Meta has made an early announcement about its upcoming Meta Quest 3 VR headset, releasing new teaser content via platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Likely a move that was meant to get it out there before Apple reveals its cards next week (during its WWDC event that begins Monday).
The new Meta Quest 3 will replace the Quest 2 as the latest integration of the wireless headset, offering updated specs and a smaller profile. It will be launching later this year with some additional information released in September during the Meta Connect conference. So for now, all you get is the teaser and a few of the specs to look forward to.
Some of the new updates include a newer Snapdragon processor with 2x the GPU power, higher resolution displays in each eye, redesigned controllers with haptic feedback, and full color passthrough (AR). Really, the only actual “spec” we get from the teaser is that the new headset will feature a 40% smaller footprint (than the Meta Quest 2), making it smaller and lighter on your head (thus more comfortable to use).
One of the biggest concern is access to current games and content, since we have seen new generations drop older games and favor new games due to design restrictions or bad planning (ie, PSVR vs PSVR2). However, Meta is stating that it will indeed have access to its 500+ game library when it launches.
So the only question that remains is how long the headset will last (how long it will be supported). VR headsets have proven to be an expensive investment due to their short-lived lifespans. When you buy a console, you can continue playing it for many years (or even decades). When you build a PC, you can potentially continue using it for many years as well.
However, when you buy a VR headset, it may be a nonfunctional brick within 3-4 years as companies and developers drop support for them and move on–and all of the content is featured in digital libraries that move on with them, leaving previous consumers in the dust. So it will be interesting to see where this goes in the future.
That being said, the headset will launch with a starting price of $499. Putting it a few hundred dollars higher than the Quest 2 at its launch. So it will begin at new inflated prices from the start and set a new cost expectation for Quest products in the future.
