Key Takeaways
- Meta and Microsoft collaborate on a limited edition Xbox Meta Quest, offering a unique design but no promise of full Xbox VR gaming.
- The special edition headset is inspired by Xbox but likely functions as a regular Meta Quest, with a potential Game Pass Ultimate bonus.
- While it’s not what console gamers were hoping for, the Xbox-branded Meta Quest is a great entry point for immersive gaming enthusiasts.
When it comes to console-based VR, it’s pretty slim pickings. Sony has the PlayStation VR, and Nintendo has that Labo headwear where you can make your own. However, Xbox hasn’t had any luck with immersive reality gaming. Now, Microsoft and Meta have announced that an Xbox VR headset on the way, but don’t get your hopes up; it’s not nearly as cool as you might imagine.
As announced on the Meta website, the social media giant is teaming up with a few technology companies to create VR headsets. One of them is an Xbox headset, but as Meta explains, it’s likely not a way to play your Xbox games in VR:
Xbox and Meta teamed up last year to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to Meta Quest, letting people play Xbox games on a large 2D virtual screen in mixed reality. Now, we’re working together again to create a limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox.
Given how Meta describes the device as “inspired by Xbox,” and that it’d be a limited-edition release, there’s a high chance that it’ll work like a regular Meta Quest with a special Xbox-styled design. There might be a special bonus where users get a free trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so they can give Cloud Gaming a try, but in terms of pairing up the headset with an Xbox console and unlocking VR mode in your games, chances seem slim.
Still, if you’re interested in VR, you can do a lot worse than buying an Xbox-inspired Meta Quest. We’ve ranked a lot of Meta’s headsets highly in our picks for the best VR headsets, so while this won’t be the VR revolution that Xbox fans want, it’ll still be a fantastic way to get started with immersive gaming.