Meta Quest v54 Update: Custom Skyboxes, App Notifications, and More

The sky’s the limit with our latest Meta Quest software update.

Soon we’ll begin rolling out our v54 update, and it’s a fun one—we’re letting you customize your Home environment’s skybox. Sick of the sunset in Ryokan? Want to live on a two-sun planet? The only limit is your imagination and your ability to find (or create) high-resolution images of your dreams. We’re also adding in-headset notifications for 2D apps and improving the accuracy of the Meta Quest Touch Pro controller tracking.

As always, our software updates roll out gradually to all headsets to minimize issues. We appreciate your patience, and if you don’t see the update today, rest assured it’s coming soon! Read on for more details.

Custom Skyboxes

We could all use a change of scenery, right? With v54 we’re rolling out a new experimental feature that enables you to change the skybox in your Home environment.

Make the Mountain Study into a cozy moonlit cabin retreat, or see what the Desert Terrace looks like with a storm rolling in—or hide a hundred-foot tall lizard between some buildings in Cyber City. Yes, you can upload your own custom skyboxes.

To enable the feature, look for “Custom Skybox View” under the Experimental Settings panel. Then head to the Personalization tab, scroll to the bottom of the Virtual Environment page, and select Custom Skybox View. We’re including a few pre-installed themes, but you can also upload your own—for best results use a 360-degree JPG or PNG measuring 6144x3160 pixels.

One caveat: Your custom skybox is personal to your device, so don’t be surprised when you invite your friends over if nobody comments on how cool it looks. Have fun though! Change your skybox every day to match your mood. Make your Home Environment your own!

This is just one of the first features we’re rolling out as we work towards making Home Environments more personal and customizable, so stay tuned for more in the future.

Notifications for 2D Apps

With v54 we’re enabling in-headset push notifications for 2D apps like Messenger. When you start using a compatible app post-update, you should see a message asking you to opt in to in-headset notifications. Once accepted, any applicable apps will be able to appear in your Quick Actions menu, so you can quickly interact and engage with them without leaving the game or app you’re using. Messenger, for instance, will show the name and photo of the sender and the message text.

Prefer to be fully focused? You can consolidate messages from the same source to streamline your notification feed, try out Do Not Disturb mode for a more immersive VR session, or head to the Settings menu to disable notifications for specific 2D apps or even turn in-headset notifications off again entirely.

Improved Quest Pro Controller Tracking

Earlier this year in the v50 update, we rolled out some improvements to the Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers. Namely, we reduced the time it took for the controllers to wake up and pair to the headset, so you could get in-game faster.

With v54, we’re rolling out additional Meta Quest Touch Pro improvements. This time we’ve made some changes to improve the accuracy of tracking. Specifically, we’re reducing and resolving occasional instances where the controller’s position in the physical world doesn’t quite match where it shows up in VR—because when you miss a block in Beat Saber, you want to know it was your fault and not the controller’s.

That’s it! The sun is setting on v54—or maybe it’s rising. Or maybe it’s not a sun at all. Your choice.

Check out the v54 Release Notes for a more comprehensive look at what's in store. We’ll be back soon with details on the next Meta Quest software update, and be sure to tune into the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1!