We tested Meta Quest 3’s improved passthrough with the Quest v64 update

What do you want to know

• The Quest v64 update began rolling out on Monday, April 8.
• Meta promises that the Quest 3 Relay will have “higher resolution” with better “color, exposure, contrast and dynamic range.”
• Other Quest 3 improvements include external mic support, a prone mode, and improved casting.

One of the main advantages of the Quest 3 over other headsets is its color relay. While we liked how it worked out of the box, we noticed an immediate improvement since updating our headsets to the Quest v64 update – and we’ll show you some pictures.

Announced Monday, Quest Update v64 was designed to “improve perceived resolution for passthrough by optimizing the passthrough pipeline,” according to Meta. In practice, this involves making it easier to read “telephone notifications and other small texts”, so that you can check your messages without removing the headset.

At the same time, the Quest v64 update changed the “camera processing pipeline” to “improve color, exposure, contrast, and dynamic range in passthrough mode.” Meta claims this makes color fidelity closer to reality and reduces “grain in low light conditions.”

My colleague and VR colleague Nick Sutrich strapped on his Quest 3 and recorded some passing footage after downloading the update, which you can see in the embedded video below.

Overall, the quality is excellent and it’s easier to see text on phone or TV screens than before. That said, we noticed an obvious deformation of the object when it moves. Your hand doesn’t deform when you move it, but the space around the edges of your hand does deform slightly.

Since the Quest v64 notes don’t mention this, we assume it’s something you’ll have to get used to! While the Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro vie for VR fans’ love, this update is clearly designed to bring the cheaper headset closer to the high-resolution Vision Pro in passthrough quality.

Beyond Passthrough, the update supports external mics connected via the USB-C port if you enable it in the Experimental Settings. Unlike other accessories like keyboards or mice, you won’t be able to connect one via Bluetooth. This change came after Meta fixed Quest 3’s internal mic issues in a previous update.

While the Quest v63 update added support for reading the Quest 2 or Quest Pro while lying down, the Quest 3 was left behind. Now, with version 64, Quest 3 owners can enable “Use apps while lying down” in the Experimental Settings, then lie down and hold the Oculus button to change perspective.

We recommend that you review Pillow, a Quest app designed before the Meta Update with cute experiences like stargazing, meditation, and bedtime stories. Ironically, developer Lucas Rizzotto complained on Twitter/X that the v63 update broke his app, but he seems to have fixed it before v64.

The latest major feature update ensures that if you remove your Meta Quest headset while streaming to a TV, the headset will “keep the stream alive” instead of going black. You can now pause or hand the headset to someone else without having to reset streaming settings — especially useful for those unfamiliar with VR!

Given that Meta temporarily removed the Quest cast before bringing it back in January, it’s nice to see that Meta continues to improve the feature, rather than letting it languish.