One thing I’ve always known while playing on my Meta Quest 3 is that the headset would be perfect for in-flight entertainment, but the capability just wasn't there yet — on any headset.
For example, I got to try Apple Vision Pro in Travel Mode for a little bit, and then immediately took it off in frustration when the settings screen vanished behind me as the plane headed toward the runway.
But Meta is bringing its own Travel Mode to Quest 2 and 3, which aims to fix the tracking issues on long-haul flights, and the company has even worked with Lufthansa to give you new mixed reality (MR) content experiences.
Improving your time in coach
So first off, I’m excited to try this out properly when I head to Computex 2024, as some big changes are happening under the surface. To activate it, head over to Experimental features in your Settings menu, scroll down and toggle Travel Mode on.
Two big things happen at that point. First, if you are on a flight with complimentary Wi-Fi that offers up movies and TV shows you’d normally enjoy on your tablet, your Quest can detect that same network and show that content on a far bigger virtual screen in front of you.
Second, if you have games and MR apps downloaded for offline use, the tracking algorithms have been specifically tuned to account for the movement of an airplane. Meta also claims that you can’t even trick the tracking when looking out of a window. For now, this is just limited to planes, but the company plans to add more modes of transport in the future.
Business class only
On top of this, as we alluded to earlier, Meta has partnered up with Lufthansa to test providing a ton of entertainment, games and more in an MR environment. As part of this program, Business Class Suite customers will get access to Quest 3 headsets this summer to experience the following:
- Immersive viewing of select film and TV
- Travel podcasts with spatial and 360-degree video content of the locations
- Virtual sightseeing previews of the destination you’re flying to
- Interactive games like Connect Four and Chess
- Wellness experiences like meditation
This is a first for VR headsets, and a direction that I hope other travel companies take. Not just for business class, but for any headset users that connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi. We all deserve better than the downright awful displays we get in the back of seats!
