Less VR is Better

Yes, Zuckerberg’s Meta has proved deleterious to the Internet and society in general, but their hardware team does deserve credit for producing the best value VR headset out there. I upgraded from a Quest 2, mainly to play Batman: Arkham Shadow and to see how much a difference pancake lenses make, but the “killer feature” for me is something I didn’t expect: good passthrough.

Apple were right when they added a dial to control passthrough to the Vision Pro (though calling it the “digital crown” is obnoxious). VR headsets’ chief advantage is hiding the real world; but that’s their chief disadvantage as well. However, when I turn on the Quest 3 it immediately shows a good-enough colour passthrough that I don’t feel like I am being cut off entirely from reality. This makes putting on the headset feel significantly less disconcerting.

Since I’ve got the Quest 3, then, I’ve spent less time in full-VR experiences, but more in mixed-reality scenarios. Using Virtual Desktop to bring up a multi-monitor setup while sitting on the sofa, and being able to see people come in and out of the room (and where my mug of tea is). Punching targets flying out of my walls in Les Mills Bodycombat (and not worrying about hitting my inquisitive five year-old by mistake). Watching the 3D version of Tron: Legacy on a giant screen while in bed (and feeling only moderately anti-social). Having the passthrough there as an anchor to what’s going on around me makes me feel comfortable.

And when I’m feeling braver, I still also have the option of turning off the passthrough, clenching my jaw, feeling the rage, and punching goons in Gotham. I’m enjoying Arkham Shadow, too.

2025-01-02 It turns out my realisation that passthrough is important is shared by users of the Quest 3: this post by Meta’s Andrew Bosworth notes that “[o]ne of the first trends that we discovered after the launch of Quest 3 last year was people using mixed reality to watch videos while multitasking in their home—doing the dishes or vacuuming their living rooms”.