Codename | "Stinson" "Eureka" |
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Developer | Reality Labs |
Type | Virtual reality headset |
Release date | October 10, 2023 |
Lifespan | 2023–present |
Introductory price | US$499 (128GB)/US$649 (512GB) |
Operating system | Meta Horizon OS, based on Android source code |
System on a chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 |
Memory | 8 GB LPDDR5 |
Storage | 128 GB, 512 GB |
Display | 2× 2064 × 2208p RGB-stripe LCD panels, one per eye @ 90–120 Hz [1] |
Graphics | Adreno 740 [2] |
Sound | 2 built in speakers |
Controller input | Touch Plus |
Camera | 2× RGB camera |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Power | Li-ion 3.87 VDC 4879 mAh [3] |
Online services | Quest Store |
Mass | 515 g (18.2 oz) |
Predecessor | Quest 2 |
Website | www |
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Meta Quest 3 is a virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on June 1, 2023, and released on October 10 as a successor to the Quest 2.
The headset features updated hardware with elements of the Quest Pro, including a thinner form factor and lenses, and additional sensors and color passthrough cameras intended for mixed reality software.
The Quest 3 can run as either a standalone headset, or use the "Quest Link" feature to function as a VR headset for a personal computer, connected via a cable or wirelessly ("Air Link"). [4]
The Quest 3's design is an evolution of that of the Quest 2, combined with elements of the Meta Quest Pro. It uses a pair of LCD displays with a per-eye resolution of 2064×2208 (an increase over the 1832×1920 resolution of the Quest 2), viewed through pancake lenses similar to the Quest Pro to enable a thinner enclosure. [5] The face of the headset is adorned with three "pills" containing sensors and cameras; the two outer pills each contain a monochrome camera used for positional tracking, and a color camera used for mixed reality passthrough. The center pill contains a depth sensor, which is used in combination with other sensors to sense the user's surroundings for boundaries and mixed reality experiences. [6] [5]
The Quest 3 uses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, a system-on-chip manufactured by Qualcomm and based on their Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship mobile phone SoC, [7] which Meta has touted as having more than twice the raw graphics (GPU) performance of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 used by the Quest 2 and other similar standalone headsets. [8] [9]
The headset ships with "Touch Plus" controllers; they are similar in design to the Touch Pro controllers used by Quest Pro, and replace the infrared sensor ring with infrared sensors in the body of the controller, augmented by internal sensors and input from the headset's hand tracking. Unlike the Touch Pro controllers, they do not use a dedicated processor and cameras for on-board positional tracking, and are powered by AA batteries rather than rechargeable batteries. [10] Quest 3 is also compatible with the Touch Pro controllers. [11] [12]
In December 2023, an API was added for inside-out body tracking, which uses computer vision and the headset's side cameras to track upper body and arm motions. This can be combined with the "generative legs" API (which uses a machine learning model to estimate the motion of the user's legs) to provide a degree of full-body motion tracking without additional sensors. A depth API was also added to improve the quality of mixed reality rendering. [13]
The Quest 3 is backward compatible with all Quest 2 software. [14] Existing software may receive updates to add higher fidelity graphics (including high resolution textures) when running on Quest 3; due to platform limitations, it is difficult to distribute separate packages targeting Quest 2 and Quest 3 [15] on Quest Store, which may result in software consuming additional storage on Quest 2 due to the inclusion of Quest 3-specific assets in a unified package. [16] [17]
During a private presentation to employees, Meta virtual reality vice president Mark Rabkin stated that there were plans for 41 new Quest apps and games to be released at launch; [18] during a digital presentation on June 1, 2023, Meta showcased Quest titles scheduled for the late-2023 launch window such as Assassin's Creed Nexus VR , Asgard's Wrath 2 , Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, I Expect You to Die 3 , Onward, PowerWash Simulator, Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party , Stranger Things VR, and Vampire: The Masquerade — Justice among others. [19] [20] During Connect, Meta announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming would be available as an app for Meta Quest 3 in December 2023. [21]
According to a roadmap obtained by The Verge in February 2023, Meta planned for the Quest 3, internally codenamed "Stinson", to be released later that year. [18] The Verge's roadmap corroborated files on the Quest 3, including schematics, shared in September 2022 by virtual reality analyst Brad Lynch. [22]
