Hot on the heels of a successful Apple Vision Pro pre-order weekend, and days ahead of its February 2 launch, new information has emerged that indicates that Apple’s unique new Spatial Video feature for its spatial computing headset might also be coming to Meta’s rival Quest headsets.
First unveiled as part of the original Apple Vision Pro announcement last year, Apple’s new headset features a brand-new spatial video format that will let users capture and relive memories in 3D. Users will be able to see their videos at “life-size scale with brilliant color and spectacular detail” so they can “capture, relive, and immerse themselves in favorite memories.”
To capture these videos, you need Apple’s best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, and until very recently, it was assumed you also needed Apple Vision Pro to relive them. Now, however, that has changed.
Spatial Videos on Quest?
According to X user @M1Astra, “Meta is planning to support Spatial Videos on Quest according to code strings found in their iOS app.” According to their findings, the strings state “Immerse yourself in your favorite memories by uploading videos on the Meta Quest app,” and provide settings and options to enable spatial video in your camera settings, upload spatial video, and more.
“Possibly related” strings further hint at viewing videos in VR within the Meta Quest app gallery, uploading and storing videos in the cloud, and connecting to the internet to view them. There’s also a note to “View uploaded videos on Meta Quest in the Files app Synced media tab.”
From these notes, it seems that this video will still have to be shot on Apple’s aforementioned Pro iPhone models, given these are the only two models with the camera configuration to support the spatial video format. However, they do seem to indicate that these videos at some point might be viewable on immersive devices other than the Meta Quest. If that is the case, it would definitely be a big development. While there are a myriad of Apple Vision Pro use cases, spatial videos are definitely one of the most unique features, so it seems slightly strange Apple would proliferate support to a rival platform. On the other hand, Apple may be hoping spatial videos will catch on faster if more VR users have access to them. We’ve reached out to both companies for comment.
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