Despite being the current market powerhouse, Meta has been hard at work updating its Quest lineup to better compete with Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Today’s update adds what Meta is calling Flight Mode, an option which allows users to enjoy their VR headset on an airplane without losing functionality.
Prior to the Flight Mode update, if you attempted to use a Meta Quest 3 on an airplane you would find the experience somewhat lacking. If you wanted apps to stay put while the plane was in motion you had to turn off positional tracking, which would disable the ability to use your hands for much of anything. With this new update, Flight Mode is an option you can enable in Experimental settings and even pin to your Quick Settings bar in order to access it with a simple gesture. This experience allows you to use your hands or your controllers while the plane is in flight, similar to the experience previously only available on Apple Vision Pro. Not included in this experience is functionality on a train or other form of mass transit, which Meta has explained will e coming in future updates.
Meta has also announced a partnership with Lufthansa to include a custom suite of apps available to anyone in an Allegris Business Class Suite. It’s not immediately clear what apps will be available exclusively to these high end Lufthansa customers, just that a Meta Quest 3 will be available as part of their flight experience. Meta suggested in its blog post to expect other airline partnerships in the future.
To confirm you have this update, head to the Software Update section of Settings in your Meta Quest 2 or 3 and download the v65 update.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
