The Meta Quest 2 is still essentially the only VR headset if you want a standalone VR experience, without a PC or game console attached. Meta, the owner of Facebook, has announced a sequel: the Meta Quest 3.
The Meta Quest 3 works just like the current Quest 2, with a headset and two motion controllers giving you the ability to enjoy VR content and games without any other hardware. However, Meta is switching to a custom “next-generation Snapdragon chipset” developed by Qualcomm, which will supposedly double the graphical power available to the headset. That should result in smoother performance and more detail in VR games, though the latter change will require updated (or new) games.
The headset will also support “Meta Reality,” the augmented reality environment that is currently limited to the pricey Meta Quest Pro. It allows games and applications to display content on top of your real-world environment, using the cameras built into the front of the headset. The headset will also have “a 40% slimmer optic profile compared to Quest 2,” and remain compatible with software created for earlier Quest Pro headsets. Those changes come at a cost, though — the Quest 3 will start at $499.99, a $100 price hike from the Quest 2’s current price (which has fluctuated over the past few months).
Even though Meta is announcing the Quest 3 today, the company won’t share all the details until an event on September 27. Today’s early reveal might be an attempt by Meta to steal some of the spotlight from Apple’s VR and AR headset, which is rumored to show up at next week’s WWDC event.
Source: Meta
