Microsoft and Meta teamed up on a new feature that lets me use my Windows PC while wearing a Quest 3 or 3S, and it’s super easy to connect and use. I simply glance at my computer and tap a floating button to use Windows in VR on large displays only I can see.

Meta’s new Quest 3 and 3S are among the best VR headsets for standalone gaming and media consumption. When I want more performance or need to run one of the best Windows apps that aren’t yet available in VR, I can connect to a much more powerful Windows PC.

Meta says the software that allows this quick connection will be built into Windows in the future. I already had the necessary Quest update to Horizon OS v72, but I needed to install Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Link from the Microsoft Store.

There’s an initial step to link my PC and headset. Thereafter, I can simply look at my computer keyboard to find a floating Connect button. If I select it, a large virtual window appears and my PC monitor goes dark. This happens in about five seconds and feels almost seamless.

Mixed Reality Link’s virtual display appears bigger than my current 24-inch physical monitor, more like a 27-inch screen in its default size and position. It has the standard 16:9 aspect ratio and appears to hover in 3D space within the Quest 3’s dual 2064 x 2208-pixel displays. I can also use cinematic mode to make it a very large curved screen. It’s so big that it’s hard to capture in a screenshot.