The Oculus Quest just got a new Universal Menu

The Oculus Quest continues to improve with regular software updates.

What you need to know

• Oculus Quest update 18.0 is rolling out now.
• the update brings a new universal menu and multi-window browser support.
• The update also adds predictive text on the keyboard and the option to change the Guardian boundary color.

Oculus is rolling out update 18.0 to the Oculus Quest. The update adds several new features, including a new Universal Menu, predictive text on the keyboard, and the option to change the Guardian boundary's color. The update also adds new social features, improvements to notifications, and has Voice Commands in beta to test out.

Here's the complete changelog as outlined by Oculus.

Universal Menu and Multi-Browser Support

• We've continued iterations and updates on the redesigned universal menu that was released as an opt-in feature of v15. These include:
  • Design updates to streamline usability and improve discoverability of system apps (Store, Library, Browser, etc)
  • Combined Library and Apps into a single panel
  • The universal menu will now be accessible as an overlay from within a number of Quest apps.
• Improved the multi-browser experience that allows you to have multiple windows open when browsing the internet in-VR.

Introducing VR tooltips

• We've made it easier for you to find and learn how to use new and popular VR features. Look out for tooltips that help guide you through your journey in VR.

Keyboard

• The Oculus in-VR keyboard will now utilize predictive text to make typing in-VR more efficient.

Guardian

• You'll now be able to change the color of your Guardian Boundary. You can enable this feature by selecting Settings > Guardian > Guardian Boundary.

Notifications

• We've made updates to in-VR and in-app notifications. These include:
• You can now fine-tune your in-VR notification preferences from the Settings panel. To do this, select Settings > Device > Notifications.
• Added the ability to interact with notifications
• Ex: Screenshot saved. Press the Oculus button to view your photos.
• Added additional info within the notification to help you understand why you're seeing it
• Ex: Check out [X app], because you tried [Y app].
• Updated notification styling.
• Please note that these features may only be available to a percentage of users at this time.

Social

• You can now share in-VR content or ask a friend to join you in an app or experience in-VR via Messenger. This can be done by selecting Share > Messenger and then choosing who you'd like to share with.
• Now, when you save a VR post on Facebook, it will show up in your notifications panel the next time you put on your headset.
• If the post includes an app link and you already have the app installed, you'll be able to open the app directly from the notification. If you don't have the app installed, you can select the app link to download the app from the Oculus Store.

Voice Commands

• Voice Commands (Beta) is now available to all US English speaking users.
• If you have the redesigned universal menu, you can find it in Settings > Quick Actions > Voice Commands. The Voice Commands icon is located next to the Microphone icon. Otherwise, you can find it directly in your Oculus home menu.
• You can activate Voice Commands (Beta) by clicking on the icon in the Oculus menu or enabling the controller shortcut which allows you to double press the Oculus button to activate Voice Commands (Beta).
• You can change your Voice Commands (Beta) settings by selecting Settings > Device > Voice Commands (Beta).
• Voice Commands (Beta) has been re-designed with sleeker visuals. It also supports a wider breadth of commands.
• Try saying, "Take a photo" to take a screenshot while you're in an immersive experience, "Start casting" to mirror your headset to another screen or "Turn off" to quickly shut down your headset. You can also ask, "What can I say?" to see more examples of commands available to you.

The update should roll out to your Oculus Quest automatically. If you need help updating your Oculus Quest, make sure to check out our guide.

Untethered VR

Oculus Quest

$399 at Amazon $499 at Walmart

Freedom to move

The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset. That means you don't need a PC or phone to use it, and you don't have to duck and dodge around wires. As a result, you can bring VR almost anywhere and immerse yourself in gameplay.