Our favorite VR headset is finally getting a long-awaited update later this year. Meta just announced the Meta Quest 3, which promises improved performance, immersive new mixed-reality features and a sleeker, more comfortable design. It’s slated to launch this fall starting at $500 — and if you don’t feel like waiting to jump on the VR train, you’ll be able to get the Meta Quest 2 for a new, lower price.
Will the Meta Quest 3 become the new VR headset to beat? Here’s everything we know so far.
Meta Quest 3 price and release date
The Meta Quest 3 will start at $500 for the 128GB model; Meta says there will be a higher storage option (likely 256GB) for a to-be-announced price. Preorders aren’t live quite yet, but you can sign up for email updates on the Meta Quest 3 landing page. The company also says to expect more news on Meta Quest 3 at its Meta Connect event on Sept. 27.
Big improvements across the board
The Meta Quest 3 is a complete redesign of the company’s popular VR headset, from its smaller build to the more powerful guts packed inside. The headset is 40% slimmer than the Quest 2, with three large camera sensors on the front that immediately make it stick out from its more seamless-looking (but chunkier) predecessor. The Touch controllers (now called Touch Plus) have likewise gotten a full refresh, also sporting a more compact look and more advanced tracking and haptics that put it more in line with the $1,000 Meta Quest Pro.
Despite slimming down, the Quest 3 promises a big boost in power. The headset packs a next-gen Qualcomm processor, which Meta says will pump out twice the graphics performance as the Quest 2. Combined with the headset’s higher-resolution display, that should all translate to a more immersive gaming experience with sharper visuals and smoother gameplay.
Perhaps the Quest 3’s biggest upgrade is its support for Meta Reality, which was previously exclusive to the higher-end Quest Pro. This allows you to enjoy mixed-reality experiences that blend the real world with the virtual one — for example, you can play a virtual board game like Demeo on your real-life coffee table. I got to sample Meta Reality on a Quest Pro back at CES earlier this year using a mix of gaming, creative and enterprise apps, and was impressed by how well I could see my real-world surroundings while doing things like painting on a virtual canvas or checking out a digital construction plan. It’s nice to see this kind of tech trickle down to a more affordable headset, especially when there are plenty of mainstream entertainment uses for it.
If you’re upgrading from a Quest or Quest 2, know that all of your games and apps will come with you. The Quest 3 is compatible with the entire Quest software library — including the best Quest 2 games like Beat Saber and Pistol Whip and immersive workout experiences like Supernatural and FitXR. This gives the Quest 3 a big advantage over the recently released PlayStation VR 2, which isn’t compatible with previous-gen PlayStation VR titles.
Meta Quest 2 gets a price cut — and a power boost
If you just can’t wait to see what all of the VR hype is about, the excellent Meta Quest 2 just became an even better deal. Starting June 4, the Quest 2 will start at $300 for the 128GB model and $350 for the 256GB model. This effectively offsets last year’s price hike, and is a great price for what’s long been our pick for the best VR headset.
On top of getting cheaper, the Quest 2 is also getting more powerful. An upcoming software update will boost the internals of both the Quest 2 and Quest Pro, which Meta says will result in 26% better processing performance and 19% better graphics performance. Both headsets are also getting Dynamic Resolution Scaling, which means you should enjoy a more consistently smooth experience without any nasty dropped frames. This makes the Quest 2 an even better buy at its new price, and is also fantastic news for existing owners.
The takeaway
Based on what we’ve seen on paper, the Meta Quest 3 is shaping up to be everything we want in a sequel. We love the Quest 2 for its ease of use and excellent software library, though its performance capabilities are starting to show their age compared to the headset’s more high-end rivals. The Quest 3’s performance boost could be exactly what it needs to take on the likes of the PlayStation VR 2, and should make the headset a perfect middle ground for folks who want more immersion but don’t want to splurge $1,000 a Quest Pro.
That said, the Meta Quest 2 is a heck of a value now that it’s back to its launch price of $300 this week — especially since it’s about to get even more powerful after a software update. We’ll have to get our hands on the Quest 3 to see if it’ll be worth the upgrade, but in the meantime, it’s never been a better time to pick up the best VR headset out there.
