Quest headsets will be able to extend Windows 11 laptops by just looking at them, without installing any software, later this year.
Meta says this will be possible thanks to a partnership with Microsoft. Horizon OS will connect to the PC via the existing remote desktop stack of Windows 11.
Your laptop's screen will turn off and be replaced by a giant virtual screen, and you'll be able to spawn entirely virtual extra monitors.
It's already possible to mirror your PC's display into a giant virtual screen using Meta's own Remote Display app, and to spawn virtual extra monitors using its Horizon Workrooms app. Third-party alternatives such as Virtual Desktop and Immersed offer this too.
But Meta and Microsoft's pitch with the upcoming feature is that you won't need to launch an "app" or even have any new software installed on your PC at all.
Apple Vision Pro already does this.
The UX of connecting by tapping a virtual button floating above the PC is clearly inspired by visionOS, where Apple already offers this feature when looking at a MacBook.
What makes Apple's Mac Virtual Display unique though is that it instantly and automatically creates a Wi-Fi direct connection between the Vision headset and the MacBook, meaning it works even without a local network such as when you're on a plane or train. It's unclear whether Meta and Microsoft's feature will require having a home Wi-Fi network, but we'll test this out as soon as we get access to it.
