The Oculus Quest 3 (now called Meta Quest 3) may not arrive for a while, but there’s a reason people think it’s on the way. While a lot has changed for Oculus — not least of which is the fact that the company is now called the Meta — that’s thanks to the announcement that the Meta is working on an entirely different VR hardware.
That would be the Meta Quest Pro, a high-quality mixed reality (MR) headset at a hefty price tag. This new headset is primarily designed for business use but still supports Quest games. He’d also help establish the early days of the aptly named (but potentially overambitious) Metaverse project.
So where does that leave the Oculus Quest 3? Meta made it clear that development is still well under way on the next generation of budget-friendly VR headsets, which bodes good news for those concerned that the Meta Quest Pro might have doomed the Quest 3 to the case.
On the company’s 2021 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors that Meta is working on “new hardware.” [that] Will fit the same platform [as the Oculus Quest 2]More importantly, we’ll likely see Quest 3 drop under the Meta brand rather than Oculus.
We are not very happy with this decision so for now we will continue to use Oculus Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3 interchangeably as the former is more popular among the gaming community. There’s a lot to cover, so read on for all the latest news and speculation about the Oculus Quest 3.
Oculus Quest 3: What you need to know
- Oculus Quest 3 price: TBC. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg estimates between $300-500
- Oculus Quest 3 Release Date: TBC. Meta said it will launch “later next year” in October 2022, so October 2023 seems likely.
- Oculus Quest 3 Specifications: While there’s some disagreement over the details, all rumors point to a more powerful device with an improved screen – and we expect to see more touches added to VR headsets and controllers.
- Oculus Quest 3 Features: The Meta has been working hard to develop hand-tracking and augmented reality features for the Quest 2, so expect to see those features get a boost on the Oculus Quest 3.
Oculus Quest 3 price
How much does the Oculus Quest 3 model cost? Well, the Oculus Quest 2 comes in two variants: a model with 128GB storage priced at $400 / £400 / AU$630, and a 256GB version priced at $500 / £500 / AU$790. It would make sense for the follow-up VR headset to sell for nearly as much as its predecessor, though we can see that the Quest 3 costs a little less than the Quest 2.
This is because the Oculus Quest 2 was cheaper than it is now; Before the Meta brought a price increase (due to inflation and higher production costs), the 128GB model cost £299 / $299 / AU$479, and the 256GB version sold for £399 / $399 / AU$639.
Speaking in Stratchery (Opens in a new tab) In an interview, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg brought up Quest 3. While he didn’t confirm the release period, he did advise that it would be “in the $300, $400, $500 price range, that region.” As a result, we could see Meta release Quest 3 at a cheaper Quest 2 price to make it more accessible (a strategy used with Quest 2, which had a lower launch price than the original Oculus Quest).
If you’re worried that your Meta having two headphones competing with each other might cause problems, fear not. The Meta Quest Pro is apparently being marketed as a high-end device separately from the Quest 3, costing $1,500 / £1,500 / AU$2,400. Therefore, we expect Quest 3 to target the lower end so Meta can appeal to both sides of the consumer scale.
Oculus Quest 3 release date
Given that the Quest Pro launches in October 2022, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that the Quest 3 won’t arrive soon. Releasing them alongside each other could have cannibalized the Quest 3 and Quest Pro for each other’s sales, after all. With Sony’s PSVR 2 on the horizon, Meta will want to do everything it can to maintain its dominance in the VR space.
However, we now know Quest 3 is coming in 2023. During our Q3 2022 Meta Earnings Call (Reported by UploadVR (Opens in a new tab)), Meta Quest 3 CFO David Wehner stated while discussing the cost increase in 2023:
“Conversely, our cost revenue growth is expected to accelerate, driven by infrastructure-related expenses and, to a lesser extent, Reality Labs hardware costs driven by the launch of the next generation of Quest consumer headsets later next year.”
With this information in mind, we’re going to go so far as to predict that Quest 3 will drop in October 2023. This is based on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro release dates and will give it a good start to the Christmas holiday season, which we can set up as a ‘must-have’ tool. about it for this year.
Once Quest 3 drops, we might not have long to wait for its sequel. In a 2021 interview with The Information (Opens in a new tab)Not only has Zuckerberg confirmed that Quest 3 is in the works, but the company is already in the early stages of working on Quest 4.
“Because of how we develop hardware, you kind of need to know what your next three products are going to look like at the same time,” Zuckerberg said.
“It’s not like software, where we change it every two weeks. We have product teams working right now on the next few generations of VR and what Quest 3 and 4 will look like.”
Although, until we get Quest 3 on our hands, it’s going to be difficult to predict when we can use Quest 4.
