Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has unveiled its latest mixed reality headset, the Meta Quest 3, which is set to compete with Apple‘s Vision Pro, a more expensive headset scheduled for release next year.
Everything You Need to Know about the Meta Quest 3
The Quest 3, according to Meta, has undergone a complete redesign, featuring a “4K+ Infinite Display resolution” achieved through two displays with a per-eye resolution of 2064×2208 and an experimental 120Hz refresh rate. In comparison, Apple’s headset uses 4K micro-OLED displays, offering a total of 23 million pixels.
The Quest 3 comes equipped with 3D spatial audio and boasts a 40 percent louder volume range than its predecessor, the Quest 2. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, it offers double the GPU processing power of the Quest 2, supporting fast-action gaming and high-resolution passthrough.
Two RGB cameras with 10 times better resolution than the Quest 2 provide a view of the surrounding area, allowing virtual objects to be manipulated in your physical space—an augmented reality feature similar to what the Vision Pro offers.
Weighing in at 515 grams (over a pound), the Quest 3 is slightly heavier than the Quest 2 but features a slimmer optic profile thanks to new pancake lenses, making it more comfortable to wear. It includes an adjustable strap and an adaptable facial interface for improved comfort and field of view. The headset provides a 110-degree horizontal field of view and a 96-degree vertical field of view for enhanced peripheral vision, with a 25 percent increase in sharpness in the center field of view. However, unlike Apple’s headset, it lacks eye tracking or iris scanning.
For input, the Meta Quest 3 employs two Touch Plus Controllers, which aim to mimic natural hand movements and offer tactile haptic feedback. Computer vision and machine learning sensors enable hand gesture recognition, and a series of cameras allow for controller-free navigation, similar to the Vision Pro headset.
The Meta Quest 3 offers approximately 2.2 hours of battery life per charge, without an external battery pack. In contrast, the Apple Vision Pro can run all day when connected to a power source or last for two hours when linked to its external battery.
Additional features of the Quest 3 include 8GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6E support, an LED indicator to signal when cameras are in use, and compatibility with the Meta Quest Link Cable and Air Link for connecting to a PC. The Meta Quest 3 is priced at $499.99 for the 128GB storage model and is available for pre-order on the Meta website, with deliveries set to begin in October.
