Quest v81 is rolling out with a host of new features, including an immersive home environment, window anchoring, and QuickPlay. The update aims to enhance the VR experience by providing a visually stunning and interactive virtual space. Here's a breakdown of the key changes and new additions in Quest v81.
Immersive Home
Quest v81 introduces a new Immersive Home, replacing the previous VR home environments. This core environment offers four background scenery options: Horizon Central, Midnight, Valley, and Oceanarium. The new home boasts higher visual quality and dynamic lighting based on the selected background. Users can freely teleport or slide around, and even sit on virtual seats. Additionally, Meta has unified locomotion settings into a system-level World Movement tab in Settings, addressing a long-standing request from developers and enthusiasts.
2D Window Anchoring
The update allows users to persistently pin 2D windows in their home space, both in passthrough and Immersive Home. Anchored windows remain visible outside VR/MR apps and persist across reboots. Users can anchor three windows in each modality, totaling six, but only three are visible at any given time. This feature includes an interesting touch, where windows collide with virtual geometry in Immersive Home, making it easy to attach them to walls.
QuickPlay for Store Apps
Meta is introducing QuickPlay, a feature that enables Quest 3 and 3S users to launch Horizon Store apps before full download. This is similar to other app stores but is fully automatic, prioritizing assets through crowdsourced profiling. QuickPlay aims to reduce the time from buying a VR game to playing it by up to 50%.
Navigator UI Changes
The Horizon OS UI overhaul, called Navigator, has been rolled out gradually. However, in Quest v81, Meta is reverting to the Universal Menu as the default UI for most users, keeping things simple and familiar. Navigator is still available in advanced settings, but its availability varies across different Quest models.
Worlds Safety System
Quest v81 includes a Worlds Safety System that prompts users to use existing boundaries or create new ones suitable for their experience. This feature addresses safety concerns introduced by previous boundary system changes, which aimed to reduce friction but compromised safety.
Improved Horizon Feed
The Horizon Feed app has been redesigned to show links to recently active friends, recommended Horizon Worlds, installed apps, and a carousel of recommendations. Users can scroll for more recommendations or close the feed after each boot, as is common practice.
Windows 11 Remote Desktop
The seamless Windows 11 remote desktop system is now available by default in Quest v81, no longer experimental. However, its availability may vary across different Quest models.
Meta AI Enhancements
Meta AI on Quest has been improved, becoming more accurate and better at understanding user commands. It can adjust volume, go back to previous settings, and construct browser URLs for specific page openings.
New User Switcher UI
For Quest headsets with multiple accounts, a new user switcher UI is being rolled out, offering a refreshed look and feel. This feature should provide a seamless way to manage multiple accounts.
Increased 2D Active Window Limit
Quest v81 increases the 2D active window limit to 12, allowing users to position more windows freely in space. However, this feature may be rolling out separately from the main update.
