Hands-on with the new Amazon Prime Video on Quest 3
Amazon has released a new Quest app for Amazon Prime Video. We tried it out with Quest 3.
Meta Connect 2024 saw the launch of a number of new streaming apps for Quest: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music and Twitch, and Spotify will follow soon.
In June, Netflix launched a browser version, which I tested with Quest 3. It supports passthrough and 1080p playback quality, but no downloads.
Read how Amazon Prime Video compares in the next sections.
A conventional 2D app
Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime Video comes as a Quest app, but it also takes the form of a 2D panel that can be placed anywhere in the room as usual, resized, and expanded to a large cinema screen. In the latter mode, you can curve the screen, dim the passthrough or switch to a virtual environment as expected.
The app is very similar to the web version of Amazon Prime Video, with no immersive environments or other spatial elements. If you have seamless multitasking enabled in the Quest settings, you should be able to take Amazon Prime Video into immersive games and apps. I was unable to test this as seamless multitasking no longer works for me at the moment for some unknown reason.
Video playback quality is 1080p, just like Netflix. This is unfortunate, as video quality and compression become noticeable above a certain screen size.
Download movies and watch them on the go
A truly unique feature is the ability to download content to your Meta Quest for offline viewing.
I tested this with 1984's The Terminator. I was able to download the film in four different qualities, from 'Best' (3.12GB) to 'Data Saver' (0.24GB). Once downloaded, I disabled the headset's Wi-Fi connection and was able to watch the action classic without an internet connection. A very useful feature when travelling.
You can also adjust the quality of the stream and select different language versions and subtitles (if supported by the film or series).
The new Amazon Prime Video app is straightforward and does what it is supposed to do, with optional passthrough and download options. I hope Amazon takes down the five-year-old Prime Video VR app, which is horrible and hasn't been maintained in a long time.
You can download the new Amazon Prime Video now from the Horizon Store.
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