Hands-on with Fly for Quest 3: Closer than ever to Google Earth VR
Fly is the most compelling attempt yet to bring the Google Earth VR experience to Quest headsets.
Google Earth VR remains one of the most awe-inspiring PC VR experiences, and after almost eight years, there is still no 100% equivalent on standalone headsets.
Although there have been attempts to capture the experience on Meta Quest. The VR app Wooorld only renders parts of the world in front of you, so you never really feel like you're flying around the globe like Superman, while the newer EarthQuest offers fully immersive world travel, but had an undercooked interface and poor performance when I tried it a few months ago.
With Fly, there is now a third alternative for Quest 3, 2 and Pro as well as Apple Vision Pro. I tried out the VR app on Quest 3.
Almost as beautiful as the original
Of the three VR apps, Fly is the closest in look and feel to Google Earth VR, although it lacks Google Street View, a feature that both Wooorld and EarthQuest support.
In Fly, you can move around freely in a fully immersive representation of the world, although the level of detail of the models and textures isn't quite as high as in Google Earth VR.
Some vistas and natural panoramas, such as Neuschwanstein Castle and surroundings, have a similarly impressive effect on Quest 3, while others fall short in terms of rendering: Especially performance-hungry areas like Manhattan are jerky and look ugly. Regardless of the region, the landscapes were slow to load, which cannot be attributed to my internet connection.
There are options to customize the experience
Moving around is handled differently than in Google Earth VR and takes some time getting used to. The VR app suggests that you are sitting in a futuristic drone, presumably to prevent nausea. Moving your head in space sets the direction, while the right thumbstick sets the altitude.
Fortunately, this type of locomotion can be turned off and the direction can be controlled with the left thumbstick. The drone and the interface can also be turned off, allowing you to fly relatively freely. I say relatively because Google Earth VR's hand-controlled flight direction still feels freer and more natural.
Fly is not a replacement for Google Earth VR. But it gives a sense of what's so fascinating about the original app, and overall it captures this kind of experience better than Wooorld and EarthQuest.
You can purchase Fly for $10 on the Meta Horizon Store.
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