Launch date, rumors, specs, value, what we need to see

It feels just like the Meta Quest 2 has been round for ages. In truth, the headset has been out for lengthy sufficient that it even went via a mid-cycle rebrand, going from the Oculus Quest 2 to the Meta Quest 2. However really, it has solely been obtainable for 3 years — launched again in late 2020. But that span of time remains to be lengthy sufficient that the {hardware} has began rising lengthy within the tooth, which might’t be helped in such a fast-paced trade like VR.

Considered one of Meta’s largest VR rivals — Sony — launched its newest entry into the house — the PSVR 2 — in February 2023. With the arrival of this Quest 2 competitor, our eyes have turned again towards Meta to see how the corporate responds.

Though the social media large did launch the Quest Professional in 2022, that headset is a high-end machine that doesn’t match into the identical funds tier that the Quest 2 occupies. So we’re nonetheless ready to see the subsequent iteration of the {hardware}. Whereas the corporate has but to indicate off the machine publicly, we do know {that a} successor to the Quest 2 is coming our means. Right here’s all the pieces we all know concerning the upcoming Meta Quest 3.

Though it hasn’t acquired an official announcement, there will certainly be a follow-up to the Quest 2. Will the follow-up be a Quest 3 or one thing new just like the Quest Professional? It’s nearly assured that the subsequent headset Meta places out would be the Quest 3. In truth, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in addition to different leaders within the firm, have talked about the machine by identify on a number of events. As well as, the founding father of Meta has even gone so far as to say that the Quest 4 is already within the early phases of improvement. It’s probably Meta is planning for the Quest 3 to have an identical three-year cycle to the Quest 2.

Will there be a number of fashions?

When the Quest 2 launched, Meta delivered a 128GB mannequin that offered for $299, and a 256GB model that offered for $399. Will the corporate do that once more for the Quest 3? Whereas Zuckerberg and his fellow executives have been very open in discussing their upcoming product, they haven’t talked about something in regard to a number of storage choices. Nonetheless, rumors counsel there might be a mannequin with 512GB of SSD and 12GB of RAM.

Though the storage choices are nonetheless up within the air, we do know there might be a variant. Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabkin, advised The Verge that the corporate is creating two different headsets along with the one we find out about — code identify Stinson. One will probably be the successor to the Quest Professional, as he described it as a high-end machine. However the different headset was described as a extra inexpensive Quest 3 variant internally referred to as Ventura.

• Oculus Quest: Might 21, 2019
• Oculus Quest 2: October 13, 2020
• Meta Quest Professional: October 25, 2022

Due to Rabkin’s interview, we all know there might be a number of fashions. However when will these headsets be launched? It’s been confirmed that Meta will launch one of many Quest 3 fashions in 2023. This was revealed throughout a Q3 2022 earnings name from Meta Chief Technique Officer David Wehner.

Conversely, our development in price of income is predicted to speed up, pushed by infrastructure-related bills and, to a lesser extent, Actuality Labs {hardware} prices pushed by the launch of our subsequent technology of our client Quest headset later subsequent 12 months.

This launch date solely includes the Stinson mannequin, nevertheless. The Ventura variant is predicted to launch someday in 2024. There’s additionally a robust chance that Meta will formally announce and launch the Quest 3 throughout its Join convention in October, because it did with the Quest Professional and Quest 2 beforehand.

We’re, on the very least, months away from the Quest 3 announcement. Regardless of that, we have already got a fairly good thought of the overall design Meta might go along with for the headset because of a quite substantial leak. YouTuber SadlyItsBradley (Brad Lynch) acquired leaked schematics of the Quest 3 — the place we realized concerning the code identify Stinson — that included computer-aided designs (CAD) of the headset. This is similar YouTuber who acquired leaked specs of the Quest Professional that had been later confirmed when an engineering pattern was found after it was by accident left in a resort room.

Based mostly on the CAD pictures, it seems that Stinson might have an identical design philosophy to its predecessor. One facet the place it might differ, nevertheless, is the scale. Stinson is believed to make use of pancake lenses — a sort of lens that’s skinny and lightweight — as an alternative of Fresnel lenses, which might enable the headset to be thinner and lighter than the Quest 2. Based on The Verge‘s report, the upcoming VR flagship is 2 occasions thinner than the earlier mannequin.

