Summary
Meta Quest 3 will soon launch as the company’s latest mainstream mixed reality headset. It was unveiled at the Meta Connect 2023 event that started on September 27. The headset comes with a host of improvements over the previous generation Quest 2 including a more powerful processor, better displays, more RAM, and about the same weight. Meta also announced the updated Ray-Ban smart glasses and Meta AI, which will be coming to the Quest 3 as well.
Every year, Meta hosts its Meta Connect event where it showcases new technology, both in terms of hardware and software pertaining to the VR, AR, and mixed reality space. Last year, the company unveiled its flagship mixed reality headset, theMeta Quest Pro, which came in at $1500. While the tech behind it was impressive, the price point raised some eyebrows, and the Quest Pro did not get the response Meta hoped for. Now, it has unveiled a more mainstream headset that brings some of the Pro features to a larger audience.
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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Meta Quest 3 Specifications And Design
The Meta Quest 3 is powered by the 2nd Gen Snapdragon XR2 processor which is said to offer double the GPU performance compared to the Quest 2 which means better load times and graphical improvements. Another area of improvement is the passthrough feature. The Quest 2 came with a black and white passthrough which was a fuzzy mess, but the Quest 3 brings full color passthrough, clear enough for using a phone with the headset on. There are two RGB cameras with twice the resolution of the Quest Pro, as well as a depth sensor for accurate room mapping.
The displays are 2064x2208 pixels each, offering 1218 PPI for a much sharper and clearer visual experience compared to the Quest 2. The new headset supports 90Hz and 120Hz (experimental) refresh rates with a 110-degree horizontal and 96-degree vertical field of view, and it has lens adjustment ranging from 58mm to 71mm. It has 8GB of RAM (6GB on Quest 2) and stereo speakers that deliver 40 percent louder audio range, bass range, and optimal L/R matching capabilities. There are two storage options – 128 GB and 512 GB. The battery life is said to be two to three hours which is about the same as the Quest 2.
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.
The Meta Quest 3 uses the same Pancake lens as the Quest Pro, making it slimmer than the Quest 2. It is 40 percent slimmer and weighs about the same at 515 grams. It has a similar strap design, but the slimmer form factor should make it feel more comfortable on the face.
The controllers have been redesigned and no longer have the ring that houses the tracking LEDs as with the Quest 2. They have improved haptics as well. Thanks to gesture tracking, the headset supports controller-free navigation with four IR cameras and two RGB cameras. It is backward compatible, so the entire library of games and apps will run on the Quest 3.
Meta Quest 3 Price And Availability
The Quest 3 comes in two storage options. The 128 GB model is priced at $499 and the 512 GB model is priced at $649. Pre-orders are live on Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, andthe Meta websitewith shipping starting on October 10. For a limited time, Meta is offeringAsgard’s Wrath 2for freewith the Quest 3. The Quest 2 is still available for purchase at $299 for the 128 GB model and $348 for the 256 GB model.