Ahead of an official announcement, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman published a newsletter on May 28, 2023, reporting from a private event where he had received a hands-on demo of a Quest 3 prototype codenamed "Eureka". [23] [24] Ahead of a VR gaming digital presentation later that day, Meta officially revealed the Quest 3 on June 1, 2023 via a video on Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram account. [25] The teaser announced that the Quest 3 would be released in late 2023, and be priced at US$499.99 for a 128 GB model (with larger storage options to be announced in the future). [26] Several publications noted the timing of the announcement, as it came four days prior to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)—where the company was expected to announce an augmented reality headset. [27] [28] [29] [30]
The Meta Quest 3 was made available for pre-order on September 28, 2023, with orders shipping the following month, and the 128 GB and 512 GB models priced at US$499.99 and US$649.99 respectively. [31] [32] All pre-order units were bundled with Asgard's Wrath 2 , and pre-orders of the 512 GB model were also bundled with six months of Meta Quest+ subscription service. [31]
In a hands-on report published prior to the official unveiling, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman found that the new AR passthrough mode was significantly better than any previous Meta products (including Quest Pro), with it being good enough to clearly read and use one's phone through, but that controller tracking was less accurate. Meta explained that it will improve the controller tracking accuracy over time before launch with a variety of already discovered but then not yet implemented tracking technologies and software updates. [23] [24]
Wired praised the upgraded hardware of the Quest 3, and its form factor for having a more comfortable and "secure" fit. It was felt that the color passthrough cameras were better than the previous monochrome cameras, but still had a blurry appearance, and that the available apps did not use mixed reality to its full potential. The user interface was also criticized for being largely unchanged from past models, lacking in application management functions, and having unclear migration paths for cloud save data from previous Quest headsets. In conclusion, it was argued that "everything it does, it does well, but it does nothing at the apex of its class", and that the Quest 3 "might not be enough to make mainstream adoption of VR or MR an actual reality." [5]
Polygon similarly praised the technical and ergonomic updates to the Quest 3, and described the device as being "much more complete out of the box, with fewer obvious areas for improvement than the Quest 2". It was noted that not many games had been specifically updated for Quest 3 at launch, but that those which did had improved visual fidelity (such as Red Matter 2, which was described as approaching the fidelity of Half-Life: Alyx ), and that performance improvements were not universal among existing titles not yet updated. It was argued that the headset's library of native software had "worthwhile experiences", but that "Meta's feed of new, interesting games is slow compared to the release rhythm set by traditional game consoles", and that the Quest 3 "feels kind of like a mid-generation console refresh, but without the benefit of having dozens of amazing games that feel greatly improved out of the gate." [16]
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. VR is one of the key technologies in the reality-virtuality continuum. As such, it is different from other digital visualization solutions, such as augmented virtuality and augmented reality.
Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality industry. It was the first virtual reality headset to provide a realistic experience at an accessible price, utilizing novel technology to increase quality and reduce cost by orders of magnitude compared to earlier systems. The first headset in the line was the Oculus Rift DK1, released on March 28, 2013. The last was the Oculus Rift S, discontinued in April 2021.
Reality Labs, originally Oculus VR, is a business and research unit of Meta Platforms that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon Worlds. In June 2022, several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that were previously a part of Meta AI were transitioned to Reality Labs. This also includes Meta's fundamental AI Research laboratory FAIR which is now part of the Reality Labs - Research (RLR) division.
Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) is a discontinued platform by Microsoft which provides augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays.
HTC Vive is a line of virtual and mixed reality headsets produced by HTC Corporation. The brand currently encompasses headsets designed for use with personal computers as well as standalone headsets such as the Vive Focus line, Vive Flow glasses, and the Vive Elite XR mixed reality headset.