In one other departure from Quest 2, the Quest 3 seems to have a dial positioned on the backside. In the event you take a look at the picture with the underside angle, you’ll discover that the dial is an interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment wheel — one thing that didn’t seem within the earlier machine.

It’s price mentioning that even when these pictures are the actual deal, they aren’t definitive. Meta may all the time make adjustments to the design earlier than launch time.

Sadly, the CAD renders didn’t embrace the controllers, so we’re at the hours of darkness there — for now. However it’s believable that the corporate may simply maintain the controllers as they’re. It’s unlikely Meta would make drastic adjustments like PlayStation was pressured to do with its personal VR controllers.

After we moved on from the Oculus Quest to the Meta Quest 2, the second-generation headset noticed an enchancment in decision, velocity, and ergonomics. The Quest 3 is prone to see enhancements in these areas as properly, however extra importantly, it might acquire some new must-have options. Due to the schematics leak, plus latest interviews, we now have fairly a bit of data to sift via.

It’s believed that the Quest 3 might incorporate a number of the expertise within the Quest Professional, so let’s begin by specializing in the {hardware} and go on from there. Within the final part, we mentioned that the construct of the machine must be paying homage to the Quest 2, nevertheless, it’ll probably be thinner and lighter because of the pancake lenses. There additionally appears to be an IPD adjustment wheel — one thing that can let you widen or slender the hole between the lenses to match your eye distance.

Shifting on to the show, Lynch says that the anticipated decision may be 4,128 by 2,208 pixels or 2,064 by 2,208 pixels per eye. If that is true, that may be a 30% enchancment over the Quest 2’s 1,920 by 1,832 pixels per eye. And Meta might use uOLED shows this time round, however we now have additionally heard rumors suggesting OLED or mini LED. These shows might have a 120Hz refresh fee as properly — one thing the Quest 2 bought again in 2021.

As well as, the headset seems to have a four-camera array, two facet cameras for monitoring, and a depth sensor. Apparently, it seems that the components vital for eye and face monitoring are lacking, primarily based on the CAD pictures. Zuckerberg made an enormous deal about eye and face monitoring throughout Meta’s Join 2022 keynote and added them to the Quest Professional, however that might not be a characteristic within the Quest 3.

One thing else we realized from the leak is that the system might be powered by a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset. In the event you’re accustomed to cell processors, this chip is basically a variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — the newest chip from Qualcomm working on this 12 months’s strongest telephones. This might be the largest enchancment of all, because the Quest 2 runs on an XR2 Gen 1, the equal of a Snapdragon 865 chip — consider the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G.

The Quest 3 may get a pleasant bump up within the RAM and storage division. As we talked about earlier, rumors counsel we might be in retailer for 512GB of SSD and 12GB of RAM. It’s unclear if this is able to be the bottom mannequin or the costlier variant.

In the event you’re questioning what the aim of the depth sensors are, apparently they’re meant for blended actuality. In The Verge‘s report, Rabkin defined that blended actuality is a core focus for the Quest 3 and it “might be an enormous promoting level.” Moreover, Rabkin says their builders are working arduous to make blended actuality “really feel higher, simpler, extra pure.”

With the blended actuality expertise, there might be an enchancment to the Quest’s passthrough imaginative and prescient characteristic. On the Quest 2, this characteristic — referred to as guardian — is in black and white, and it may be tough to see shiny screens. However guardian has been upgraded to what the corporate calls “sensible guardian.” Hopefully, the characteristic will give the person a clearer view of their environment, be able to scanning objects within the room, and provides the video feed a splash of colour. Rabkin states that Meta is aiming to make a headset the place:

You’ll be able to stroll effortlessly via your home understanding you may see completely properly. You’ll be able to put anchors and issues in your desktop. You’ll be able to take your espresso. You’ll be able to keep in there for much longer.

It’s attainable that this expertise may be used to assist enhance hand monitoring. That is one thing that’s slowly gotten higher with updates on the Quest 2, however may nonetheless use some work.

