Meta Quest 3 now lets you trade graphics for battery life and adds live YouTube chat

Meta Quest 3 is getting a new update that offers an option to improve battery life at the expense of graphics performance, as well as support for YouTube live chat.

The Quest v59 update, now rolling out to Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, and Quest Pro, brings a few key upgrades. For all three headsets, this includes emoji reactions via the Meta Quest chat app, a new option to join an active group call with friends, and an improved “family hub” in the Quest app with daily time limits and scheduled breaks in future updates.

Another new addition is aimed at content creators, as YouTube Live Chat will be integrated directly into Meta Quest. Broadcasters can view their live chat from within the headset. However, this feature is only in early access and developers have to manually apply it.

Whether you’re a casual creator or a more serious streamer, easy access to real-time feedback from your community is key to creating more engaging and social live content. With version 59, early access provided developers with the introduction of YouTube Live Chat support, so you can seamlessly follow and respond to fan conversation, even while fully immersed in the latest games and VR experiences.

Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, Meta Quest 3 specifically gets a new option to reduce some of the headset’s graphics power in exchange for better battery life. There’s no word on the difference this key makes in terms of graphics and battery life, but with only two hours of use in its typical configuration, there’s certainly plenty of room for improvement.

Meta Quest 3s extended battery feature gives you more control over the trade-off between active battery life and high performance. Designed to help you decide whether you want to maximize playtime or experience the best possible graphics. You can turn this feature on and off from your power settings menu.

This update is available now.