We’ve Tried The Quest 3 v66 Update
Everything you need to know about the latest suite of updates and changes from Meta
Rolling out from June 3—so, right now!—the v66 Update for Quest 3 (and other Quest headsets, don’t worry) is here, and we’ve had the chance to put it to the test.
This update is a big one, providing a lot of quality-of-life features and fixes that Quest users have been begging for for a while now. And, don’t worry if you can’t see the update in your download list just yet—it’s a gradual roll-out, so be patient and you’ll have it over the next few weeks.
So, let’s dive in and see what we’re getting!
Hide apps in your Library
PRAISE THE GODS OF VR!
Finally, we can now hide any app (whether installed or uninstalled) that we’ve downloaded from the Meta Store or App Lab and keep our App Libraries squeaky clean.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this feature for a while now and it’s so nice to have! You can check out your hidden apps by selecting the ‘Hidden’ option in the filter menu in the top right.
Now, go! Go and clean up that Library, you messy pup!
An improved Passthrough experience (again!)
When we tested the v64 Quest 3 update, one of the biggest features was a pretty noticeable improvement to Passthrough quality, adjusting the colors, exposure, and contrast to deliver a more realistic, crisper image while you’re using Quest 3 in Mixed Reality. Well, they’ve only gone and done it again!
Meta have introduced a bunch more Passthrough improvements in the v66 Update, improving image quality even further, while fine-tuning their software to reduce distortion in Passthrough, making your hands and other things look more natural in MR. They’ve also worked to reduce the weird warping effect of objects in motion—especially while holding them close to your face. This was one of our biggest bugbears in the v64 Update, so this is a really welcome change.
The Meta button on your wrist
While hand-tracking menu control has generally been good on Quest 3 in my experience, I’ve always found the pinch gesture to activate the Meta button to be a bit hit-and-miss. This fixes that!
You can now head to the ‘Experimental’ area of the Settings menu and add the Meta button to your wrist, which I have found to be a much more easily tracked gesture for the headset to recognize. You can also also add the general menu button to your other wrist.
Perhaps not a needed feature, but I like it!
Background audio and media controls
Like gaming or messing about in VR to your own choice of soundtrack? Well, they’ve given us background audio and media controls to help us listen to music or play videos in the background while we do other bits and bobs.
When the media is playing, you’ll see a new media bar appear under the universal menu to give you playback control. This is an awesome include for multi-taskers, music maniacs, or podcast pros.
Family Center updates
A small but important update for Quest owners with younger users: from June 27, children supervised by the same parent or guardian will automatically be able to see each other in the Family Center. This makes keeping track of your parental supervision controls a bit easier.
Space Setup automatically captures your furniture
Space Setup will now automatically recognize and mark the various bits of furniture in your space, which should improve realism for MR games and apps.
Right now, Meta has got this up and running for windows, doors, tables, couches, storage units, TV screens, and beds, with the promise of more furniture over time. But I guess it depends on how much weird stuff you’ve filled your home with, right?
Your Quest gallery on the web
Another nice little quality-of-life feature, you can now sync your gallery media with your Horizon profile, letting you view your collection on a web browser outside the headset.
All you’ll need to do is log into: meta.com/gallery/quest
You can try it now—mine synced automatically!
Sleep mode added to power off menu
It’s always nice to have options, and adding the option to put your headset to sleep instead of turning it off is a nice one!
When you press and hold the power button, you’ll now see a sleep mode added to the menu, allowing your headset to conserve power, but also update or download apps in the background. It’ll also reduce the amount of time it takes your headset to power back up when you return. Nice.
What other updates would you like to see?
That wraps the main points included in this pretty massive v66 Update! Have they added everything you wanted this time around?
If there’s something you still think is missing from the Quest 3’s update lineup, comment below and let us know! Or let Meta know—they’ll be working on it, after all!
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