The Meta Quest 3 is still the best VR headset you can buy

When reviewing a VR headset, it can be difficult to take a photo of yourself. But a few days into having the revolutionary Meta Quest 3, something just clicked. I could now just take a selfie with the headset on my phone and upload it to cloud storage without even taking it off. During Supernatural and FitXR workouts, I literally could take phone calls, check emails, answer the door for deliveries and move boxes around my home. The Meta Quest 3 stayed wrapped around my head the entire time.

While headsets like the Meta Quest 2, HTC Vive XR Elite and Sony PSVR 2 have decent passthrough (the ability to see the real world while wearing a VR headset), none have come with the practical capabilities of the Meta Quest 3. On top of letting you keep tabs on your living room more easily, the headset’s multiple color cameras and depth sensors open the door for a wide range of exciting mixed-reality applications.

Those aren’t the only improvements you’ll see in the Meta Quest 3. Expect higher per-eye screen resolution and an updated Snapdragon XR2 chip for enhanced visual performance. All of these powerful specs are packed into a headset that’s slightly heavier than before but also significantly thinner. Even the packed-in controllers shed some weight and gained improved haptic feedback.

The Meta Quest 3 is available now, starting at $500 with 128GB of storage and going up to $650 for a 512GB model. Even now that the exciting, expensive Apple Vision Pro has arrived, Meta’s headset remains the one to beat. Here’s why we think so after months of long-term use.

What we liked about it

Incredibly improved design inside and out

Once you take it out of its minimalist box, you’ll immediately notice how different the Meta Quest 3 is from the Quest 2. It’s thinner in frame than its predecessor, and the included straps now have a more durable textured layer on top of the drawstring instead of the flimsy plastic ones on the previous headset. Then there’s the faceplate, featuring the color cameras and depth sensors divided in three pillars for passthrough. Though this form factor has been divisive, I personally think it’s a cool look. The upgraded cameras also help with both hand and controller tracking. Speaking of the controllers, they’re slimmed down significantly and lose the tracking rings from the previous Touch controllers. This means that users are less likely to smash them together by accident while flailing around in certain apps.

The USB-C port has moved from the side of the headset to the strap connector, which allows for better weight distribution. For those who want to use their own headphones, the 3.5mm jack is on the other side’s strap connector. This time, the bottom has three connectors for an optional wireless charger accessory. Finally, the Meta Quest 3 also has an eye distance dial near the volume rocker.

The Meta Quest 3 does feel a little bit heavier than the Meta Quest 2 at 19 versus 18 ounces. However, the difference is barely noticeable. Most importantly, it feels comfortable on the head for short and long VR sessions — which is something we can’t say about the hefty Apple Vision Pro.

The added weight is definitely for the better, as the Meta Quest 3 has some impressive specs. There’s a higher per-eye resolution for the pancake LCD screens at 2064 x 2208. That’s backed by a new Snapdragon XR2 chip and 8GB RAM for what Meta promises is a 30% performance bump. Outside of providing some great visuals for launch games and older titles, these specs also allow PC-based VR games to look significantly better. Spatial audio speakers also get a massive 40% improvement in clarity and bass performance.

Through and through, nearly every aspect of the Meta Quest 3 has been enhanced over the previous VR headset.

Passthrough and mixed reality are phenomenal

The first introduction to how great the Meta Quest 3’s passthrough technology happens as soon as users start it up. Once users connect their Meta account and Wi-Fi, they now have a few ways to set up their virtual boundary, which helps prevent users from bumping or knocking into things while using the headset. You can draw your boundary on the floor (like on the Quest 2), which looks more impressive with the color passthrough. The other method is easier and has you simply look around your room to create a playspace, similar to on PSVR 2. This option can even detect the amount of walls in a room. Of course, users who want to use the Meta Quest 3 sitting down can stick to a stationary guardian.

