In a post published on Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram account, Meta announced its upcoming VR headset – Quest 3. Powered by an upgraded Snapdragon chipset, this mixed-reality headset promises to deliver twice the graphics performance of its predecessor, the Meta Quest 2.
With a 40% slimmer optic profile, it’s much lighter and more comfortable than its predecessor.
The new VR headset will be rolled out this fall, with a price tag of $499.99 for the 128 GB version. Another version of Quest 3 with an additional storage option is in the works, too, though Meta hasn’t specified its price yet.
The design of the Meta Quest 3 VR Headset clearly shows Meta’s focus on ensuring a more comfortable experience for the user. Do note that the foam facial interface isn’t taken into account while measuring the optic profile thickness.
Improved Performance
Compared to Quest 2, the next-gen VR headset also boasts a significant jump in performance. While its new processor doubles the graphics performance, the AR experience is enhanced by the three new sensor areas integrated into the VR headset. The two outer sensor areas hold two cameras each – a full-color camera and a standard one. The other pill-shaped sensor area in the middle houses a depth sensor, which plays a particularly crucial role in Quest 3’s improved AR performance.
The Quest 3 VR headset is also compatible with Meta’s diverse library of over 500 VR apps and games.
The Quest 3 VR headset also features redesigned controllers for an enhanced and more comfortable gaming experience. The new Touch Plus controllers come with TruTouch haptics to deliver “experiences you can feel”, work together with the depth sensor, and support hand-tracking. Meta also announced that it has done away with the rings these controllers used to have for positional tracking.
Additionally, all apps and games you can run on Meta Quest Pro and Quest 2 are also supported on the new mixed-reality headset. Alongside the backward compatibility, Meta announced that it would release new VR and MR titles for Quest 3.
Quest Pro And Quest 2 To Become More Powerful And Affordable
In addition to rolling out the advanced Quest 3 VR headset, Meta also announced significant software upgrades for the Quest 2 and Quest Pro models already in the market. These upgrades will significantly boost the GPU and CPU performance on both VR headsets, alongside enabling dynamic scaling. This would allow them to deliver a higher pixel density without compromising frame rates.
Meta also announced a price drop for Quest 2, undoing the price hike on both the 128 GB and 256 GB models last year.
The price for the 128 GB Quest 2 VR headset is dropping from $399.99 to $299.99, while the 256 GB version gets an $80 price drop from $429.99 to $349.99.
Interestingly, Meta’s announcement for Quest 3 came just a few days ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2023, where Apple is expected to reveal its first-ever mixed-reality headset. Named Reality Pro, it is rumored to come with a hefty price tag of $3,000 and a range of impressive specs to supposedly beat the competition.
The timing of Meta’s announcement, the impressive next-gen features offered by Quest 3, and the price drops and upgrades for existing Quest models indicate tough competition. Meta will reveal more information about Quest 3’s pre-orders and sales dates during the Annual Meta Connect event in September.
