Meta announced a new feature for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 that will allow users to use the mixed reality headset during flights in passthrough mode. On Monday, the tech giant said it is rolling out travel mode as an experimental feature on both of these devices. This new mode will adjust open apps in the augmented reality (AR) view so that the windows don't move apart. Notably, the Apple Vision Pro is also equipped with a travel mode feature since its launch and offers the same functionality.
Making the announcement in a blog post, Meta said: “Travel Mode makes Quest the ultimate in-flight entertainment device, so you can watch movies on a massive virtual screen, relax with a game or a meditation app and even work done in private.” However, it should be noted that the travel mode currently only supports in-flight use and is not tuned for traveling in other modes of transport such as now trains, cars and buses.The social media giant said it is working on these modes and support is coming soon.
Activating the feature is easy, but it's a two-step process. Users will first need to go to Configuration > Experimental characteristics and opt-in to these features. Once done, they can find the travel mode in the Quick setup panel within the universal menu. One thing to note here, in case an app or game requires an internet connection, users will require an in-flight Wi-Fi connection to open them.
Meta says it has adjusted the algorithms to account for the motion of an airplane that will allow users to find a consistent experience in travel mode, even if they're looking out the airplane window. While the Apple Vision Pro also has its own travel mode, the company prevents users from looking out the window while using the headset.
Finally, once the feature is enabled, Travel Mode can also automatically detect when a user is seated on a flight and suggest users to enable the feature. Interestingly, the Meta Quest headset worked on flights even earlier, but could only be used in virtual reality (VR) mode.
Apart from this, Meta also announced a new partnership with Lufthansa. Through this partnership, Meta will offer its mixed reality headset for business class suite passengers on select flights and curate content for them across “entertainment, travel, wellness, gaming and more.”
