Katarzyna Petru
The Disney+ application is finally making its way to Meta Quest goggles, somewhat improving the very modest offering of video applications on Horizon OS. However, key limitations remain – and they are hard to ignore.
Apple and Google have opened a new front in the platform war, deliberately withholding their VR and AR applications from competing systems. In this struggle, Meta has found itself sidelined, mainly due to its limited significance within the media ecosystem. Apple, on the other hand, has clearly jumped ahead, offering native visionOS applications for Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, and Paramount+.
Disney+ on Meta Quest – at last
Users of Meta Quest have finally received the promised Disney+ application since September. Disney has announced that the app is now available in the Meta Horizon Store and allows Disney+ subscribers to watch films and series on Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets in the USA. The international release is planned for early 2026.
This marks a symbolic but significant step – the number of native streaming applications on Horizon OS has increased from one to two. Prime Video recently debuted as a native VR application. Disney is also promising more 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 USA. Dolby Atmos sound, however, remains reserved for the Disney+ Premium package. The problem is that the Meta Quest goggles use low-budget LCD panels that are incapable of displaying either 4K or HDR. In practice, this results in a resolution of about 2K per eye and SDR image.
However, the biggest disappointment is the complete lack of 3D films. This is due to the hardware limitations of the entire Meta Quest line – none of the headsets support the MV-HEVC codec required for playing 3D films in 4K. This technology is today available, among others, on 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 are no indications that this will happen. On the launch day, Disney+ on Meta Quest does not offer any form of 3D.
Small pluses at the end
On the plus side, it is worth noting the support for downloading content for offline viewing and support for the extended IMAX aspect ratio. However, these are rather minor additions than a real response to what the competition in the VR world offers today.
