Working in VR headset has been a thing for some time now.
I have first heard of it around 2017 with https://www.vrdesktop.net/.
The appeal is clear. You can have some giant screens available wherever you go taking almost no physical space.
But for me, to be honest, the idea of sticking a VR headset to your face during hours to work seems like a terrible idea.
But in early 2024 Apple started selling the Vision Pro, and with it, a new wave of people using it to work.
And after seeing too many people using VR headsets to work, I decided to give it a try.
After some research, the most popular and cost-friendly option is to use a Meta Quest 3 with https://immersed.com/.
So a few minutes later I ordered my headset on Amazon and the next day here it is.
To put some context, I never used a VR headset in my life, so some very basic stuff may have impressed me more than the average VR user.
After switching it on, the tutorial starts, and I have to admit, seeing those interfaces floating around me looks like some SF movies.
Even this simple menu impressed me
I then installed Immersed and set up 3 screens with my MacBook. I used the USB connection to ensure the smallest latency (FYI not all USB cables are compatible but the OEM cable from an iPhone 16 Pro works).
The result is pretty impressive, you have giant screens floating in front of you, the quality is decent, the passthrough is pretty good.
3 giant screens in front of you is pretty impressive the first time
You can use your hands to move the screens wherever you want.
The main issue at first is the comfort of the original strap. I bought a Kiwi strap to replace the awful original.
I have tried a lot of tasks in a few days: watching TV, coding, browsing web, etc…
Watching TV/movies is probably the best usage I found
Overall everything works, I never had a connection issue and not even a lag. Immersed is definitely a really nice software.
I only used the mixed reality settings, virtual environments make me sick and remind me of old PS1 games.
My conclusion after a few days is that the technology is very impressive but there are too many drawbacks to really make it a viable option for me:
- screen quality: even if it’s impressive at first, the quality is not as good as even a low-end monitor (and I currently have an old VGA display that I find better). You can clearly see every pixel and when you move your head you see some artefacts and checkerboard effect.
- passthrough: it is decent, but the quality reminds me of the camera of very old phones. And in dark rooms it is even worse. You don’t really look at the environment, so it’s not a dealbreaker, but still a weakness.
- comfort: after around 20 min I start having headaches. This is very personal, some people are very comfortable using VR headsets during hours, I’m not. I cannot imagine working my 8 hours with this.
- isolation: I find it very isolating, and as I am already far too isolated when I work on my laptop, I really don’t want to worsen this.
- social acceptance: I may be a bit too concerned about what I look like, but I really can’t imagine using it in public.
Moreover I have a desk with 3 big screens and I cannot see how any headset could be more comfortable. And for the few times I work on the go, even my 13-inch screen does the job.
For me the biggest advantage of this setup is the ability to carry a giant screen with you everywhere. For people travelling a lot, and not subject to headaches in VR, I would definitely recommend to give it a try.
But if you are not travelling a lot, or do not need more than your laptop screen when on the go, I don’t find any reason to try the VR setup.
I sent my headset back to Amazon for a refund. But even if the experience is not that good, I highly encourage you to try it yourself, I find it very impressive and worth a few hours of my time.
I don’t know if the Apple Vision Pro and its successor will push this tech to become more mature. But even in this case, the isolation provided by this kind of device and the lack of social acceptance may remain major dealbreakers for most people. But for tech enthusiasts this may become a popular option.