Game Pass is now on Meta Quest

Xbox has been trying to do a lot lately, mostly pushing the Game Pass and Cloud Gaming economy instead of specifically its consoles. I believe its consoles just got a rather large price drop despite not having a mid-gen update announced. It is clear what the people over at Microsoft and Xbox want from the platform, and in years gone by we’ve heard rumors of bringing Game Pass to the Nintendo Switch, using Cloud Gaming (previously Xcloud) to make some of it viable. It was highly ambitious but is still to come to fruition.

However, those of us with VR headsets got some interesting news that wasn’t talked about much last week. Announced on the Xbox Wire, Game Pass, and more specifically, the Cloud Gaming (Beta) app have been released onto the Meta Quest headsets. Specifically they are available on the Quest 2, 3, and Pro. It is as simple as opening up the Meta Quest Store on your headset and downloading the Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) app, according to the release by Xbox Wire editor-in-chief, Joe Skrebels. If you’re like me, questions have started rolling through your head.

Thankfully there are answers to that, though ones that make the announcement a little disappointing right now. In this article/press release, it is noted you can play such games as Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Fallout 4, Jedi: Fallen Order, Unpacking, LEGO Star Wars, Goat Simulator, and more. The thing is, none of them are VR-focused or supported. “Experience your favorite games […] on a huge virtual screen” is the direct quote. Hold on, I’ll turn off my projector on my 120-inch screen and strap a VR headset onto my face instead.

I get it, I’m not the norm. I can enjoy watching two women kissing on a big screen either in VR or otherwise. My point though is that VR is all about that 3D aspect and being immersed into that world you are flung into. Playing on a big virtual screen with a heavy piece of equipment on your head for a couple of hours doesn’t sound that exciting, if I’m honest. I love playing VR and I love playing for a couple of hours in a stretch. I have a counterweight on the back of my headset to counteract that heavy front end, but I still don’t get the appeal of playing on a big screen in VR.

The post on the Xbox Wire states the requirements are to have the headset and for it to be up to date. You also need a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, a supported controller, and a high-speed internet connection. Chances are, if you have all of those things, you either have a 60-inch TV, a console, and/or a PC that can play those games already. Don’t get me wrong, if Game Pass adds some VR titles for the Quest then that is great. I love the idea of giving people bespoke VR titles without paying $40-60 each.

I like the idea of giving people a chance to “try before they buy,” especially with VR. This is still an experimental tech for the most part, and the games are just as experimental. We’re getting bigger VR games, like Asgard’s Wrath and Assassin’s Creed Nexus, they aren’t exactly experimental but not fully Triple-A and lengthy, they are somewhere in between. I think Game Pass/Cloud Gaming and VR could be something great, but I already have a TV that’s big enough, Microsoft, I don’t need a headset for that.