Three steps, in order: get a side-by-side file, pick the right layout, play it in something that believes you. Everything below works with files you already own.
Open the browser player — it plays on Quest, Pico, Vision Pro and glasses, no install.
| Device | What it needs | What to play it with |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Quest 3 / 2 | Full-SBS or Half-SBS, player set to SBS | This site's browser player (add to home screen), or 4XVR / Skybox |
| Pico 4 | Full or Half SBS — the menu calls it 左右 | This site's browser player |
| Apple Vision Pro | Full-SBS, but only through an app | Moon Player, or the browser player |
| XREAL / VITURE glasses | Full-SBS + the glasses' own 3D mode | Browser player on your computer; pick 3D Full SBS in the glasses menu |
What it plays: both SBS layouts, plus top-and-bottom. The headset does not care about the file name — only about which layout you tell the player it is.
What to use: the browser on the headset is the shortest path — open the player page, drop the file, pick the layout. Add it to your home screen and it behaves like an app. If you watch Blu-ray rips, ISO files or Dolby Vision, a dedicated player (4XVR, Skybox) earns its price; for converted clips it does not.
The usual failure: the picture looks flat, doubled, or stretched. That is almost always the layout setting, not the file — see playback fixes.
What it plays: the same two layouts, labeled in Chinese as 左右 (SBS) and 上下 (TAB). The word differs; the format does not.
What to use: the built-in player handles SBS, and the browser player works the same way as on Quest. If a file refuses to play, check that you did not pick a "3D side-by-side" mode for a half-width file — half-SBS needs the player to unsqueeze it.
What it plays: natively, Apple's own spatial video format — not SBS files. This is the most common surprise for people who just bought one.
What to use: an app that opens SBS, such as Moon Player, or our browser player in Safari. Both play the file; neither turns it into a spatial video.
If you want true spatial video: that format has to be produced by a device that captures or converts to it. For 3D files you already own, SBS through an app is the practical route.
What it plays: both layouts, but the glasses need to be told which one — XREAL's own guide has you open Spatial Screen → 3D Mode → 3D Full SBS or 3D Half SBS.
What to use: plug the glasses into a computer, open the browser player, drop the file, then set the 3D mode on the glasses. No app install on either side.
The usual failure: picking Full SBS for a half-SBS file — the image looks squeezed because nobody stretched it back.
That is the normal starting point. Convert a clip or a photo you already have into side-by-side 3D — in this browser, without uploading anything — then come back and play it. A thirty-second clip takes about a minute.
Full-SBS for anything you will watch on a headset: each eye keeps every pixel of the source. Half-SBS only when you need a smaller file or your player insists on it. The difference is visible — and it is worth seeing before you pick: half-SBS vs full-SBS.
You can still watch side-by-side 3D on a plain screen with your own eyes — it takes a minute to learn and needs no equipment. The player has a free-view mode and a short guide for it.
Related: Half vs Full SBS · SBS vs Top-Bottom · Why SBS looks stretched · Playback fixes · Sample files
DepthSnap — free browser-based 2D to 3D SBS converter. No upload, no signup, no watermark.