The Meta Quest 3 is on its method – though not till later 2023, primarily based on what the corporate has mentioned to this point.
Whereas Meta introduced the high-end Meta Quest Professional at Meta Join 2022, there was no signal of the successor to the massively standard Meta Quest 2.
So, when ought to we count on to see the Quest 3 and, extra importantly, what can we count on from the next-gen digital actuality headset?
Whereas it’s early days, there are already whispers and leaks that give us a tough concept of what to anticipate from the Quest 3, together with early launch date rumours and have leaks.
When Meta first started teasing the Meta Quest Professional in 2021, many assumed it’d be the successor to the Quest 2. After all, now we all know that it’s a wholly totally different headset with a spotlight past gaming.
The excellent news is, we don’t have too lengthy to attend for a real successor – a launch in 2023 appears more and more probably for the Meta Quest 3.
A 2023 launch was promised in Meta’s This autumn 2022 earnings name – which befell on 1 February 2023 – when CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid it out fairly clearly: “Later this yr, we’re going to launch our subsequent technology client headset.”
Whereas Zuckerberg doesn’t point out the Quest 3 explicitly, the reference to a ‘client headset’ is telling – Meta considers the present Quest 2 to be a consumer-focused headset, not like the skilled/inventive focus for the Quest Professional.
A 2023 launch is backed up by analyst Brad Lynch, who means that the upgraded Meta Quest 3 might be revealed at Meta’s Join 2023 occasion and launched quickly after. If the corporate sticks to the identical schedule as latest years, that would imply an October 2023 reveal for the Quest 3.
Whereas it’s probably far too early for Meta to have priced up the upcoming headset – particularly if it’s not due till the tip of 2023 – Mark Zuckerberg has calmed the nerves of VR followers that had been scared by the excessive $1500/£1500 price ticket for the Meta Quest Professional.
Whereas some had been apprehensive that the excessive worth of the Quest Professional might level in the direction of the next worth for the entry-level VR headset, Zuckerberg confirmed in an October 2022 interview with Stratechery that the Quest 3 might be within the “worth vary of $300, $400, or $500, that zone.”.
With that in thoughts, we count on the Quest 3 to value the same quantity to the $399/£399 Meta Quest 2, however we’ll replace this part if we hear something totally different.
What’s going to the Quest 3 specs and options be?
Whereas it’s not due out for some time but, the Quest 3 has already been the topic of quite a few leaks, giving us a good suggestion about what to anticipate from the upcoming VR headset.
Improved efficiency
The Meta Quest 2 sports activities Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR 2 platform, providing the spectacular standalone efficiency we’re all accustomed to.
It’d be secure to imagine that Meta and Qualcomm would proceed that relationship with the Quest 3 and the next-gen Snapdragon cellular platform, which must be obtainable by the point the Quest 3 goes into manufacturing.
VR analyst Brad Lynch initially urged that Meta might take a distinct route, as an alternative growing its personal chipset for the upcoming headset. The analyst claimed the corporate was rumoured to be engaged on a chip with a “concentrate on a GPU that’s higher designed for VR masses,” as to “not depend on an SoC that every one smaller XR gamers will use”.
Nonetheless, in a follow-up YouTube video in late September 2021, Lynch now means that the Quest 3 will certainly sport the next-generation Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset alongside a boosted 12GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of storage.
Whereas that doesn’t give us a lot to go on, it appears to verify that the Quest 3 could have higher graphics efficiency, which ought to translate to raised, extra immersive video games and apps obtainable on the standalone platform.
Up to date LCD shows
One other prediction from Lynch means that the Quest 3 will provide fairly the improve within the show division. Whereas Lynch initially urged a change to OLED was on the playing cards, more moderen leaks counsel that Meta has determined as an alternative on a higher-res, sooner LCD panel than that of the Quest 2.
In line with Lynch, the Quest 3 will sport an LCD show with a decision of 2064×2208 per eye and an elevated 120Hz refresh price – that’s each increased decision and sooner than the top-end Quest Professional, which bodes effectively for customers.
Whereas the Quest 2 has supplied an experimental 120Hz mode for the previous few months, it’s unique to apps and video games that assist it, with Meta House and different OS parts nonetheless rendered at 90Hz. The leap to 120Hz will carry a notable leap in smoothness irrespective of the place you’re utilizing the headset.
Not a lot else is understood concerning the show tech, together with area of view, nevertheless it’s thrilling nonetheless.
Combined actuality
Our greatest take a look at the Meta Quest 3 additionally comes from Lynch, who showcased leaked CAD renders of the upcoming headset in late September 2022, giving us a good suggestion of what to anticipate from the next-gen headset – together with specs that affirm Meta is planning to shift focus in the direction of combined actuality.
The video supplies significant insights into what to anticipate from the next-generation VR headset, codenamed Challenge Stinson internally, which basically appears to be a mixture of the Quest 2 and Quest Professional.
The leaked CAD renders appear to counsel the headset might be extra targeted on combined actuality than merely digital actuality with extra cameras, probably with color passthrough capabilities just like the Quest Professional.
That is sensible within the mild of the corporate’s This autumn 2022 earnings name, when Zuckerberg promised that the Quest 3 “will characteristic Meta Actuality” – the corporate’s title for its tech to mixed digital actuality and augmented actuality options in the identical {hardware}.
It’s additionally mentioned to have the identical pancake lenses because the Professional headset, which permits for a extra compact type issue, and it appears like there might be a manually adjustable IPD wheel on the underside of the headset too. That’ll make it a lot simpler to regulate the IDP than the Quest 2, which requires you to take the headset off.
The massive distinction between the Quest 3 and Quest Professional? Lynch claims that the Quest 3 gained’t embody eye or face monitoring, two essential options of the Professional headset. It’s probably a cost-saving measure greater than something, permitting Meta to maintain the worth of the Quest 3 down and extra reasonably priced for purchasers – particularly with inflation ranges rising quickly in lots of areas world wide.
The video goes into granular element about parts like cooling and audio, so sit down and put together for an 18-minute unofficial deep dive into the Quest 3.