Meta Quest 3: The Next Generation of Virtual and Mixed Reality
Posted on June 3, 2023 3 minutes 601 words
Table of contents
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has officially announced the launch of its next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset, the Meta Quest 3. This highly anticipated device is set to ship this fall, promising a more immersive and comfortable VR experience than ever before.
A Powerful Leap Forward
The Meta Quest 3 is a supercharged all-in-one headset that doesn’t require any wires. It combines Meta’s highest resolution display and pancake optics to make content look better than ever. The headset will be the first to feature a next-generation Snapdragon chipset developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. This next-gen Snapdragon chipset delivers more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2, promising smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games.
A New Era of Mixed Reality
The Quest 3 is designed to seamlessly blend the physical world with the virtual one. It goes beyond today’s mixed reality by intelligently understanding and responding to objects in your physical space and allowing you to navigate that space in natural, intuitive ways. High-fidelity color Passthrough, innovative machine learning, and spatial understanding let you interact with virtual content and the physical world simultaneously, creating limitless possibilities to explore.
Design and Comfort
The Quest 3 is a sleeker, more comfortable headset with a 40% slimmer optic profile compared to Quest 2. The Touch Plus controllers have been completely redesigned with a more streamlined and ergonomic form factor. Thanks to advances in tracking technology, the outer tracking rings have been dropped so the controllers feel like a more natural extension of your hands and take up less space. TruTouch haptics have been included to help you feel the action like never before. Hand tracking will be supported out of the box, so you can explore without controllers, thanks to Direct Touch that lets you use just your hands to interact with virtual objects.
Unparalleled Library of Immersive Experiences
Quest 3 is compatible with the Quest 2 catalog of over 500 VR games, apps, and experiences (and counting), and even more exciting new VR and MR titles are lined up for launch. That means Quest 3 will have the world’s best library of immersive experiences on day one.
Pricing and Availability
The 128GB headset starts at $499.99 USD, and an additional storage option will be available for those who want some extra space. The Quest 3 will ship in all countries where Meta Quest is currently supported this fall. More details will be revealed at the Meta Connect conference on September 27.
Exciting Updates for Quest 2: Lower Prices and Enhanced Performance
In anticipation of the Quest 3 launch, Meta is lowering the price of Quest 2 to $299.99 USD for the 128GB SKU and $349.99 USD for the 256GB SKU. In an upcoming software update, the Quest 2 and Quest Pro GPU and CPU will see performance increases, promising smoother gameplay, a more responsive UI, and richer content on both headsets.
Conclusion
The Meta Quest 3 is set to be a solid improvement over its predecessor, offering a more immersive and comfortable VR experience. With a growing library of VR games and experiences, the Quest 3 could be the headset to drive forward a move to the metaverse. Watch this space for more updates as we approach the fall release.
References
- META: Meta Quest 3 Coming This Fall + Lower Prices for Quest 2
- The Verge: Meta announces its Quest 3 VR headset, which will cost $499.99
- Tom’s Guide: Meta Quest 3 release date, price, specs and latest news
