Katarzyna Petru
The Disney+ app has finally made its way to Meta Quest goggles, which somewhat improves the very limited selection of video apps on Horizon OS. However, key limitations remain – and it's hard to overlook them.
Apple and Google have opened a new front in the platform war, deliberately withholding their VR and AR apps from competing systems. In this game, Meta has found itself sidelined, mainly due to its minor significance in the media ecosystem. On the other hand, Apple has clearly jumped ahead, offering native visionOS apps for Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, and Paramount+.
Disney+ on Meta Quest – finally
Meta Quest users have finally received the promised Disney+ app since September. Disney has announced that the app is now available in the Meta Horizon Store and allows Disney+ subscribers to watch movies and series on the Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets in the USA. An international release is planned for early 2026.
This marks a symbolic but significant step – the number of native streaming apps on Horizon OS has increased from one to two. Prime Video has recently debuted as a native VR app. Disney is also promising further VR-related information in the near future.
4K HDR on paper, no 3D in practice
Disney has confirmed that content can be streamed even in 4K HDR – in HDR10 or Dolby Vision – for all Disney+ subscribers in the US. However, Dolby Atmos sound remains reserved for the Disney+ Premium package. The problem is that the Meta Quest goggles use low-budget LCD panels that are unable to display either 4K or HDR. In practice, this results in a resolution of about 2K per eye and SDR imagery.
The biggest disappointment, however, is the complete lack of 3D films. This is due to the hardware limitations of the entire Meta Quest lineup – none of the headsets support the MV-HEVC codec required for playing 3D films in 4K. This technology is currently available on devices like Apple Vision Pro, where Disney and other studios offer an extensive library of 3D films. Theoretically, it would be possible to provide 3D films in 1080p SDR on the Quests, but at this moment, there is no indication that this will happen. On the launch day, ChooseTV on Meta Quest does not offer any form of 3D.
Small positives to finish
On the benefits side, it's worth noting the support for downloading content for offline viewing and the support for the extended IMAX aspect ratio. However, these are more like minor additions than a real response to what the competition offers today in the world of VR.
