Apple is broadly rumored to be asserting a mixed-reality headset at its annual WWDC occasion keynote next Monday, and Meta apparently hoped to get in entrance of the anticipated information, as we speak revealing that its personal Quest 3 mixed-reality headset can be released this fall.
The Meta Quest 3 is the successor to the social media large’s standard Quest 2, and is equally a self-contained headset that doesn’t require a PC, console, or smartphone to function. The brand new headset boasts a 40% slimmer physique than the Quest 2, plus double the graphics energy and a higher-resolution show to pump up the immersive experiences.
Nonetheless, the largest shift might come from the transfer from a primarily digital actuality (VR) headset right into a full-fledged mixed-reality system that’s constructed for augmented actuality (AR) experiences as effectively. AR apps and video games overlay digital components onto your real-world environment through the headset’s display screen, utilizing outward-facing cameras.
The Quest 2 solely had black-and-white passthrough cameras to assist wearers navigate their environment, however the Quest 3—like final yr’s pricier Quest Professional headset—will function full-color imaginative and prescient to allow such AR video games and experiences.
Nonetheless, the Quest 3 can be costlier in consequence. It should begin at $499.99 for a mannequin with 128GB of inside storage, per Meta, with a higher-capacity mannequin additionally accessible.
The Quest 2 was priced at $399.99 till as we speak, however now has dropped to $299.99 with the brand new mannequin on the horizon. Meta initially launched the Quest 2 at that worth, however then raised it by $100 final July. The Quest Professional debuted at $1,499.99 last fall, however the worth was rapidly reduce to $999.99 following middling evaluations and apparently restricted demand.
Nonetheless, the $500 Quest 3 worth level might be dramatically cheaper than Apple’s anticipated headset, which can reportedly be a high-end system that analysts and reporters have pegged at a worth level round $3,000.
