Meta Quest 3: Mark Zuckerberg reveals new virtual reality headset ahead of Apple’s own major event

New version of headset is slimmer and faster, Meta says – just as Apple rumoured to launch its own competitor

(Meta)

Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the new Meta Quest 3, just days ahead of the widely-expected launch of Apple’s own virtual reality headset.

The new version of the Quest has higher resolution graphics, better performance and a slimmer and more comfortable design, Meta claimed.

The new version of the headset will release later this year, Meta said, and much was left unannounced about the new headset, including the full details of the chip that will power it. Mr Zuckerberg suggested that more details about the new headset would be revealed at Meta’s “Connect” conference, on 27 September.

While Meta and Mr Zuckerberg did not address the widespread rumours that Apple would launch its own headset, the reveal looks to have been scheduled to attempt to beat the reveal of that product.

Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference event on Monday, during which it is expected to release its own headset to the world. Like the new Meta Quest 3, Apple’s headset is expected to focus on graphics and a comfortable design, aimed at uses in both gaming and social features.

Meta has long been looking to position virtual and augmented reality as the future for years, even renaming the company from Facebook to Meta in an attempt to shift focus onto its work in what it calls the metaverse. But it said that the new headset was the first that could allow for both “cutting-edge VR and MR experiences in a single device”, meaning that users can both inhabit entirely virtual worlds as well as put virtual objects into the real world.

““Ultimately, our vision is to enable you to move through all realities in a way that’s intuitive and delightful, going beyond the rigid classifications of ‘virtual reality’ and ‘mixed reality’ to deliver truly next-gen experiences that let you effortlessly blend the physical and virtual worlds,” said Mark Rankin, Meta’s vice president of virtual reality.

“Meta Reality gives you both the deep, immersive magic of VR and the freedom and delight of making your physical world more fun and useful with MR. We’re excited to see what developers and creators can build on the Quest Platform when the possibilities are limitless.”

The Meta Quest 3 will cost $499.99 USD for the 128GB option, with the option to pay for more storage space. The Meta Quest 2 will also receive a reduction in price, and it and the Quest Pro will receive software updates that Meta said should improve the performance of that headset.

The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will stay in Meta’s line up, and will continue to get software updates, Meta said. “While Quest 3 sets a new standard for mixed reality, immersive gaming, and what a mainstream VR headset can be, Quest 2 remains our most affordable entry point to VR and Pro is optimized for work use cases, with face and eye tracking for more authentic self-expression in meetings,” it wrote in its announcement.