Summary
The Meta Quest 3 was unveiled late last month and is now available for purchase via all major retailers. The latest mixed reality headset from Meta promises significant improvements over the Quest 2 and is even better than the Quest Pro, which is three times as expensive. The Meta Quest 3 also comes with an updated design that has led to a decent reduction in size, though the weight has gone up a bit. Meta is also offering a free game with the Quest 3 that showcases the raw horsepower of the headset.
Meta Quest 3: Where to Buy?
The Meta Quest 3 went on pre-order right after the announcement in September but is now openly available for purchase. The 128 GB model is priced at $499 while the 512 GB model is priced at $649. For a limited time, Meta is offering Asgard’s Wrath 2 for free with the Quest 3 which is available on Amazon, Newegg, Walmart, Best Buy, and the Meta website. Furthermore, Newegg is offering a $15 Meta gift card with the 128 GB model and a $25 gift card with the 512 GB model. The gift cards can be used to redeem the apps, games, and experiences available in the Meta Quest store.
Meta Quest 3
The Meta Quest 3 is the latest and greatest mixed-reality headset that brings a host of improvements compared to the previous generation. The Quest 3 has higher resolution displays per eye with support for 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates.It uses a more powerful 2nd generation Snapdragon XR2 processor that is capable of running games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 natively. It comes with a full-color passthrough, improved controllers, and a slimmer form factor.
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The Meta Quest 3 is powered by the 2nd Gen Snapdragon XR2 processor which, according to the company, can double the GPU performance compared to the Quest 2 resulting in better load times and graphical improvements. It comes in two storage options – 128 GB and 512 GB and the entire Quest library is supported on the Quest 3. Games will run better on the new headset, provided developers update their games to make use of the improved performance.
It packs 8 GB of RAM compared to 6 GB on the Quest 2. To make passthrough better, it also features 2 RGB cameras that have 10 times the resolution of the Quest 2 and twice the resolution of Quest Pro. This allows for a seamless full-color, high-fidelity view of the surroundings. The depth sensor provides accurate depth projection and room mapping to bring virtual objects in real space.
Meta Quest 2 256GB
The Meta Quest 2 is Meta’s 2nd iteration of its take on a standalone VR headset that ditches dual OLED screens for a fast-switching LCD that can push as much as 120Hz refresh rates powered by a Snapdragon XR2 chip, custom-built to enable VR experiences on the go for Facebook’s parent company.
Meta Quest Pro
The Meta Quest Pro is a premium VR and mixed-reality headset that allows users to work, create, and collaborate in a virtual space while staying in their physical world. It packs 5 infrared eye and face tracking sensors with a 120-degree field of view each, that capture upper and lower facial movements for accurate virtual representation of the user. The Quest Pro is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ processor that allows it to deliver a 90 Hz refresh rate to each eye.
The resolution has been bumped up to 2064x2208 pixels per eye, and the Quest 3 can do 72Hz, 80Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz (experimental only). The Pancake lenses similar to the ones on the Quest Pro have been used in the Quest 3, offering a 110-degree horizontal and 96-degree vertical field-of-view (FOV). The headset offers 53-75 mm of IPD adjustment as well. While the Quest 3 is 40% thinner than the Quest 2, it is slightly heavier at 515 grams.
For audio, the integrated stereo speakers with 3D spatial audio are said to offer a 40% louder audio range, bass range, and optimal L/R matching capabilities. The Quest 3 has about the same battery life as the Quest 2 of two to three hours. It takes just over two hours to fully charge via the 18W USB Type-C adapter. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity.
Competitors To The Meta Quest 3
Meta has had a pretty solid grasp on the mainstream VR headset market thanks to the Quest 2 that launched in October 2020. It was a relatively inexpensive offering starting at $299, which provided an ideal entry point into the world of virtual reality. Even though the feature set and performance of the Quest 2 was limited, it became quite popular for casual games and even working out. With the Quest 3 coming in at $499, there is no real competition in the standalone VR headset market. The closest competitor would be the PlayStation VR2 headset, but it is not a standalone device and also requires a PS5 to work.
PlayStation VR2
The successor to the PS VR, the PlayStation VR2 is Sony’s virtual reality headset. Debuting in February 2023, the hardware is designed as a companion piece for the PlayStation 5 and requires the PS VR2 Sense controller.
Other VR and mixed reality headsets such as the HP Reverb G2, Valve Index, HTC Vive XR Elite, and Meta Quest Pro require a PC. This goes to show that there is space in the standalone mixed reality headset market for more competition but for now, the Meta Quest 3 will likely take the throne as the most popular mainstream VR headset.
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FAQ
Q: How much better is the Quest 3 than the Quest 2?
The Meta Quest 3 uses the 2nd Gen Snapdragon XR2 processor which, according to the company, can deliver double the graphics performance compared to the Quest 2. It also has a higher resolution per eye at 2,064x2,208 compared to the 1,832x1920 per eye on the Quest 2.
Q: How much RAM does the Quest 3 have?
The Meta Quest 3 comes with 8 GB of RAM which is 2 GB more than the Quest 2.
Q: Can the Quest 3 be used with a PC?
Yes, the Quest 3 can be used with a PC to play the more graphically intensive games.
