Why I Love Working in VR

As a freelancer who writes in all sorts of places, positions, and situations, I’ve often found that a regular laptop just doesn’t cut it. Which is why I like to occasionally do the cyberpunk thing, strap on some Goggles, and do my work in Virtual Reality (VR). Here’s why it’s great.

VR Helps Me Focus in Any Situation

One piece of equipment that I can’t do without is my set of AirPods Max, mainly thanks to the excellent noise cancelation technology. I’m way more productive when the distracting sounds of my environment are cut off. I’ll even wear them without listening to any music or audio, just to enjoy the total silence.

Similarly, I have found that working in VR gives me the isolation I need to get things done. I can be in any environment I like, and there’s nothing to distract me. This isn’t something I need in my own home office, but when away from home, it can make any workspace feel comfortable.

As Many Screens as I Need

Most people probably have some sort of dual monitor setup in their workspace, but most of us don’t have the space or money to have multiple monitors all over the place. When you’re on the go, it’s even less practical, although you do get dual-screen laptops these days. Personally, I use my iPad as a second display for my MacBook, which works a treat, but it works even better in VR.

There are two VR desktop apps I use with my Meta Quest, and they deal with multiple displays differently. Virtual Desktop is a paid app that will bring all of your physical displays into VR with you. However, it doesn’t support virtual displays as of this writing. Immersed VR, on the other hand, supports one additional virtual display in its free version, and even more in its paid version.

Of course, in both cases, you can position and size the monitors as you please, and if you have the Meta Quest 3 or Pro, you can enjoy color pass-through if you still want to see the real environment around you. I’m still using the Meta Quest 2, but even the black and white pass-through is a great way to maintain situational awareness.

It’s the Most Portable and Private Workstation Possible

If you want to work somewhere that you don’t want anyone else to see what you’re busy with, working in VR is a great solution, especially if you’re using the pass-through feature to remain present in your workspace.

The only thing is, there’s no way to disable your real-world screen that’s being mirrored on the VR headset. In Virtual Desktop and in Immersed VR, the workaround I use is to turn the brightness on my laptop down to zero, which on my MacBook effectively turns the screen off and makes it unreadable.

In Immersed, which supports virtual screens, you can also just keep your private data on one of the in-headset virtual secondary screens as another workaround. If none of these are options for you, you can always physically cover your screen with a cloth or something similar.

It Opens Up New Ergonomic Possibilities

For those of us who are always chronically working on a computer, the battle to find good ergonomics is never-ending. I’ve invested in monitor stands, and chairs, and various other doodads to help my posture, back, and other parts that all seem bent on, well, getting bent. Using the right head strap (anything with a hard back is a no-no) you can recline with your posture perfectly straight. The screen is wherever you look, so there’s no need to strike any sort of stress pose.

What I Wish Could Be Better About VR Work

I’ve been pretty positive about working in VR so far, and that’s because it’s something I genuinely enjoy and find useful, but it’s far from the perfect solution. For one thing, comfort is still a significant issue. I have a suspicion that the Apple Vision Pro probably solves most of my comfort and perhaps even image quality concerns, but I’m not quite ready to spend $3,500 to find out! Regardless, VR and Mixed Reality headsets of every budget level will become smaller, lighter and more comfortable over time, so at least I expect this aspect to get better.

The other annoyance is limited support for mixed reality keyboards. If you have certain keyboard models and have a Meta Quest, for example, you can bring those keyboards into VR with you. I’d like it if this was more universally possible. Luckily, I’m a decent touch typist, but it would be nice to see my keyboard! Using pass-through mode is one workaround, but obviously it isn’t ideal if you prefer to work in a VR environment instead.

Once affordable headsets can solve these main issues, I might spend much more time working in VR, but for now it’s something I reserve for those times I need to take advantage of its unique strengths.

If you’re intrigued about working in VR or want to improve the experience, you may want to look at my tips for working in VR.