Meta is launching a new hub for Quest headsets later this year that should make it easier for educators to use them in schools. In a blog post on Monday, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, writes that the hub will let teachers access “education-specific apps and features,” along with tools to manage all Quest headsets in the classroom.
Meta still hasn’t released the name of the educational product, nor a list of specific features. However, Clegg notes that Meta wants the hub to make it “easier for students to learn, apply and practice new skills” while also seeing places or having experiences that might not be possible outside of virtual reality.
In an interview with Axios, Clegg says Meta’s Quest headsets could let students walk the virtual streets of ancient Rome. “And people can giggle and say, ‘Oh, look, there’s Brutus plunging a knife into the back of Julius Caesar,’” Clegg tells Axios. That sure sounds… lovely.
Even though some schools are experimenting with virtual reality, Meta’s program might not be something every institution can afford, depending on how much it costs. The educational hub will only become available to schools serving students 13 years and older and only in markets where Meta’s workplace-focused Quest for Business subscription is supported. Meta launched Quest for Business last fall, which comes with user, device, and custom app management and costs $14.99 per device per month.
Over the past year, Meta has been exploring applications for its VR headsets in schools. Last September, Meta provided 15 universities in the US with Quest headsets and said it was experimenting with ways to highlight educational apps in the Quest store. Whether other schools and universities will want to hop on board the Quest train without donations from Meta remains another question.
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