Once you’re set up, you can have your home page placed within whatever area you’re at via passthrough or in a virtual world created by Meta. One of the first demo games to display the capabilities is called First Encounter, which starts in whatever room you’re in. Over time, the living room begins to break apart as little multicolored aliens appear around you. Interestingly enough, the extraterrestrials can hide behind corners and under tables. Gaming-wise, you shoot the aliens by color to match them and get them back on their ship. There are other examples, such as Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, which allows the franchise’s iconic marshmallow men to invade your home. Popular fitness VR apps like Supernatural and FitXR are have also gained mixed reality capabilities, meaning you can keep an eye on any kids or pets in your living room while getting your workout in.

It’s an interesting introduction to the Meta Quest 3’s possibilities, and one that makes the headset more than just a better design with improved visual fidelity and tracking. Mixed-reality applications (which were once exclusive to the pricier Meta Quest Pro) ,add an important layer that extends to gaming and practical uses, from battling aliens in your living room to pulling up a virtual second monitor for work. Sure, the passthrough quality isn’t as crisp as what you’ll get on the significantly more expensive $3,500 Vision Pro, but it’s also a fraction of the price.

A solid software lineup and backward compatibility

A piece of hardware is only as successful as the software that comes with it, and on that note, the Meta Quest 3 delivers. The most important thing to know is that, for those upgrading from the Meta Quest 2, all of your purchased games and apps are fully backward compatible, and popular titles such as Beat Saber, Red Matter 2, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Pistol Whip enjoy a range of visual and mixed-reality enhancements on the new headset. That’s on top of returning features like Quest Link, which allows you to connect the Quest 3 to your gaming PC either wirelessly or via a wired connection to play higher-end PC-based VR games.

So far, there haven’t been any major games exclusive to the Quest 3, with recent releases like Samba de Amigo and Dungeons of Eternity working on both the previous and current-gen headsets. However, that’s set to change soon. Some developers are building software specifically for Meta’s newest headset, as highly anticipated titles such as Batman: Arkham Shadow and Alien: Rogue Incursion will only work on the Quest 3. We expect those kinds of titles to be few and far between for the near future — games like Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party and Dungeons of Eternity work across platforms — but folks who want to be able to play everything coming to the Meta Store in the long run will want to pick up a Quest 3.

This multi-generation approach includes other big titles like Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Lego Bricktales and the critically acclaimed Asgard’s Wrath 2. If that wasn’t enough, Meta Quest 3 users can play console-quality games via the cloud with the Xbox Game Pass app, which we’ve found to be smooth in our testing.

It’s interesting to watch Meta’s approach to launch software compared to the PSVR 2 and HTC Vive XR Elite. The company seems less concerned about having the big flagship titles and losing steam within a year. Meta is just enhancing its older catalog, adding some quality titles in the interim and scaling up to bigger AAA quality a bit later. This also means that older Quest users aren’t forced to buy new hardware, though with Quest 3 exclusives on the way, that may change in the long term.

It’s steadily getting better

In the time since we first reviewed the Meta Quest 3, the headset hasn’t just gotten a steady stream of great games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 and Thrasher — it’s also received a handful of meaningful updates.

That includes Travel Mode, which is designed to ensure a smooth experience when you use your Quest 3 to watch movies or play games on a plane. Meta is even partnering with Lufthansa to provide access to Quest 3 headsets on its Business Class Suite flights. That certainly beats using those tiny little screens on the seat in front of you.

Also, just like virtually every tech gadget under the sun, the Quest 3 is slated to get access to a range of AI features. Starting in August 2024, Quest owners can access Meta AI, which will use your headset’s passthrough cameras to react to the world around you. For example, you can ask your headset for some wardrobe ideas to match the pair of shorts you’re holding in front of it, or simply ask “what am I looking at?” to get a description of the pets, plants or objects around you. We’ve been pretty meh on AI in consumer tech as a whole, but this sounds like one of the more intriguing and practical uses — and reminds us of Google’s excellent Circle to Search tool that lets you instantly learn more about anything on your phone screen. We’ll be putting these AI features to the test as they continue to roll out and evolve, and will report back if we find anything interesting.

