If you’ve been given a Meta Quest 3 for the holidays, there’s a huge world out/in there, and it can be daunting to get started. So I put together a collection of must-haves for the device, with an eye on apps, games, and utilities that take advantage of the Quest 3’s improved hardware and mixed-reality capabilities.

(If no one bought you a Quest 3 this year, buy yourself one. You deserve it. Check out my review for more details on the pros and cons of the new standalone VR platform.)

Must-have games for the Meta Quest 3

Drop Dead: The Cabin: I am in love with the mixed-reality mode of Drop Dead: The Cabin. It replaces the windows and doors of your room with game-specific portals, stocks you up with guns and ammo, and sets zombies loose to invade your home. It’s like living in Dawn of the Dead. 

Assassin’s Creed: Nexus VR: Stealth gaming and virtual reality come together in this Assassin’s Creed game. Nexus really takes advantage of the beefed-up power of the Quest 3 and delivers one of the system’s finest AAA game experiences. 

Asgard’s Wrath 2: At the time of this posting, Asgard’s Wrath 2 has only been out for a few days, so I haven’t played it enough to comment on the complete game, but I will say this: If the rest of the game is as good as the first few hours, it’s the best game ever released in VR. 

Vegas Infinite: This free game is for the casuals out there. It lets you gamble virtual money at poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, and slots in virtual casinos, but the people you’re playing with are real. It’s relaxing, social, and takes advantage of the Quest 3’s pass-through cameras and improved hand and eye tracking too. 

Must-have utilities for the Meta Quest 3

Side Quest: This app lets you download and install apps on your Quest 3 that don’t come from the Meta Store, so if you’re interested in expanding the possibilities of your VR headset, Side Quest is a must. It gives you access to a huge collection of tech demos, games, apps, and more, as well as giving you new options for customizing and improving your Quest 3 experience. You’ll also need Side Quest to install Quest Game Optimizer.

Quest Games Optimizer: If you’re even a little “serious” about gaming, consider this $10 utility. It allows you to control the resolution on games, letting you up-rez the graphics on many Quest games, as well as letting you control frame rates, record video, and access other settings. 

Virtual Desktop: Virtual Desktop allows you to wirelessly connect to your computer in virtual reality. Along with streaming videos, browsing the web, and doing anything else your PC does, you can use this to run PCVR games with your Quest 3 (as long as you are running a Window 10 or 11 PC that’s specced for virtual reality games) unlocking a new level of gameplay. 

Must-have video-streaming apps for the Meta Quest 3

Bigscreen: This social video-streaming app lets you watch movies and TV with other folks in the Meta-verse on the VR equivalent of a 100-foot video screen. You can watch YouTube, Disney+, Twitch, and PlutoTV streams, rent movies, or watch videos stored on your computer, either alone or with others. 

XStadium: If you’re into sports, XStadium is a mind-blower. It puts you courtside at live NBA games, giving you a fully immersive, 360 degree, you-are-there basketball experience. You can also immerse yourself in UFC fights from the Octagon, and check out X-games madness, watch some good old fashioned wrestling, and enjoy other sports, either in 360 view or in multi screened mixed reality. 

DeoVR: You can watch and customize all kinds of video content with this app—it’s not just for porn. But if you’re interested in new thresholds of virtual-reality pornography, this is the go-to video app. 

Must-have fitness apps for the Meta Quest 3

Les Mills BodyCombat: Whether you want to sweat in virtual or mixed reality, Les Mills has you covered. BodyCombat features a ton of martial-arts inspired workouts and knowledgable virtual coaches, and it doesn’t require a subscription. 

Supernatural: The subscription-based Supernatural is my favorite fitness app for the Quest. I’m a huge music snob, and finding an app with real music, that I actually like, was downright shocking. The coaches are charismatic, and the workouts are almost as fun as Beat Sabre. My fingers are crossed for Supernatural to take advantage mixed reality somehow. 

The Thrill of the Fight: This boxing simulation provides the hardest workout of any app in virtual reality—full-speed shadow boxing is no joke—but it’s an incredibly addictive game too, so it’ll keep you sweating. The addition of mixed-reality mode takes boxing matches into your home in a surprisingly efficient way.  

from LifeHacker https://ift.tt/U9oq0n2