The Vision Pro Is Proof That the Quest 3 Needs a Major UI Refresh
Meta is currently reworking its UI according to Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth.
Now that people have been experimenting with Apple’s spatial computer for a couple of weeks, we’re starting to see just how it stacks up against the Quest 3 and Pro. There are a lot of differences — just ask Mark Zuckerberg — and while the Quest 3 scores points in fields like price, hand tracking, and games, there’s one arena that Apple is extremely hard to beat: UI.
According to Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth, who spoke about Quest headsets in an Instagram AMA, the company is currently working to change that Apple advantage by revamping the UI for Quest headsets. More specifically, Bosworth said that Meta is “reworking some of the core UI infrastructure to be able to enable a richer environment.” Apparently, Meta has been working on this for a while, but we shouldn’t expect it anytime soon, Bosworth added.
Meta has been releasing tweaks to its UI roughly every month.
Before Bosworth’s AMA comments, we haven’t heard of any major UI revamp. Meta has made smaller changes to the interface every month or so, but this latest confirmation sounds like it could be a foundational reworking.
While the Quest 3 was a serious improvement from its predecessor with better passthrough and specs, the headset didn’t see much of a change when it came to software.
Comparing interfaces between the two headsets is like night and day.
Competition is Good
While Bosworth said that Meta had been reworking the UI before the Vision Pro was released, the timing of the announcement — on the heels of Meta’s concerted Vision Pro pushback — is interesting. Either way, it’s no surprise that Meta is addressing Quest UI since users who’ve spent time with the Quest 3 have often complained about the sometimes clunky interface. The recent release of the Vision Pro and how smooth it is to use only adds to the pressure.
In the end, the arrival of the Vision Pro could represent a good thing for Meta. Apple’s spatial computer has brought a lot of interest into the mixed reality space, and that could push Meta and other competitors to up their game. Competition may be annoying for business, but can be great for innovation.
