Microsoft is to make a Microsoft Teams experience available on Meta Quest headsets (perhaps better known under a previous name as Oculus Quest).
The integration is just one of several ways the company will partner with Facebook owner Meta in the metaverse announced at a Meta Connect conference today.
The move comes as data from Microsoft’s own Work Trends index shows 50% of Gen Z and millennials envision doing some of their work in the metaverse in the next two years.
Speaking at Meta Connect, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: “We are bringing a Microsoft Teams immersive meeting experience to Meta Quest in order to give people new ways to connect with each other. You can connect, share, collaborate as though you were together in person.”
As part of the partnership, Microsoft will adapt Meta’s avatar system for Teams and Teams support will be available within Meta’s Horizon Workrooms.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “People will be able to join a Teams meeting directly from Workrooms. We think that this cross-device, cross-screen experience will be the foundation of the virtual office of the future.”
The integration will be available on Meta Quest 2 devices and on newly announced Meta Quest Pro advanced devices.
In addition to bringing its Mesh for Microsoft Teams VR version of Teams to Meta Quest devices, Microsoft will also make Microsoft 365 apps available too. IT administrators will be given help by making Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory support Meta Quest devices. Finally, Microsoft and Meta are looking at ways to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Meta Quest store.
It is not just Teams that will be integrated with Quest headsets. Meta also announced an integration with Zoom. Meanwhile, Microsoft said its partnership with Meta complements its commitment to Hololens.
Also announced at Meta Connect were improvements to Horizon Workrooms. These include the ability to add sticky notes to VR whiteboards and view 3D models collaboratively. Users will also be able to form smaller breakout groups within larger meetings.
A new “magic rooms” feature will also allow teams to work together in mixed reality, rather than solely in VR workspaces, enabling hybrid VR meetings. “Everyone is present and has the same tools, whether they’re in full VR or in mixed reality,” said Zuckerberg.
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