The Meta Quest 3 is on its method – though not till later 2023, if present rumours are to be believed. Whereas Meta introduced the high-end Meta Quest Professional at Meta Join 2022, there was no signal of the successor to the vastly fashionable Meta Quest 2.
So, when ought to we count on to see the Quest 3 and, extra importantly, what can we count on from the next-gen digital actuality headset?
Whereas it’s early days, there are already whispers and leaks that give us a tough thought of what to anticipate from the Quest 3, together with early launch date rumours and have leaks. We spherical up all the most recent Meta Quest 3 rumours proper right here.
Oculus Quest 3 launch date rumours
When Meta teased its high-end VR headset, Undertaking Cambria, on the Meta Join in 2021, many assumed it’d be the successor to the Quest 2.
However as confirmed by the corporate on the reveal of the Quest Professional at Meta Join 2022, it’s a completely totally different headset with a spotlight past gaming.
With that being stated, a launch in 2023 seems more likely for the Meta Quest 3.
That aligns with feedback in a Meta weblog publish, the place the corporate confirmed that it’d be releasing a brand new Quest headset as soon as the Quest Professional was out there. “We've an bold VR {hardware} roadmap, starting with the launch of our high-end headset, Undertaking Cambria, later this 12 months. And we plan to ship new generations of Meta Quest after that”.
The discharge schedule was then reiterated in Meta’s Q3 2022 earnings name, with Meta’s CFO, David Wehner mentioning the headset whereas warning buyers of elevated prices. “Conversely, our progress in value of income is anticipated to speed up, pushed by infrastructure-related bills and, to a lesser extent, Actuality Labs {hardware} prices pushed by the launch of our subsequent technology of our client Quest headset later subsequent 12 months“.
Whereas Wehner doesn’t point out the Quest 3 explicitly, Meta does think about the present Quest 2 to be a consumer-focused headset, not like the skilled/inventive focus for the Quest Professional.
That’s a timeline backed up by analyst Brad Lynch, who means that the upgraded Meta Quest 3 (because it’ll be recognized by then) will likely be revealed at Meta’s Join 2023 occasion and launched quickly after. If the corporate sticks to the identical schedule as latest years, that might imply an October 2023 reveal for the Quest 3.
After all, that’s fairly a method away, and Meta may modify the discharge date schedules down the road, so it’s price taking that info with a pinch of salt for now.
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Whereas it’s doubtless far too early for Meta to have priced up the upcoming headset – particularly if it’s not due till the top of 2023 – Mark Zuckerberg has calmed the nerves of VR followers that had been scared by the excessive $1500/£1500 price ticket for the Meta Quest Professional.
Whereas some had been apprehensive that the excessive worth of the Quest Professional may level in direction of a better worth for the entry-level VR headset, Zuckerberg confirmed in an October 2022 interview with Stratechery that the Quest 3 will likely be within the “worth vary of $300, $400, or $500, that zone.”.
With that in thoughts, we count on the Quest 3 to value an identical quantity to the $399/£399 Oculus Quest 2, however we’ll replace this part if we hear something totally different.
Whereas it’s not due out for some time but, the Quest 3 has already been the topic of numerous leaks, giving us a good suggestion about what to anticipate from the upcoming VR headset.
Improved efficiency
The Meta Quest 2 sports activities Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR 2 platform, providing the spectacular standalone efficiency we’re all conversant in.
It’d be secure to imagine that Meta and Qualcomm would proceed that relationship with the Quest 3 and the next-gen Snapdragon cellular platform, which ought to be out there by the point the Quest 3 goes into manufacturing.
VR analyst Brad Lynch initially instructed that Meta may take a special route, as an alternative growing its personal chipset for the upcoming headset. The analyst claimed the corporate was rumoured to be engaged on a chip with a “concentrate on a GPU that's higher designed for VR masses” as to “not depend on an SoC that each one smaller XR gamers will use”.
Nonetheless, in a follow-up YouTube video in late September 2021, Lynch now means that the Quest 3 will certainly sport the next-generation Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset alongside a boosted 12GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of storage.
Whereas that doesn’t give us a lot to go on, it appears to substantiate that the Quest 3 could have higher graphics efficiency, which ought to translate to raised, extra immersive video games and apps out there on the standalone platform.
Up to date LCD shows
One other prediction from analyst Brad Lynch means that the Quest 3 will supply fairly the improve within the show division. Whereas Lynch initially instructed a swap to OLED was on the playing cards, newer leaks counsel that Meta has selected a higher-res, sooner LCD panel than that of the Quest 2.
Per Lynch through Twitter, the Quest 3 is alleged to sport an LCD show with a decision of 2064×2208 per eye and at an elevated 120Hz refresh charge – that’s each larger decision and sooner than the top-end Quest Professional, which bodes properly for customers.
Whereas the Quest 2 has provided an experimental 120Hz mode for the previous few months, it’s unique to apps and video games that assist it, with Meta Dwelling and different OS parts nonetheless rendered at 90Hz. The soar to 120Hz will convey a notable soar in smoothness regardless of the place you’re utilizing the headset.
Not a lot else is thought in regards to the show tech, together with area of view, nevertheless it’s thrilling nonetheless.
Leaked CAD renders
Our greatest take a look at the Meta Quest 3 comes from analyst Brad Lynch, who showcased leaked CAD renders of the upcoming headset in late September 2022, giving us a good suggestion of what to anticipate from the next-gen headset.
The video gives significant insights into what to anticipate from the next-generation VR headset, codenamed Undertaking Stinson internally, which basically seems to be a mix of the Quest 2 and Quest Professional.
The leaked CAD renders appear to counsel the headset will likely be extra targeted on combined actuality than merely digital actuality with extra cameras, doubtless with color passthrough capabilities just like the Quest Professional. It’s additionally stated to have the identical pancake lenses because the Professional headset, which permits for a extra compact kind issue, and it seems like there will likely be a manually adjustable IPD wheel on the underside of the headset too. That’ll make it a lot simpler to regulate the IDP than the Quest 2, which requires you to take the headset off.
The large distinction between the Quest 3 and Quest Professional? Lynch claims that the Quest 3 gained’t embody eye or face monitoring, two essential options of the Professional headset. It’s doubtless a cost-saving measure greater than something, permitting Meta to maintain the value of the Quest 3 down and extra inexpensive for purchasers – particularly with inflation ranges rising quickly in lots of areas around the globe.
The video goes into granular element about parts like cooling and audio, so sit down and put together for an 18-minute unofficial deep dive into the Quest 3.