Oculus Quest 3 specs and features
Given the Meta’s decision to drop its Oculus Rift line and go for standalone VR headsets—virtual reality hardware that doesn’t require an external PC or other piece of hardware—we’d be surprised if the Quest 3 bucked the trend. As such, we can expect something nearly identical to the Quest 2, albeit with the usual improvements to battery life, processing power, and resolution.
Quest 2 features 50% sharper images than the original, setting an impressive benchmark for Quest 3 to follow. Quest 2 also bumped up the refresh rate to 90Hz from the original default of 72Hz, and increased that number again to 120Hz in 2021 As of September 2022, 120Hz support is no longer in beta.
It will follow that the Quest 3 will come with a minimum refresh rate of 90Hz. Time will tell if upcoming VR titles can take full advantage of the upgrade, since most games still don’t support this higher refresh rate.
However, thanks to leaker Brad Lynch (Opens in a new tab)Oculus Quest 3 design may have leaked along with specs. Revealing CAD images of Meta Quest 3, codenamed Stinson, this appears to hold Quest 2’s soft belt. It also appears to use pancake lenses like the Pro, an IPD wheel for separation adjustment, two side cameras for tracking, and four cameras on the front with a depth sensor for mixed reality use. It should be noted that even if these features are real, these features can always be changed before launch.
Other than that, there are suggestions that the Quest 3 will adopt uOLED (an upgraded version of OLED) screens. Despite this, we’ve also seen conflicting reports pointing instead to OLED screens and small LED screens. What they at least agree on is that some sort of visual improvement is coming to Quest 3 – so expect improved display quality and a higher resolution.
We could also see changes in the hardware form factor, which could reduce the weight of the headset further or focus on adjustments related to comfort. While Quest 3 may not be as impressive as Meta Quest Pro – we can still see that it takes some cues in terms of its design.
It’s also likely that we’ll see new software that expands on the Quest 2’s AR and hand-tracking features. The Meta has been steadily improving its support for these functions through software updates—but we suspect it’ll need to make some hardware tweaks to make it even more impressive.
For those who still enjoy using controllers, the kind of haptic feedback we’re seeing in the PS5’s DualSense controller can elevate VR experiences if it comes to a pair of Quest controllers in a meaningful way. While nothing has been confirmed yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if Quest 3 starts to include more touches – we just hope the Meta doesn’t put touches into headsets like PSVR 2 did.
Oculus Quest 3 predictions
In our Oculus Quest 2 review, it was hard to find fault with a VR headset that’s proven to be immersive, comfortable, and easy to use. However, even though it leads the pack in the virtual reality market, it still runs afoul of some of the risks plaguing the technology as a whole. Here is a list of the updates we want to see on Oculus Quest 3:
Improved prevention of motion sickness
One of those technological pitfalls, and perhaps unavoidable, is the motion sickness that can often occur when using any VR headset. Depending on your ability to tolerate the hum and distortion, Quest 2 can be a great dizziness-inducer. While there isn’t yet a clear path to making any VR headset immune to user dizziness, it’s nonetheless something we’d like to see improve in the Oculus Quest 3.
Better fit
The same goes for device suitability. While the Quest 2 is really a comfortable weight when placed on the head, it can still be a bit claustrophobic to achieve a good, snug fit. Again, it’s an issue that almost all VR headsets have had, and it’s a problem at a fundamental level that the next generation of hardware should at least try to address better. The aforementioned design rumors suggest that the new Oculus hardware could solve some of these issues.
Oculus Store optimization
Other improvements we’d like to see include a more functional Oculus Store inside VR. While the equivalent on-browser and in-app store makes it easy to discover new releases and search for upcoming games, the store inside the headset itself seems to roll the dice on the apps offered with no way to quickly jump to new content. This makes it difficult to pre-order games and discover new titles to buy when using the device, and is a pivotal part of ensuring the headset retains replayability.
A neighborhood-like social space
While Quest 2 has a competent party invite system to get you game-to-game with your friends, there’s no social space to interact with others in the middle. It will be interesting to see Quest 3 offer a virtual social space, similar to the NBA 2K neighborhood area, to share some downtime with others. What is multi-person furniture in the current home environment if there is no one to share? Fortunately, the new Meta metaverse project – as ambitious as it sounds – indicates that virtual social spaces will be at the forefront of all future Quest headsets.
Improved media sharing
Sharing screenshots and videos on Oculus devices has never been easy, which is an issue the Quest 2 has tried to address with a few video updates. The process could still be simpler, so we’d like to see Oculus 3 make the whole deal more accessible. 1080p, app integration, proper audio syncing – it’s all going to be gold.