xbox game pass
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Microsoft will launch Xbox Game Pass and Windows apps on Meta's VR headsets

Microsoft will launch an Xbox Cloud Gaming integration for the Quest 2 headset.

A virtual screen on which Game Pass subscribers can stream games to VR headsets.

The Xbox Game Pass library will be available on Quest VR devices via Microsoft's cloud gaming platform.

Image: Meta

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.

Nick Statt

Nick Statt is Protocol's video game reporter. Prior to joining Protocol, he was news editor at The Verge covering the gaming industry, mobile apps and antitrust out of San Francisco, in addition to managing coverage of Silicon Valley tech giants and startups. He now resides in Rochester, New York, home of the garbage plate and, completely coincidentally, the World Video Game Hall of Fame. He can be reached at nstatt@protocol.com.

microsoftxbox game passxboxcloud gamingoculusvirtual realityquest 2
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