Disney+ app on Meta Quest 3 offers decent picture and great sound - and zero Disney magic

Disney last week rolled out a native app on Meta Quest 3 that allows subscribers to log into their Disney+ accounts on Quest and watch any shows from their library in VR. This is a great new feature, and I'm glad that Disney finally got around to it. But there is definitely something missing from the experience. I'm not sure what I expected, but it definitely is not what this app is offering.

Upon logging in, the player is presented with a screen floating in space in front of them in mixed reality. There is no darkened theater, no red curtain, no fun avatars or buddies to sit alongside you in plushy velvet seats. Nope, just a blank black screen floating in space in front of you.

Yep, this is pretty much it.

On this screen, you can browse the Disney+ library using an interface that is very similar to what I get on my Amazon Firestick. When you start a movie or show, the room around you dims a little (there is a sliding control lever that allows you to adjust how much). Some very basic controls allow you to start, pause, drag to fast-forward or rewind, and make the screen bigger in your space. And that's it. Oh, and you can curve the screen, if you are into that sort of thing.

The experience is...fine. And it seems that "fine" is not good enough for VR fans. A quick look at the app's reviews reveal some deep dissatisfaction from the VR crowd at the lack of 3D options (this is VR, after all, so it is perfect suited for viewing 3D films). There is also an issue with the resolution, which is in 1080 with no option for 4K. For my part, I found the picture to be clean, bright, and crisp, and as usual, the sound on the Meta Quest 3 is jaw-dropping. I still have no idea how they squeeze the surround effects out of the tiny, built-in speakers, but it is truly amazing.

But what is clearly lacking here is any amount of Disney magic. I mean, this is DISNEY! Out of curiosity, I downloaded the Blumhouse experience just to compare, and while what that app is doing is a bit distracting from the film you are watching (and only two films are offered - The Black Phone and M3GAN), at least they are trying to do something to make you feel immersed in the experience. 

I'm expecting that Disney will continue to roll out new features on this app, and if they are paying any attention to their customers, 3D films will be the first enhancement (and they better not try to charge extra for it, or there will be a freaking revolution). Immersive environments will likely follow. But after years of trying out apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and of course Big Screen, all of which offer custom viewing environments, it was a bit shocking to load up Disney+ to find this generic screen hovering in front of me.

Get some Imagineers on this thing, y'all. Would I pay a bit more for a reactive Goofy to sit there and watch Zootopia with me? Yes, I would. Would I like to watch Star Wars on the open deck of a Star Destroyer surrounded by techs working on Tie Fighters? Again, yes. Could Marvel release a free custom theater to watch films in Dr. Doom's castle to coincide with the release of the upcoming film? OF COURSE THEY COULD. Let's go, Disney. I'm available for consulting if you need any ideas. You are the company that made waiting in line at your theme parks fun and interesting. I'm sorry that you have spent 100 years raising everyone's expectations by being awesome, but that's where we are. Be more awesome. Be Disney.