The next time you fire up YouTube VR on your Meta Quest 3 headset, you might notice a jump in quality, as the app now supports 8K resolutions. Meta announced the feature in a blog post, noting that Quest 3 users would need version 1.54 of the YouTube VR app to get the higher quality videos.
Once you’ve updated YouTube VR, select the settings gear icon on a video and choose 4320p or 4320p60 from the playback options to watch in 8K. Those two options are for 8K at 30fps and 8K at 60fps, respectively. While many videos include “8K” in the title, if those options aren’t available in the drop down, that video isn’t truly in 8K.
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Reddit users were quick to notice the improvements, with some comments calling the upgraded content “stunning” or “a huge deal for someone like me considering that I cannot travel.”
8K is only available for the Quest 3 headset right now, and it’s likely to stay that way. Meta didn’t necessarily say YouTube VR’s 8K feature was exclusive to its newest device, but given that the Quest 2 runs on an older chip, it likely doesn’t have the processing power to display the higher resolution.
To this point, there hasn’t been a huge amount of 8K content posted to YouTube because most viewers can’t access it. 8K video creators have also been using platforms like AmazeVR and DEOVR, which have supported high quality videos for longer.
The majority of 8K content on YouTube seems to be travel related, specifically 360-degree videos that let users look around a location as if they’re there. Other apps have seen success with 8K sports and concert content. With Quest 3 users slowly getting the new YouTube VR version, it’s likely we’ll see some of those videos start to appear on YouTube VR as well.
Maria Malik is your guide to the immersive world of Virtual Reality (VR). With a passion for VR technology, she explores the latest VR headsets, applications, and experiences, providing readers with in-depth reviews, industry insights, and a glimpse into the future of virtual experiences.
