The latest Meta Quest 3 YouTube app update finally adds an essential social VR feature
- Watch parties are now available in YouTube VR
- You must all have paid content to watch it together
- You can’t watch 360 video together yet
VR gaming, like gaming in general, is always more fun with friends. Get in Just dance VR is fine, but playing in a multiplayer session – online or for couch co-op – is a much more enjoyable experience. The same goes for Walkabout mini golf And Defeat Sabre – and now you can also enjoy shared experiences while watching movies or other content in the YouTube VR app.
Whether you’re watching a 4K movie or your favorite YouTube Short, it’s now possible to host a YouTube viewing party with up to seven other guests at the touch of a button – wherever you are (although it has to be somewhere with a internet connection).
You’ll want to fire up the free YouTube app on your Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S (after you install it if you haven’t already) and then look above the screen to see the co-watch icon (it looks like a person-shaped outline flanked by two silhouettes) and click on it to start your viewing party.
From there you can invite people from your followers list – provided you follow each other – by sending them a notification. Once they accept, they will join your virtual group and you can decide what you each want to watch.
However, there are some limitations to keep in mind. As mentioned, you will have to follow each other, and it is important to note that you want to watch paid YouTube content. Everyone in the party will have to pay for this separately – so you can’t get away with splitting a single. rental price.
Additionally, 360-degree immersive video isn’t supported yet, which is a shame because these 3D experiences are among my favorite ways to use the YouTube VR app. Hopefully it will be added in the near future, but for now I’m excited to start some watch parties with YouTube’s vast catalog of 2D content.
