This past weekend, the Meta Quest headset lineup – which includes VR and MR devices – gained a significant productivity tool in new Microsoft Office 365 applications ready for spatial computing environments.
The service debuted on Meta’s headset portfolio following anticipation after its announcement at Connect 2022. Microsoft is distributing its Office Word, Excel, and Powerpoint services on the Quest digital storefront for free on all models of the Quest headset – including the Quest Pro, a device for enterprise usage.
Microsoft’s applications are ready for VR and MR environments – depending on a user’s preferred headset. Moreover, the free services are minimal in terms of storage space thanks to a cloud-based infrastructure. However, cloud integration means that Quest Office users must always be connected to WiFi to leverage the service.
The small file size and cloud integration enable all Quest headset owners to use all three Microsoft Office applications simultaneously, promoting cross-application multitasking – similar to a conventional desktop or PC.
Microsoft immersive Office applications also support hand tracking and tracked virtual keyboard input. Alternatively, users can connect a Bluetooth keyboard to interact with immersive Office screens.
In a social media post, Abhijit Srikanth, a Partner Engineer at Meta’s Reality Labs division, noted:
With these apps coming to Quest, opens a broader possibility of productivity on-the-go, bringing features like 2D screens at scaled panels in your infinite space, all in Virtual or Mixed reality, with options to multitask easily and supporting input from Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Looking forward to more advancements in productivity in Quest and more collaborations with Microsoft.
Will Microsoft Teams Debut Next?
When Microsoft first announced Office 365 integration onto the Quest lineup last year, the firm also teased a future Teams integration to arrive. However, Microsoft has yet to unveil this application on Meta’s hardware.
The Team integration may be incoming. On the other hand, Microsoft is adding a host of immersive features to the Teams service next month – separate from its Quest partnership.
During the Connect 2022 presentation, Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Chief Executive, explained that Teams for Quest workers could collaborate “as though they were there in person” using a mix of the immersive platform and Horizon avatars.
Interestingly, during the 2022 keynote, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, noted that his firm will integrate Horizon Workrooms for Teams, allowing people to join Teams meetings directly from a Workrooms Metaverse environment.
However, Meta’s Workrooms product seems dormant as the firm appears to be putting the Horizon platform on the backbench in lieu of MR headsets and AR smartglasses.
In Workroom’s place could be Microsoft Mesh, an upcoming suite for creating and leveraging immersive environments for enterprise collaboration – a similar vision to Workrooms. Microsoft is set to debut the service publically in January.