There is now no need to fiddle around to enjoy the games in the catalog. Microsoft, the Xbox Cloud Gaming application is already available for the Meta Quest system (2,3,Pro). Whether to play or to work (the Office Pack arrived at the same time), Is the result satisfactory enough to allow us to do without our smartphones, our TV, our console or our PC?
Important !
To launch the Xbox Cloud Gaming (XCG) application, you must obtain version v60 for your headsetotherwise the download button will remain disabled. For office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), v59 is sufficient. Other point, you must be subscribed to the‘Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (€14.99/month) to benefit from Xbox Cloud Gamingother subscription systems do not offer the function Cloud Gaming (Core, PC) !
That being said, the first thing that surprises when you first launch XCG is the dedicated environment. While we expected a floating window (like theAndroid APK), Microsoft preferred to give us the choice between being immersed in the Xbox universe or keeping a foothold with reality (in real view mode). Be careful, however, to launch this mode, you will need to use the shortcut Meta in the menu to activate it or double tap on the side of your headset (if you have configured this feature). In other words, there is no button in the application allowing you to switch from one to the other, you will have to use the famous shortcut menu.
First downside, unlike the APK it will not be possible to launch other applications at the same time!
Despite this, after having entered your identifiers using our controllers Questwithout of course forgetting to check the small box allowing you to save them, we arrive at the game selection menu.
On Meta Quest 3, the rendering of the menu is ultra-clear, it’s a pleasure to the eyes.
We launch our first game and in the first seconds when it is displayed, a bad impression is felt: the display appears pixelated and a lot of compression and artifacts are present. Fortunately, the flow stabilizes quickly and we obtain an incredibly sharp rendering, without the problems mentioned above. For the most picky, a the G of a few milliseconds can be felt, especially when the camera makes large rotations.
For this test, we were on Wifi 6 with a dedicated router and we chose the game Rise of the Tomb Raider. This is a complex 3D game for the Cloud Gaming, a technology that doesn’t really appreciate volumetric smoke (wind blowing) and other weather effects (snow). Luckily, in this title, we very quickly find ourselves in these conditions.
The observation is simple, it’s almost flawless!
We had this madness of trying to play with a DualSense and if the compatibility is there, it is unfortunately not complete the button Select is unfortunately not recognized. We don’t know any apps Android allowing the system to believe that we are using a controller Xbox while a controller PS5 (or other) is really connected, like Companion Handheld Or ReWASD. If you know of one, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments.
Want to trade your PC for your Quest? It is the promise of Meta. From the outset, Microsoft has simplified the connection to its application. If you have already entered your credentials on one of the firm’s applications (e.g.: XCG), the next application (e.g.: Word) will automatically launch on your accountdisplaying the files available on your OneDrive. From a practical point of view, note the possibility of running other small applications at the same time (see photos). These documents can be saved locally or sent to the cloud. . Connoisseurs will also have recognized the web interface of the office pack.
It is therefore possible, on each software in the Office suite and via a shortcut, to browse many other services (OneDrive, Teams, OneNote, etc.).
Unlike the app Xbox Cloud Gaming who requests a subscription, the office suite of Microsoft is completely freewhich is always a pleasure. When launching our files, it is as clear as the application dedicated to Cloud Gaming. Whether at the menu level or the rendering of our document, it’s very clean. Obviously, on certain files, you will have to zoom, but it’s exactly the same thing on a PC screen, nothing much different.
We can pair any keyboard and mouse Bluetooth in the hope of being able to work peacefully, well not at all. The keyboard is detected as QWERTY and the mouse is only detected as a pointer and unfortunately does not have the same functions as a real mouse, such as right click, selection, etc. It’s like you touch a smartphone on point.
Moreover, we would have liked to have a work environment to isolate ourselves for a moment and be more productive, it’s a shame, because if there is one strength of virtual reality, it is to force the user not to be distracted by their real environment. In our test, we realized that it is not possible to manipulate Word (or other) in immersive view, for the simple reason that we no longer see our keyboard and our mouse.
Microsoft has not implemented, like Workrooms, a real view area allowing us to visualize our famous keyboard/mouse combo, too bad!
We were, at first, seduced and pleasantly surprised by the proposal from the American giant. But it is clear that once you get past the presentations, the limits and pitfalls quickly rear their heads, especially in the office area.
The inability to switch your keyboard to Azerty linked to the inability to properly use your mouse makes Microsoft’s office solution obsolete!
In terms of gaming, it’s fortunately better. You can now easily play on a different screen than the one usually favored by the familywithout being cut off from it. For the loneliest among you, it will be possible to immerse yourself in the environment offered by Microsoft in its application, despite the fact that you cannot use another application in parallel.
Clarification, on the alas, without the possibility of looking (for the latter mode) at your keyboard or mouse.
Either way, it’s simply not enough. It will therefore be necessary for the teams of Microsoft do something other than simple carrying. For this proposal to be worthy of the name, it must take into account the real specificities of a 2023 XR headset (real view, multitasking) and a little common sense, namely being able to use a keyboard and a mouse properly, the basis of an office suite.
If Meta wants to compete with Apple Vision and get us to work without using a PC, some effort is required.
The latest mixed reality headset is available on the website Meta and on Amazon. The model with 128 GB of storage costs 549.99 euros while the one with 512 GBit is sold at 699.99 euros.