Meta is in a little bit of a predicament with regard to the pricing of the Quest 3. Based mostly on The Verge‘s report we talked about earlier, the corporate needs to keep up enthusiasm by retaining the worth low. Nonetheless, it’s vital to do not forget that Meta was additionally pressured to boost the worth of the Quest 2 final summer time due to inflation. In consequence, the 128GB mannequin of the Quest 2 went from $299 to $399, and the 256GB model went from $399 to $499.

We may see Meta aiming for this value vary once more. In truth, Zuckerberg confirmed as a lot in an interview in October 2022. “There might be a Quest 3 and that’s within the value vary of $300, $400, or $500, that zone,” Zuckerberg advised Stratechery. It’s unsure the place the corporate will land in that vary, however with the technological enhancements and extra highly effective processor, it’s not farfetched to imagine will probably be costlier than the Quest 2’s authentic value.

Nonetheless, Rabkin revealed that Stinson isn’t the one Quest 3 mannequin within the works. The corporate can be reportedly creating a extra accessible headset codenamed Ventura. “The objective for this headset could be very easy: pack the largest punch we will on the most engaging value level within the VR client market,” Rabkin advised The Verge. Understanding this, it’s attainable Ventura may nail that $299 candy spot that Stinson might miss.

With regards to video games, apps, and experiences, it’d be good to assume that Meta would make the Quest 3 suitable with what was obtainable on the prior system. Whereas it will make sense to bolster the launch library this manner, there’s no assure that can occur. And this wouldn’t be the primary time Meta steered away from backward compatibility.

In the event you keep in mind, Meta used to provide somewhat headset referred to as the Oculus Go. When the Quest 1 got here round a 12 months later, the corporate enabled compatibility for software program launched for the Go and used emulation to imitate the controls. Nonetheless, backward compatibility for these video games was dropped for the Quest 2. Based on former Oculus Consulting CTO John Carmack, “Assist was take away[d] on Quest 2. I completely misplaced the interior debate over backwards compatibility.”

Because the management schemes between the Quest 2 and three probably gained’t be all that totally different, there’s a great chance current software program will nonetheless be playable on the next-generation headset.

Shifting on to the launch lineup, we all know that Meta plans to have 41 new apps and video games obtainable on the time of launch. What these titles are is at the moment unknown as they’ve but to be revealed. However we do know {that a} justifiable share of those video games might be from Oculus Studios. We additionally know the group is working with third events to convey video games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Murderer’s Creed VR to the platform as properly.

As we talked about within the value and launch date part, the system is predicted to be wherever between $300 to $500. Clearly, we want the Quest 3 to be as inexpensive as attainable, however it might show tough for Meta to hit the $300 value mark with that highly effective Snapdragon chip sitting in there. If Zuckerberg may promote it at $450 or under, it may nonetheless be a pretty provide whereas undercutting the PSVR 2 by $100. But when it finally ends up being too costly, customers may have to attend for Ventura to return out in 2024.

One of many largest drawbacks of the Quest platform is the in-headset app retailer. In truth, Rabkin cites the poor UI and UX as one of many foremost causes engagement with the platform has dropped for the reason that final vacation season. On desktop, the Oculus Retailer is simple to navigate, uncover new releases, and seek for upcoming video games. The VR model of the shop is the exact opposite, making it tough to do issues like preorder or rapidly discover new titles. We wish to see the VR retailer get a revamp with a extra user-friendly UI.

While you see one thing unbelievable or do one thing superb in VR, you’re probably going to need to share a screenshot or clip. Whereas it’s attainable to share media with others on the Quest 2, it’s by no means been a terrific expertise in comparison with different headsets. There have been just a few updates to deal with this, however there’s nonetheless a solution to go. We wish to see Meta make this course of so simple as PlayStation makes it on the PSVR 2.

Having spectacular {hardware} is sweet, however what is going to in the end decide the success of the Quest 3 is the software program. The Quest 3 not solely wants high-quality experiences, but in addition apps that may solely be discovered on the Quest. If the Quest 3 shares its total library with different headsets, then the one differentiator Meta can lean on is the very fact the headset is self-contained. So it will be good if Meta may sprinkle in a great variety of exclusives into its assortment.

That’s all the pieces we need to see on the Meta Quest 3. What do you hope for many? Tell us by voting within the ballot under.