Summary
- Meta Quest 3 Update v64 introduces lying down feature for casual VR experiences like movie watching and chatting.
- External mic support now available for Meta Quest 3, allowing players to use USB-C mic for better sound quality.
- Passthrough visuals quality improved in Meta VR headset update, making it easier to interact with the real world.
Meta's latest VR headset, the Meta Quest 3, is receiving an update that adds numerous features, including the long-awaited ability to lie down while playing a game. The v64 update is beginning to roll out now, so players with the virtual reality headset shouldn't have long to wait to use the new function.
The ability to lie down while using the Meta VR headsets has been high on the wishlist of users for a long time now. While most games are designed to be played while standing or sitting, some of the more casual experiences, like watching a movie or hanging out in VR Chat, can lend themselves well to lying down. However, doing so hasn't been widely possible, as lying down immediately changes where the player is looking and what's happening to their virtual avatar.
The v63 Meta Quest update back in March brought the ability to lie down while playing a game or enjoying another virtual reality experience, but it only came to the Meta Quest 2 and the Meta Quest Pro. Meta Quest 3 is now also receiving the ability, with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth explaining that the delay was due to how the automatic Meta Quest 3 boundary works in comparison to the other headsets.
In addition to this change, the v64 Meta update is also adding external microphone support. Players will be able to connect a USB-C mic to their Meta Quest 3 headset directly, bypassing the internal mic. The device will also continue casting to an external screen when it's taken off, and passthrough visuals have seen improved resolution and image quality. Players can now also join others more easily in Meta Horizon Worlds. Players can choose to display where they're currently located in a public world, allowing their friends to join them directly.
Some of these features are still experimental, and not everyone will have access to them right away. Meta typically releases updates in waves, so not every headset will get the update at the same time. If players don't see the update available on their headset after restarting, then the best course of action is to leave it in idle mode so that the update can download in the background once it's available. Official support for the original Meta Quest has already ended, so those users won't receive this update.
Meta is still arguably the leading VR headset company at this time. While other companies are competing, including Sony with the PS VR 2, Meta has gained popularity for its wireless and fairly affordable headsets. Although Meta's concepts for an online Metaverse haven't quite taken off the way the company probably hoped, the available headsets have nonetheless provided an affordable and consumer-friendly entry point to the virtual reality experience.
Meta Quest v64 Full Patch Notes
These features and enhancements will become available starting the week of April 8, 2024 and will be pushed to Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 headsets.
Lying down now on Quest 3
Lying down is now available on Quest 3. Kick back, relax and recline for casual experiences including media playback and stationary immersive gaming. You can enable this feature by going to Experimental in Settings and selecting the toggle next to Use Apps While Lying Down.
External mic support (Quest 3 only)
You can now use an external microphone with your Quest 3 headset. You can plug a mic directly into the headset’s USB-C port, or use an adapter to connect a mic through the USB-C port. Once you’ve plugged in your external mic, you can switch to it by going to Experimental in Settings and selecting the external mic.
Keep casting when headset taken off
Previously, when you removed your headset while casting, the livestream would go black. Now when you take off your headset while casting to the Meta Quest app, the stream will stay alive, providing an improved and more seamless casting experience.
Directly join friends in Meta Horizon Worlds
We’re testing new ways to make it easier to join up with friends in Meta Horizon Worlds. If your friend is online with their location shared and in a public world, you can join them directly from the People app on the universal menu. You can control the sharing of your Active Status on Quest and in Meta Horizon Worlds, where you can also control the sharing of your world location.
Passthrough improvements
Passthrough is the fundamental mixed reality capability that allows users to comfortably view and interact with the physical world while wearing a headset. Today we are announcing a number of improvements to the passthrough experience that will roll out to all users on Quest 3 with the v64 release.
Improved resolution
We have improved the perceived resolution for passthrough by optimizing the passthrough pipeline. This makes it easier for users to see finer details and read smaller text in the real world - such as notifications on a smartphone screen.
Improved image quality
We have fine tuned the camera processing pipeline to improve color, exposure, contrast and dynamic range in passthrough. This makes color passthrough better match the real world. We have also reduced graininess (aka image noise) in lower light conditions making for an overall more comfortable passthrough experience in a range of lighting conditions.
Meta Quest 3
- Brand
- Meta
- Resolution (per eye)
- 2064x2208
- Display Type
- LCD
- Storage
- 128 GB, 512 GB
- Connectivity
- WiFi 6E, USB Type-C
- Battery Life
- 2-3 hours
The Meta Quest 3 is the latest and greatest mixed-reality headset that brings a host of improvements compared to the previous generation. The Quest 3 has higher resolution displays per eye with support for 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates.
It uses a more powerful 2nd generation Snapdragon XR2 processor that is capable of running games like Asgard's Wrath 2 natively. It comes with a full-color passthrough, improved controllers, and a slimmer form factor.
- Weight
- 515 grams
- Refresh rate
- 90Hz, 120Hz (experimental)
- Processor
- Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
- RAM
- 8GB