilities” of Windows 11 to the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December as part of a public preview.

“Full capabilities,” in this context, means that you’ll be able to access a local Windows PC or cloud instance of Windows (via Windows 365) from a Quest headset. Microsoft says it only takes “seconds” to connect, and likens the experience to a “private, high-quality, large, multi-monitor workstation.” We’ll be the judge of that.

Supported apps in this new Windows modality extend into 3D space — a capability enabled by what Microsoft is calling Volumetric Apps. During a demo in May, Microsoft showed off a digital exploded view of an Xbox controller from the perspective of a Quest 3 wearer — an object that the wearer could manipulate with their hands.

Developers can sign up to receive access to an API that allows them to build plug-ins for new or existing 3D Windows desktop apps.