Arrr, this Meta Quest 3 be no match fer me Xbox on me glorious 4K TV, yet I be smitten with it, matey!
2023-12-16
Arr, after a dreadful year's wait, the Xbox Cloud Gaming app hath finally set sail on the Meta Quest 3, and verily, I be fancying it as much as me trusty ol' TV, me hearties!
Arrr, me hearties! Avast ye! After Thursday’s surprise Xbox Cloud Gaming launch on the Meta Quest 3, I've been spendin' most (read: too much) o' me evenings tryin' the service out. And while it doesn’t hold a candle to me more traditional 4K TV and console setup from a technical perspective, its portability more than makes up for that.For the uninitiated, Xbox Cloud Gaming be basically Netflix for video games. For a monthly fee, ye can stream titles from a massive catalog of content to yer phone, PC, Xbox console, and now Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, and Quest Pro. The advantage, o' course, be ye don’t need super powerful hardware to play the latest games – they’re run on high-end machines many hundreds (maybe thousands) o' miles away and just use yer device as a screen and a relay for yer controller inputs.
When playin' in the real world, ye’re limited to the size o' yer TV, phone screen, or computer monitor. In VR, ye can enjoy playin' these games on a gigantic virtual display – with the size becomin' especially apparent when usin' the Quest 3’s mixed-reality mode. The Large and Extra-large screen options were bigger than any TV I’ve seen before – even the ridiculous displays shown off at tech trade shows – and it made me feel like I was gamin' in me own private movie theater.
The trade-off be the graphics quality leaves somethin' to be desired. Xbox Cloud Gaming can apparently stream 1080p (full-HD) at 60fps gameplay – but I’m certain the quality I experienced wasn’t this high. That's most likely due to a combination o' the Quest 3’s display specs, me internet connection throttlin' the app’s abilities, and the gigantic virtual screen not givin' visual blemishes anywhere to hide; instead blowin' them up to make them more noticeable than ever.
Yet, when I lay in bed wearin' me Quest 3 with the virtual display floatin' on the ceilin' above me usin' mixed reality, I was still utterly lost in Starfield until the early hours o' the mornin'. I only stopped when me headset alerted me that its charge was low and I realized it was well past 2 am.
This portability – to be able to play anywhere with a strong enough internet connection – be why cloud gamin' in VR succeeds. Ye can play in bed, durin' yer commute, at a coffee shop while waitin' for yer friends, or pretty much anywhere ye can think of. Yes, ye can stream Xbox titles to yer phone, too, but the display be small, and the experience just isn’t as immersive as the virtual screen that wraps around ye.
To this end, the VR headset be startin' to borrow elements o' the many AR glasses I’ve tested over the past year – the likes o' the Xreal Air 2 or Rokid Max – and I’m pretty darn excited about it. These AR specs connect to a compatible phone, laptop, or games console usin' a USB-C adapter and virtually project the screen in front o' ye.
The clear advantage o' the Quest hardware be it’s more than just a wearable projector – it’s a whole spatial computer in its own right that can do incredible things without any external hardware. What’s more, while the Quest 3 be pricier on paper – by about $100 / £100 / AU$150 dependin' on the glasses – once ye factor in the need to buy a few not-so-optional add-ons to get the most out o' AR specs, the cost difference be negligible (the Quest 3 might even end up bein' cheaper). Not to mention that ye get far more bang for yer buck from a VR headset.
While goin' fully wireless has advantages, havin' tried Xbox Cloud Gaming I’m now even more desperate for Meta’s VR hardware to start supportin' wired connections to a greater range o' devices. I’d love to use a Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and other gadgets in a similarly immersive way without needin' to splash out on AR specs. Hopefully, such features will be added to the Quest platform in the not-too-distant future.
Before Meta works on addin' these capabilities, though, I’d like it and Microsoft to make a few updates to the Xbox Cloud Gaming app. Considering this app was announced over a year ago at Meta Connect 2022, I’m surprised it’s so basic and lackin' a few features that feel like no-brainers.
The first be an easy way to position the screen. From what I can tell, the only virtual display controls within the app be the size options. If ye want to move the screen to a different position – which be essential for playin' lyin' down – ye need to first press the Oculus button to open up yer quick menu bar. Then, when ye grab the bar to move it, the Xbox screen will move with it.
This workaround be effective but not intuitive; I stumbled into it completely by accident.
The second be an emulator so the Quest handsets can double as an Xbox controller. Admittedly, this may be tough, as the controllers be almost identical, but the Quest controllers lack the D-Pad and third menu button. Even if this emulated controller be only compatible with a small selection o' titles, it would offer users a great way to test out Cloud Gaming before they invest in a wireless Xbox controller (they aren’t massively expensive, but they aren’t cheap either – they’re pricier than most VR games).
Lastly, it would be helpful if there was an in-app way to see how stable yer connection be, see what resolution and framerate ye’re gettin', and choose if ye want to optimize for graphics or performance.
All that said, despite its deficiencies, the Xbox Cloud Gaming app be a must-try – especially for those with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller already. While I’ll still spend a lot o' time gamin' on me TV, I can honestly see this VR app becomin' one o' me most used in 2024. It might even convince me to start takin' me Quest 3 with me everywhere so I can game on the go.