At Build 2024, Microsoft announced a partnership with Meta to extend Windows apps into 3D space using a Quest VR headset. When working on physical objects, it’s important to have spatial awareness of components.
Microsoft and Meta have been working together on VR solutions for a while now, and Microsoft Office apps are now available in the Quest Store. You can open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to get work done in a Meta Quest 3 on virtual screens. However, these flat panels don’t really take advantage of what’s possible in virtual reality.
Microsoft’s latest plans sound far more interesting. The Windows Developer Blog promises to “make Windows a first-class experience on Quest devices.” Windows Volumetric apps will be able to stretch into 3D space, allowing users to manipulate virtual objects with their hands.
Microsoft will provide a volumetric API for this interaction. That means developers will have to create new apps or add these features to existing apps before you can take advantage of this new concept. In the meantime, you can still connect your Quest 3 to a Windows PC to view multiple virtual windows with apps like Immersed and Virtual Desktop.
Meta Quest was briefly mentioned, as Microsoft had dozens of interesting AI and Windows topics to discuss, including several big Copilot AI improvements, real-time video translation for Edge, and the awesome new Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft and Meta have collaborated before and have plans for deeper integration since Meta Connect 2022, when Meta announced its Quest Pro, a work-focused VR headset. Some of the plans mentioned in 2022 didn’t come until late 2023, so it could be months before we see any progress in Microsoft Volumetric apps.