Oculus Touch is a line of motion controller systems used by Meta Platforms virtual reality headsets. The controller was first introduced in 2016 as a standalone accessory for the Oculus Rift CV1, and began to be bundled with the headset and all future Oculus products beginning in July 2017. Since their original release, Touch controllers have undergone revisions for later generations of Oculus/Meta hardware, including a switch to inside-out tracking, and other design changes.
A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world.
Virtual Desktop is remote control software for Android-based virtual reality headsets. It allows users to control a PC over a wireless LAN from the headset, including the ability to stream VR games and software.
Foveated rendering is a rendering technique which uses an eye tracker integrated with a virtual reality headset to reduce the rendering workload by greatly reducing the image quality in the peripheral vision.
A virtual reality game or VR games is a video game played on virtual reality (VR) hardware. Most VR games are based on player immersion, typically through head-mounted display unit or headset with stereoscopic displays and one or more controllers.
The Oculus Go is a standalone virtual reality headset developed by Meta Reality Labs in partnership with Qualcomm and Xiaomi. It is in the first generation of Facebook Technologies' virtual reality headsets, and the company's first device in the category of standalone VR headsets, which was a new category at the time of the Go's release. The Oculus Go was unveiled on October 11, 2017 during the Oculus Connect developer conference, and released on May 1, 2018. Xiaomi launched their own version of the headset in China as the Mi VR Standalone on May 31, 2018.
The first-generation Oculus Quest is a discontinued virtual reality headset developed by Oculus, a brand of Facebook Inc., and released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device, that can run games and software wirelessly under an Android-based operating system. It supports positional tracking with six degrees of freedom, using internal sensors and an array of cameras in the front of the headset rather than external sensors. The cameras are also used as part of the safety feature "Passthrough", which shows a view from the cameras when the user exits their designated boundary area known as "Guardian". A later software update added "Oculus Link", a feature that allows the Quest to be connected to a computer via USB, enabling use with Oculus Rift-compatible software and games.
Oculus Rift S is a discontinued virtual reality headset co-developed by Lenovo Technologies and Oculus VR. Announced in March 2019 and released that May, it is a successor to the original Oculus Rift CV1 model, with noted changes including a new "inside-out" positional tracking system with cameras embedded inside the headset unit, a higher-resolution display, and a new "halo" head strap.
Oculus Rift CV1, also known simply as Oculus Rift, is a virtual reality headset developed by Oculus VR, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms, known at the time as Facebook Inc. It was announced in January 2016, and released in March the same year. The device constituted the first commercial release in the Oculus Rift lineup.
The Quest 2 is a virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on September 16, 2020, and released on October 13, 2020 as the Oculus Quest 2. It was then rebranded as the Meta Quest 2 in 2022, as part of a company-wide phase-out of the Oculus brand following the rebranding of Facebook, Inc. as Meta.
The PlayStation VR2 is a virtual reality headset for the PC and PlayStation 5 home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment released on February 22, 2023.
The Meta Quest Pro is a mixed reality (MR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms.
Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset developed by Apple. It was announced on June 5, 2023, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and pre-orders began on January 19, 2024. It became available for purchase on February 2, 2024, in the United States. A worldwide launch has yet to be scheduled. Apple Vision Pro is Apple's first new major product category since the release of the Apple Watch in 2015.
VIVE XR Elite is an extended reality (XR) headset developed and manufactured by HTC. Released in February 2023, the headset combines virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) functionalities.
Meta Horizon OS, previously known informally as Meta Quest Platform or Meta Quest OS, is an extended reality operating system for the Meta Quest line of devices released by Meta Platforms. Initially developed for the embedded operating system on the Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S, the platform has been based on the Android operating system since the release of the Oculus Go in 2018. It first supported augmented reality via grayscale camera passthrough upon the release of the Oculus Quest in 2019, and has supported color passthrough since the release of the Meta Quest Pro in 2022.