The Meta Quest 3 has been formally unveiled by Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and will be available this fall for $499. The new headset will have a 40% smaller overall design than its predecessor and a new Snapdragon CPU to power its virtual reality and mixed reality experiences.
It implies that you’ll have to pay $200 more than the Meta Quest 2 for the opportunity, so try the latter if you want to save money while exploring VR.
When Will the Meta Quest 3 Be Released?
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the Meta Quest 3 will be released this fall and that more information will be unveiled at the Meta Connect conference on September 27.
Based on this, we can assume that the Quest 3 will be released on September 27 or pre-orders will begin on September 27, with a release date soon after. The Meta Quest 2 was launched on October 13, 2020. Therefore, a Quest 3 release in October looks plausible.
Look at the tweets posted below-
Introducing Meta Quest 3.
Coming this fall. Sign up for updates at: https://t.co/gt8P9KkNsd
Learn more at Meta Connect on September 27 – 28.#MetaQuest3 pic.twitter.com/CPFtGyNYC2
— Meta Quest (@MetaQuestVR) June 1, 2023
Below is some additional Meta Quest material that may interest you-
- Meta Is Said To Be Planning To Open Horizon Worlds To Younger Teens As Early As March
- Meta Is Dropping Support For The Original Quest VR Headset
Meta Quest 3 Price
The Meta Quest 3 will cost $499, $100 more than the Quest 2’s $399/£399 MSRP. The Quest 2 originally cost $299/£299. However, Meta has recently raised the price. Hopefully, that won’t happen again with Quest 3.
There is no official pricing for the United Kingdom or Australia, but expect it to be around £499 in the United Kingdom and between AU$ 629 and $700 in Australia. Interestingly, the 256GB Quest 2 has been reduced in price in Australia, from AU$789 to AU$719, so expect competitive pricing in the land.
Overall, it appears that Meta is raising the price of the Quest headset. However, this is likely due to increased part prices and more complex VR technology usage. It’s also worth noting that the Quest 3 costs less than the $549 PSVR 2 and doesn’t require a $500 gaming system.
As a result of the arrival of the Quest 3, Meta has announced that the price of the Quest 2 will be reduced to $299 for the 128GB model and $349 for the 256GB variant.
And it appears that Quest 3 will be available to more people at launch than Quest 2. Meta has reduced the minimum age for its VR headsets to 10 years old. This is a significant reduction from the previous maximum of 13 years old for the Rift and Quest headsets. It’s also a lower threshold than the PSVR 2’s 12-year-old minimum age, which is worth noting.
Meta Quest 3 Design
Meta Quest 3 has been revamped from the “inside out.” While the headset retains the same overall appearance as the Quest 2, it is now 40% thinner, features a bold trio of pill-shaped cameras/sensors on the front, and appears to use a more flexible material for the head strap.
There appears to be an extra button on the bottom of the headset, most likely a wheel for adjusting IPD, which should be a vast improvement over the Quest 2. The face shield appears to have been modified, and it may now better block out any external light.
A flexible mesh surrounds the lenses of the Quest 3, allowing them to be more readily adjusted for setting the correct inter-pupillary distance for the wearer; there’s a suggestion that this could be motorized, allowing IPD to be charged with the touch of a button.
Overall, the Quest 3 appears to be a slimmer and more comfortable headset for extended periods. In terms of controllers, Meta has revamped the Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers to be more ergonomic, as evidenced by the brief video and to include TruTouch haptics.
The latter could provide the controllers with the same level of advanced haptic as the PSVR 2’s Sense controllers, which are tremendous and earn the Sony VR goggles a spot on our best VR headset list. Regrettably, the Touch Plus controllers will be powered by disposable AA batteries.
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Meta Quest 3 Potential Features
We don’t know much about the Meta Quest 3’s exclusive features yet, but we may have gotten our first glance at one. A leak of purported Meta Quest 3 tutorial films shows tips for using what could be the headset’s “Smart Guardian.“
This is an enhancement to Meta Quest 2’s existing guardian feature, which allows you to outline your space to ensure the safe use of your VR headset. The Smart Guardian will outline the area using the mixed reality headset’s camera array on the front visor rather than the Quest controller alone.
In the leaked films, the Quest 3’s cameras and depth sensor scan your surroundings, mapping out the entire area to create a secure space for VR activities and ensure that experiences interact appropriately with the things in the room. Meta has yet to confirm this new feature, but if it’s true, it’s a significant improvement over Quest 2.
We also know that, like the Quest 2, the Quest 3 will have some PC VR compatibility with Windows PCs. It will also have access to Meta Quest Plus, like Quest 2. Quest Plus is Meta’s VR gaming subscription service, providing customers with $ two curated games each month for $7.99.
