Two years ago I conducted a little experiment with working solely in VR. The experience was….not great. I wrote about it in Glue Magazine. The keyboard lagged, the environment felt clunky, and the whole thing felt like a gimmick, not a serious workspace. I remember thinking “We’re not there yet.”

Since then, a few things have happened in the VR space. For starters, Meta gave avatars legs. That’s a great step forward (no pun intended). Then Apple released the Vision Pro, and I instantly saw the potential. 

As a writer, I require multiple monitors. I have my main work in front of me, my research and outlines on another monitor for quick reference, and often Slack or Google Meet open with editors and what not. I love writing on my Mac, but the screen real estate too small. The Vision Pro blended the idea of VR with the solid reliability and beauty of Mac. Suddenly, I wouldn’t need monitors and all that stuff. 

This isn’t a new revelation for me. In fact, I’m writing about just such a work setup in my current work in progress, set in a futuristic city. One of the characters’ jobs requires him to sit in a black box and put on his VR headset, from where he works all day. 

That’s an expensive proposition

Imagine my joy when I realized I could potentially write about a guy who works in VR…while in VR! Alas, the Vision Pro is a whopping $7000 here in Canada, so that’s a no go. I need reading glasses and Apple can outfit the Vision Pro with prescription lenses, but that’s not free, so add another couple of hundred dollars to the price tag. 

But then Meta released the Quest 3 with the same kind of passthrough capabilities as Apple’s Vision Pro, and it was only $500. I didn’t buy one (yet), but I did dust off my Quest 2 and fire it up. After updating to the latest software and installing Meta Remote Desktop on my Mac, I was set. 

I don’t know when the switch flipped, but Meta’s software has come a long way. Everything is smoother. The entire experience is peaceful. I synced noise cancelling headphones to the headset and with Apple Music playing my EDM Focus Supermix playlist in the background, I’m working in a virtual office, surrounded by the Rockies, with two enormous screens in front of me. 

I’m planning to upgrade to a Quest 3 soon. I want to take advantage of the more powerful hardware and the clear colour passthrough, which should make my job even easier. And one day, if I can ever justify dropping seven grand, I’ll seriously consider getting a Vision Pro.