Meta has released another free update for its Meta Quest 3 VR headset in the form of the v68 update, and with it comes some minor tweaks to graphics and download speeds, as well as an essential new app for people who need a hand decorating their home.
Your Meta Quest 3 can already help you build furniture (as shown off in a Meta Quest 3 ad I can’t get away from right now), and now Meta’s new Layout app will help you organize it, too. You can use it to measure existing furniture or spaces in your home, place virtual approximations of new furniture or appliances you’re looking to buy (so you can check if that 65-inch TV fits where you want it), and even access helpful features like a leveling tool to check if your pictures are hanging straight.
When I moved into a new flat a few months ago, I would have found this app extremely useful. I spent hours painstakingly drawing 2D floor plans and Meta's new Layout app will help you organise them too. You can use it to measure furniture or spaces you already have in your home, place virtual approximations of new furniture or appliances you want to buy (so you can check if you like them) and it may have saved us a few moments of panic when we discovered that some items fit more 'snugly' than we expected.
Once your Meta Quest 3 is updated to v68, Layout will appear in your App Library. While it may not be a tool you use every day, I know it will be useful, and I can’t wait to see what other apps and features Meta adds next.
Further adjustments will be made for v68 in the near future.
For now I'll have to settle with two more minor tweaks in v68.
First off, Meta says it's made some “behind-the-scenes improvements” to app downloads. You can now install multiple apps at once, and it's added a new Downloads tab to your App Library so you can manage your installs more easily.
Finally, this month, it’s releasing a new “frame timing algorithm for OpenXR” that it claims will improve frame rate stability and prediction latency in Meta Quest 3, as long as it’s an OpenXR app. OpenXR is a free, open-standard VR development tool used by many creators for their VR games and apps, including Beat Saber, Moss, and The Last Clockwinder, so expect to see improvements in some of your favorite titles.
Please note that if you don't see the update today, there's no need to worry. These software improvements are rolling out gradually, so you may need to wait a few days for it to reach your Quest 3.
