I just played First Encounters on the Meta Quest 3 – and it's a game-changer

It's the point when a spaceship blasts a hole in my ceiling, before a horde of fluffy aliens invade my living room, that I realise the Meta Quest 3 is going to live up to the hype that’s surrounded it since it launched.

I’m playing First Encounters, and it’s an incredible introduction to full-colour passthrough, which is a brand new feature in Meta’s latest standalone VR headset, enabling mixed reality experiences. 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS
Dan Oliver

Over the last 20 years, Dan has edited a number of print magazines and websites, including Computer Arts, 3D World and ImagineFX, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United Magazine, T3, and many more. He is currently the digital editor of Creative Bloq's sister magazine, Wallpaper*.

Read more
Alien Rogue Incursion art director interview; a woman points a gun at a xenomorph
Alien: Rogue Incursion review - these monsters are real
Hand tracking in Waltz of the Wizard on Sony PSVR 2
Waltz of the Wizard on PSVR 2 gets "intuitive and magical" VR hand tracking
KTC H27P22S monitor
I’ve been using this affordable 4K gaming monitor and I’m surprised by its quality
An NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card above a grid of green bending lines
8 things I learned about NVIDIA's new tech at CES 2025
Avowed review; a skeleton warrior with flora growing from it, holding a sword
Avowed review: not quite Skyrim, but much stranger
Making Eternal Strands;
How Eternal Strands' complex chaos was made possible
Latest in 3D Art
Xbox Developer Direct; a game dev logo
Why the return of Xbox Developer Direct matters - Indiana Jones and more to feature
First Encounters VR pass through showing spaceship on coffee table
I just played First Encounters on the Meta Quest 3 – and it's a game-changer
3D skills report; an abstract colourful 3D render
The 'future of design is 3D' says new Adobe skills report
Lexus Design Award: Touch the Valley
Stunning 3D puzzle design could be a game-changer
Apple VR headset render
Is this what the Apple VR headset might look like?
Mark Zuckerberg's VR avatar
Everyone's making the same joke about Mark Zuckerberg's new VR avatar
Latest in News
Chupa Chups logo
The Chupa Chups logo was created by an art legend in just one hour
DC Sonic the Hedgehog comic collaboration
Sega reveals first glimpse of the Sonic DC collaboration we never knew we needed
The Dell 8K monitor on a green background, next to the text, 'Lowest price'.
The only commercially available 8K monitor is on sale with $1,771 off, and I'm intrigued
Tesla Cybertruck
Another day, another Tesla Cybertruck design fail
Dove ad
Dove's new campaign wants to break you out of the selfie cycle
Crayola crayons eight colours
Crayola's nostalgic limited edition packs bring back 'lost' colours retired since 1990 – plus a Million Crayon Giveaway