The latest update for Oculus Quest, v35, is rolling out to headsets starting today and brings with it mixed reality casting, global cloud saves, and Facebook Messenger calls in VR.

Mixed Reality Casting on Quest

Update v35 is bringing mixed reality casting to both Quest and Quest 2. This feature allows you to cast the VR experience to a smartphone while seeing your real body right inside of the virtual world.

This kind of mixed reality capture usually requires a complicated greenscreen setup with dedicated cameras and PC hardware, but having it built directly into Quest and the Oculus smartphone app stands to make it easy for anyone to do. Here’s an example shared by Meta showing how the feature looks with Beat Saber:

It even works with a moving camera view! While this is far from the production-ready quality you can achieve with a dedicated setup, it’s pretty amazing to see this capability built right into the headset and the companion app. Only six Quest apps are supported at present—Beat Saber, Superhot, Richie’s Plank Experience, Pistol Whip, Synth Riders, and Gravity Sketch—though we imagine developers will be encouraged to add support now that this capability is easier for players to use.

iPhone-only, For Now

Mixed reality casting on Quest only supports modern iPhone models and no Android phones, tablets, or iPads, yet. There’s no word on Android support, but in the past Meta has brought iPhone-only features to Android phones as well, so we hope this won’t be an exception. Here’s the complete list of devices which currently support mixed reality casting on Quest:

Mobile Device Supported Not Currently Supported
iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone SE – 2nd version
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 13 Mini
iPad (all models)
Android phone (all models)
Android tablet (all models)
Wasn’t This Already Added?

You might recall that a prior Quest update added a similar feature called Live Overlay, but it’s actually very different than mixed reality casting. Live Overlay simply superimposes the player on top of the first-person view that you normally see when casting with Quest. Mixed reality casting, on the other hand, actually shows the player in the virtual environment with a one-to-one correspondence.

Global Cloud Saves

Image courtesy Meta

Last month Meta announced that it would be launching a new cloud save system that would work automatically with every app. Well, wouldn’t you know it, that capability is rolling out with the v35 update.

The new cloud save system automatically backs up game saves so that players can retain their game progress even if they uninstall an app or change headsets. The feature works by default with all applications unless a developer chooses to opt-out.

Although v35 is required for global cloud saves on Quest, Meta says it will be rolling out the feature gradually “to make sure it works correctly,” so be patient if you don’t see it right away.

Facebook Messenger Calling in VR

Image courtesy Meta

Another feature that Meta announced last month is also rolling out alongside v35—Messenger voice calling on Quest. For a while now it’s been possible to send text-based messages through Messenger on Quest, but now you’ll be able do voice calls too.

Meta says this feature will be rolling out “over the coming weeks,” so if you don’t see it right away, fear not.

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As with prior updates, v35 will roll out slowly to Quest and Quest 2 users, likely over the course of a week or more, but you can check for an update manually to see if it’s available to you. Here’s how:

How to Update Quest and Quest 2
  1. In your headset, bring up the Quest menu by pressing the Oculus button on your right controller. Click on the clock to access Quick Settings.
  2. At the top right of Quick Settings, click the Settings button (gear icon).
  3. On the left of the Settings section select ‘About’ at the bottom of the list
  4. Look next to the ‘Software Update’ label to see if a new version is available
  5. Check the ‘Version’ label to see which version is currently installed

If v35 isn’t available but you think it should be by now, you can also try restarting your headset and repeating the above steps.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
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    Does this support more games than LIV? Because LIV seems to work better, it has the whole just an iphone and no greenscreen thing.

  • wowgivemeabreak

    Happy for the global cloud save feature. I have wanted to factory reset my Q2 for pretty much all of 2021 yet didn’t want to lose some saved data for a few games that didn’t work with backing up data in SideQuest.

  • Jerald Doerr

    Darn, I left Apple for Andriod a long time ago and love it, but I believe this will not come out for Andriod or any other device unless it has a Lidar sensor.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      No lidar sensor needed for the way it’s used.

      • Jerald Doerr

        Really? I thought it would use that data to get the depth of the person, so 1. You don’t need a green screen, and 2. You have 3D information for a depth map for real-time composite mats for objects in VR to pass in front or behind you.

        But if some of the compatible Apple devices don’t have Lidar, you must be right.

        • Andrew Jakobs

          These days algorithms are pretty good at replacing non greenscreen parts of a video.

  • Well, I think you forgot a super-important feature: you can now join Oculus Public Test Channel on Quest and have preview of the new functionalities!

  • Paul Isabenkov

    I can easily imagine some interesting casting opportunities with the help of… cough cough… Meta quest 2 VR porn xD

    Jokes aside, can’t wait to upload some songs I can play on my IG so my normie friends can finally understand why I won’t leave the house recently. Quest 2 is a treasure, for real!