Microsoft's latest platform for pushing Xbox gaming is an unconventional one: Meta's Quest 2 VR headset.
Using its cloud gaming technology, Microsoft says it will let VR users stream Xbox games to a virtual screen inside of a virtual environment rendered by the Quest, similar to how you might watch a livestream, Netflix, or other 2D content in VR. The integration doesn't have a planned release date yet, but it will be available to subscribers of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which costs $15 a month and includes access to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The partnership between the two tech giants was announced Tuesday at the Meta Connect developer conference keynote, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg detailed the company's new $1,500 Quest Pro headset and scores of other product updates, new features, and far-out plans related to its metaverse ambitions. It extends beyond Game Pass and cloud gaming, too, and also includes integrations for Microsoft Teams, Windows 365, and Office apps on the Quest platform.
Additionally, Microsoft and Meta are making some of their software platforms and products interoperable. For instance, the two companies say you'll be able to launch Teams meetings from inside the enterprise-focused platform Horizon Workrooms, Meta's in-beta platform for conducting work meetings in VR. You'll also be able to use your Meta avatars within Teams on Quest devices.
"We think that this cross-device, cross-screen experience will be the foundation of the virtual office of the future," Zuckerberg said during the keynote.