MetaQuest Pro: Next-Gen Immersive Collab Device? (1st Impressions Part 1)

Introduction:

The MetaQuest Pro is a cutting-edge device designed for immersive collaboration, blurring the lines between physical and virtual environments. I recently acquired the device for testing, diving into various experiences from a corporate business and enterprise perspective. In this blog post, I'll share my experiences exploring virtual monitors, pass-through experiences, face detection, eye tracking, and virtual whiteboard capabilities. I've also posted a video with this info above.

Setting up the MetaQuest Pro:

Setting up the device was very easy and only involved following some on-screen prompts and connecting to wifi. One of the first apps I installed and tested was Immersed. Immersed is a popular productivity app that allows you to send a remote desktop of your computer to your VR environment. I tested it on both my PC workstation and my Mac, and the results were impressive, but not without some caveats.

Virtual Monitors and Pass-Through Experience:

One of the standout features of the MetaQuest Pro is the ability to create and manipulate virtual monitors in your real environment. You can move and resize the monitors, creating a custom workspace tailored to your needs. The quality of the rendered screens inside the headset is incredibly clear, although the pass-through video could use some improvement in terms of graininess and color accuracy.

Using a Mouse and Keyboard:

The device supports pass-through for mouse and keyboard input, which is a welcome addition. While there's a slight latency that takes some getting used to, it's not a deal-breaker. The virtual environment also includes a feature that allows you to see your physical keyboard in 3D, providing added confidence when typing.

Virtual Presentation and Collaboration:

The MetaQuest Pro has the potential to revolutionize virtual presentations and collaboration. You can create a fully virtual environment and simulate real meeting spaces and conference rooms with collaborative technology like whiteboards. Meta also provides you an option to open a virtual portal showing your real keyboard and even invite other virtual users to join you. While this functionality is still in its early stages, the potential for immersive collaboration is evident. That being said, it is still unclear if and who would actually want to leverage this technology for this purpose.

Virtual Webcam and Avatar:

I tested the virtual webcam feature, which uses an avatar to represent you in the virtual environment. While my avatar didn't look exactly like me, the face-tracking technology was impressive, accurately capturing my facial expressions and movements.

There were a few challenges during my testing, particularly with the virtual whiteboard feature in the Immersed app. I had difficulty getting it to work, but I remain hopeful that this will be resolved in future updates. Additionally, the pass-through video quality could be improved with higher-quality camera sensors and better low-light capabilities.

Conclusion:

Overall, the MetaQuest Pro offers a promising glimpse into the future of immersive collaboration. While there's still plenty of room for improvement, the device has the potential to revolutionize how we work and interact in virtual environments. Stay tuned for part two, where I'll delve into more collaborative environments and hopefully get that virtual whiteboard up and running.