Quest's Horizon OS 2.9 update has started rolling out in the Public Test Channel, and it brings back two classic Home environments alongside the new window controls. UploadVR reports that Desert Terrace and Space Station are available through a new Classic Environments menu. Owners who missed those spaces can now look for them in the test release.
Where to find the returning homes
Open the Home Editor with the menu button on the left Touch controller, or use a palm-facing pinch with your left hand. The new Classic Environments submenu contains Desert Terrace, the original default home for Quest 2, and Space Station, which first arrived on the original Quest in April 2020.
Meta replaced the older homes with Loft when it overhauled the Home system in v81, beginning with the August 2025 test release. UploadVR says the returning environments appear to use the Horizon Engine and allow the same free movement as Loft. That makes their return useful for owners who want a familiar setting with the newer movement system.
Dataminer Nori found other environments with active development channels. Those findings suggest Meta may add more, but the report identifies only Desert Terrace and Space Station as available. Owners waiting for another favorite home still need confirmation of its release.
The window changes arrive alongside them
The update removes the dock from the 2D window system. App windows open around you, and moving their edges together groups them. You can also arrange windows in a stack and switch through them like cards.
The Window Manager in Quick Settings shows open windows and lets you bring them forward or close them, individually or all at once. Each window gets a redesigned control bar with a dedicated grab handle and separate buttons. Meta removes the separate Anchor option and instead relies on Magnetism, which attaches windows to vertical surfaces when you push them against those surfaces. Meta says that behavior is more reliable in 2.9 PTC.
UploadVR's images of the Window Manager's Stack and 3-Up presets show an earlier 2.7 pre-release build. Keep that distinction in mind when comparing the report's demonstrations with the controls on your own headset.
What to expect before the stable release
The Public Test Channel is Quest's beta channel. UploadVR cautions that features can arrive separately from the software update, sometimes weeks or months later. The eventual stable release can also differ from the test build.
The report gives a concrete example relevant to the returning homes. Meta says Surface Keyboard and Touchpad now works in fully virtual environments as well as passthrough, but UploadVR could not get it to work in a virtual environment during testing. Owners hoping to type on a desk while inside a classic home should check that combination on their own headset.
