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In the ever-evolving world of virtual reality, Meta has taken another significant stride forward with the announcement of their next standalone Quest headset. The Quest 3, as it’s aptly named, is set to hit the market on October 10, as revealed during the company’s Connect keynote event. The Quest 3, weighing in at 515 grams, is slightly heavier than its predecessor, the Quest 2, by a mere 12 grams. This slight increase in weight is justified by the plethora of advanced features it brings to the table. Among these is an array of six advanced camera sensors, which offer mixed reality capabilities.
This means you could be playing a virtual piano at your kitchen table, or experiencing full-color passthrough, blurring the lines between the virtual and the real world. The Quest 3 also boasts a significant leap in graphical fidelity. It uses LCDs with a resolution of 2064×2209 per eye, a substantial improvement over the Quest 2. Additionally, it has more RAM, 8GB compared to the Quest 2’s 6GB, promising smoother performance. However, it’s worth noting that the Quest 3 does not support eye-tracking, a feature that could have added another layer of immersion.
What is the Meta Quest?
The Meta Quest VR helmet, formerly known as the Oculus Quest, represents a significant leap in the evolution of virtual reality technology. Founded by Palmer Luckey in 2012, Oculus VR began its journey with a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign to develop the Oculus Rift, a PC-tethered VR headset. Facebook quickly recognized the potential of Oculus and acquired the company in 2014 for approximately $2 billion.
Under Facebook’s stewardship, which later rebranded to Meta in 2021, the Oculus division strived for a more accessible VR experience, leading to the introduction of the Oculus Quest in 2019. The Quest marked a departure from its predecessors by offering a standalone VR experience, eliminating the need for external sensors or a connected PC. Its 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) tracking allowed users a more immersive experience, enabling them to move freely within their virtual environments.
The Quest’s success led to the subsequent launch of the Quest 2 in 2020, which brought improvements in processing power, display quality, and overall user experience. The Meta Quest series has been instrumental in popularizing VR among a broader audience, positioning it not just as a gaming accessory but as a multifunctional tool for education, fitness, social interaction, and more.
How does the Quest 3 work?
Under the hood, the Quest 3 is powered by a second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset, as earlier leaks had suggested. The controllers have also undergone a redesign. The Touch Plus Controllers have abandoned the ring shape of the previous models for a more ergonomic design, offering various haptics for more tactile feedback during gameplay. Despite these changes, the controllers still run on a single AA battery each, and the Touch Pro controllers remain compatible with the Quest 3.
Battery life, according to Meta, remains consistent with the Quest 2, offering 2.4 hours of gaming on a full charge. Charging the device from 0 to 100 percent is estimated to take around 2 hours using the 18W power adapter included with the device. The Quest 3 also comes with support for Wi-Fi 6E, 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates, and PC VR games with support for Link and Air Link. These features further enhance the gaming experience, providing smoother visuals and faster, more stable internet connections. Despite the announcement of the Quest 3, Meta has no plans to discontinue the Quest 2. The company has pledged to continue supporting the three-year-old headset with games being developed compatible with both models. However, the company has not specified the remaining lifespan of the Quest 2.
The Meta Quest 3 is priced at $499.99 for the 128GB model and $649.99 for the 512GB model. Preorders are open as of today. In conclusion, the Meta Quest 3 represents a significant step forward in the world of virtual reality. With its advanced features and improved performance, it promises to offer an immersive gaming experience like never before. However, only time will tell if it lives up to the hype and expectations.
About the Author / Author Expertise
John Biggs is an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and maker. He spent fifteen years as an editor for Gizmodo, CrunchGear, and TechCrunch and has a deep background in hardware startups, 3D printing, and blockchain. His work has appeared in Men’s Health, Wired, and the New York Times.
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