Meta is QUIETLY REVERSING one of its LEAST POPULAR Quest decisions. The Horizon OS 2.9 build (v209) on the Public Test Channel adds a Classic Environments submenu to the Home Editor, and the FIRST TWO entries are OLD favorites: Desert Terrace, the DEFAULT home on Quest 2, and Space Station, the fourth environment Meta shipped for the original Quest in April 2020, according to UploadVR.
Why This Matters
With the v81 PTC in August 2025, Meta replaced the entire LIBRARY of virtual environments with a SINGLE space called Loft, which offers free locomotion and customizable scenery. Meta’s own release notes said at the time that users would “no longer have access” to previous home environments because of incompatibility with the larger Immersive Home. Many LONGTIME owners were FRUSTRATED. The new notes now state that some classic environments are “available again, rebuilt for the current VR Home experience,” selectable in Settings > Home.
These are NOT the old files dropped back in. UploadVR and VR.org report BOTH spaces were REBUILT on Horizon Engine, with OPTIMIZED performance and the SAME free locomotion as Loft. Users reach the menu with the left controller’s menu button or a palm-facing PINCH with the left hand.
More May Follow
UploadVR credits dataminer Nori with surfacing several OTHER environments with active development channels inside the same submenu, which suggests Meta could RELEASE them on a ROLLING basis. Meta has NOT announced a LIST or a SCHEDULE.
The Caveats
This is a TEST build. VR.org notes that v2.9 reached the OPT-IN PTC the week of September 28, that Meta says features “will gradually roll out” to enrolled users, and that NO stable date exists. Features in PTC builds can SLIP or change before general release. We covered the v2.9 window manager separately.
The bottom line: Meta appears to be LISTENING on home SPACES, but owners outside the PTC should NOT expect Desert Terrace back until a STABLE release CONFIRMS it.