Meta Quest 3: Meta announces its new VR headset
The Meta Quest 3 has now been revealed. There is likely to be excitement and disappointment from all quarters, with a change in price likely to be the most talked about feature of the success of the Meta Quest 2. Here are all the key details.
The Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest 2 hit shelves in October 2020, which isn’t that long but it feels like it’s been ages since the popular VR headset was released. Since then, it’s gotten a name change and a price rise.
Now, there’s a new VR headset to consider, the Meta Quest 3. The new Quest 3 updates the headset with more powerful specifications across the board. But, also, a new higher price. Let’s dive in.
Price and Release Date
The Meta Quest 3 starts at £499/$499, a big jump up from the £299/$299 starting price of the Meta Quest 2 at its launch. Meta did not confirm an exact release date for the Quest 3 but said it’s coming in Autumn 2023. The Meta Quest 2 is currently priced at £399/$399 but will be going back down to its original £299/$299 price on June 4th.
Design
The Meta Quest 3 is a significant design upgrade compared with its predecessor. The new model has been cut down in size for added portability. It’s 40% slimmer.
The new look adorns more fabric and less plastic than the Meta Quest 2, and has a striking design on the front, with three pill-shaped sensors towards the bottom. Meta says it’s also more comfortable than the previous model.
The new Touch Plus controllers that come with the Meta Quest 3 are a similar design to what’s offered with the Meta Quest Pro, ditching the ring design from the Quest 2. Unlike the Pro, there are no cameras included though. Hand-tracking also features here, but no eye and face tracking. Around the device, you’ll find a USB-C port, volume control, IPD wheel and a power button, confirmed by Bloomberg’s hands-on with the device.
Specs and Features
The Meta Quest 3 offers up a more powerful spec sheet than the Meta Quest 2, as well as coming in a more compact package. Meta touts that the Quest 3 will offer twice the graphical performance of its predecessor, and higher resolution.
A key upgrade is an update to passthrough, bringing heightened augmented reality (AR) capabilities to this, traditionally VR, headset. This move lines up with what we’re expecting to see from Apple’s AR/VR headset.
The power behind the Meta Quest 3 is Snapdragon’s next-gen VR chipset, which should off speedier navigation and improved overall gaming performance.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
