Proposal: Horizon OS Legacy UI Themes

   In Meta VR headsets, everyone has been saying they hate the navigator UI, so I thought it would be a good idea to add more options for users who prefer UIs they already know. Some users may find it easier to use, and others might want it for nostalgia, but in all, users should have the ability to choose what feels right for them. For me, a regular user, the Navigator UI was really hard to learn. The double presses on the Oculus button to open an already-open window were really complicated, and I think separating the app library into two different menus was a pretty poor choice. It was a lot easier when the app library was like an app on its own. I have a few ideas that may draw in users’ attention and make navigating a lot easier.

1. Problems with the Navigator UI

   Now, some people may see the Navigator UI as pretty cool, but more people see it as very complicated to understand and very impractical. When using the Navigator UI, users have to scroll through their large app library 3 rows at a time, and it is very hard to get to apps they’re trying to find quickly. With other user interfaces, the app library allows the user to scroll freely and quickly through applications. Another thing with other app libraries is the sorting. Apps can be sorted A-Z, Z-A, and recently opened, and I've noticed that in recent updates, the Navigator UI doesn’t have that.

2. Settings to customize

In display settings, there should be a whole dedicated section to customize the UI based on dates or update version. A dropdown should be used to select a version. Versions should include the Oculus Go UI, the Oculus Quest 1/2 UI, and specifically one of my favorites, the August 2024 UI.

Next, there should be an option to customize the pointer icon. For a while, when I had my Quest 3 round launch last week and the year following (also in the August 2024 UI), the pointer icon was an outline of a circle with a transparent inside. I don’t know why, but I really liked that. There should be the regular white dot and then the circle option.

Next, there should be customizable sound. Sometimes people may like the sound of the 2021 UI mixed with the August 2024 UI.

Lastly, there should be more virtual environment options. Some people may like the cubemap theme of the Oculus Go.

3. Functionality

   With the upcoming end of support for the Oculus/Meta Quest 2, I feel like this would be a real update; it should be at least one of its last. The Quest 2 feels like it's dying because of how heavily the Navigator UI affects performance. If users can customize their UI to make it run faster, it might add a few more months or even years to its lifespan. Setting the UI to look more like the Oculus Go may drastically increase performance. Having the ability to customise the UI and virtual environment to the user’s liking lets them have more control over what they own and get more performance out of it. One last thing, it may also stop modders because some modders' goal is to just get back the whole UI.

Conclusion

   I feel like it would be a great opportunity to both let users have more customisability and get more users to maybe come back to VR. This is also really what the people want, and as a regular everyday user, this would make me and others really happy.

What should be included in settings?

Under display, there should be a whole category dedicated to UI.
In that category, there should be a dropdown with the caption like, “Select your UI,” and things under it should be, for example, different dates, like August 2024.
Under the UI selection, there should be “Select your UI sounds,” and things under it should be the same: different dates, like August 2024.
Under that should be “Select your pointer,” and included in the dropdown should be the icon of the hollowed-out circle or just the regular pointer dot.
Right under that should be the UI cubemap option to provide a bit more performance.
Finally, at the top should be an example of what it should look like before you restart your headset to apply the changes.

Last note

Please make this a thing; it would make a lot of people happy. Also, I do know that sticking with the Navigator UI is signature Meta branding, but at the end of the day, it's what the people want, right?

(also idk if I was supposed to post this here but this is what everyone wants.)