These particular features are also available on the Quest 2, but you’ll have a smoother experience multitasking on a plane or clearly seeing your real world surroundings while using AI on the newer headset. More importantly, this first year of consistent support has us excited for how the Quest 3 can continue to improve over time.

What we didn’t like about it

The controllers aren’t as improved as the headset

Despite the numerous changes and enhancements to the Meta Quest 3 headset, the Touch Plus controllers don’t get the same level of attention. The most notable omission are the controller rings, which featured IR LEDs for tracking. These are now moved to the faceplate of the controller with a single IR LED at the handle’s bottom. It allows for a sleeker look and ensures the rings don’t clack together during intense gameplay. Tracking feels as precise on the Meta Quest 3 as it does on the Meta Quest 2, even with the smaller size. The Quest 3 is capable of controller-free hand tracking, but based on our experience, it’s not quite as responsive and reliable as what you’ll get on the Apple Vision Pro.

The other change is the improved haptic feedback through TruTouch. So far, it’s not very noticeable outside of games like Samba de Amigo, where it does mimic the feel of having tiny pebbles inside of your maracas. It feels like a lesser take on the Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble.

Battery life is similar to the Meta Quest 2 controllers at around 16 to 20 hours, and they’re once again powered by AA batteries. Meta does have a $130 headset charging dock that also includes rechargeable AA batteries for the controllers. Don’t expect any innovations with the Touch Plus controllers like the ones featured on the PSVR 2 or Valve Index. These controllers worked fine without issue during testing; they lasted a long time and nothing more.

Headset battery life hasn’t improved much

For all of the Quest 3’s enhancements, battery life didn’t see much improvement at all. Similar to its predecessor, there is only between two to three hours of battery life. Considering Meta promoted the headset as having a little over a quarter percentage in performance enhancements, even an extra hour improvement would have been nice.

During initial testing, charging times remained the same too — it took a few hours to charge the Meta Quest 3 to full. If users want to get a few more hours out of their new headset, Meta does have an optional $130 battery strap available.

Core gaming experiences aren’t a big leap forward … yet

Outside the small amount of games that use mixed reality, don’t expect a big generational leap with your gaming experiences at launch.

You won’t get anything on the level of, say, Half-Life: Alyx (which looks even better on the Meta Quest 3 — if you have a good PC) or Horizon Call of the Mountain on PSVR 2. Bigger games like Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR and Asgard’s Wrath 2 are a step forward, but you don’t need a Quest 3 to play them.

However, that’s set to change in the future. Select upcoming titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow — which promises an immersive new take on all the brawling and detective work that the Arkham series is known for — will be exclusive to the Quest 3, presumably because they’ll be designed to take full advantage of the new headset’s more powerful specs. Alo Moves XR is an upcoming fitness game designed specifically to incorporate your real-world surroundings via the Quest 3’s full-color passthrough cameras, while Alien: Rogue Incursion (which will also come to PlayStation VR 2 and SteamVR) brings the spooky sci-fi of the Alien franchise to VR for the first time.

Time will tell if these exclusives make the Quest 3 worth upgrading to over the Quest 2, and we’re eager to see just how big a leap these titles are over their cross-compatible counterparts.

How it compares

Bottom line

The Meta Quest 3 is undeniably a significant leap forward in the world of virtual reality. Its sleeker design, enhanced performance and impressive passthrough capabilities make it a standout device in the VR market. Passthrough technology is a game changer, allowing for mixed-reality applications that add a layer of excitement and practicality to your VR experience.

While there are some minor drawbacks, such as the limited improvement in battery life and the incremental changes to the controllers, these don’t overshadow the overall excellence of the Meta Quest 3. It’s clear that Meta’s approach to enhancing its VR ecosystem is well thought out and focused on long-term growth.

For VR enthusiasts and newcomers alike, the Meta Quest 3 is the new best VR headset for most people. Its affordability, its compatibility and steady stream of updates and new games make it a worthy investment — especially compared to the incredibly promising but uncomfortable and expensive Apple Vision Pro. Whether you’re a gamer, you’re a fitness enthusiast or you’re simply looking to explore new dimensions, the Meta Quest 3 has something for you.