The Meta Quest 3 is on its manner – though not till 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 well-liked Meta Quest 2.
So, when ought to we anticipate to see the Quest 3 and, extra importantly, what can we anticipate from the next-gen digital actuality headset?
Whereas it’s early days, there are already whispers and leaks that give us a tough concept of what to anticipate from the Quest 3, together with early launch date rumours and have leaks. We spherical up all the newest Meta Quest 3 rumours proper right here.
Oculus Quest 3 launch date rumours
When Meta teased its high-end VR headset, Mission 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 wholly completely different headset with a spotlight past gaming.
With that being mentioned, a launch in 2023 appears to be like more likely for the Meta Quest 3.
That aligns with feedback in a Meta weblog submit, the place the corporate confirmed that it’d be releasing a brand new Quest headset as soon as the Quest Professional was accessible. “We have now an formidable VR {hardware} roadmap, starting with the launch of our high-end headset, Mission 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 traders of elevated prices. “Conversely, our progress in price 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 shopper Quest headset later subsequent 12 months“.
Whereas Wehner doesn’t point out the Quest 3 explicitly, Meta does contemplate the present Quest 2 to be a consumer-focused headset, in contrast to the skilled/artistic 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 identified by then) can 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.
In fact, that’s fairly a manner away, and Meta might modify the discharge date schedules down the road, so it’s value taking that info with a pinch of salt for now.
Whereas it’s seemingly far too early for Meta to have priced up the upcoming headset – particularly if it’s not due till the tip of 2023 – Mark Zuckerberg has calmed the nerves of VR followers that have been scared by the excessive $1500/£1500 price ticket for the Meta Quest Professional.
Whereas some have been fearful that the excessive worth of the Quest Professional might 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 can be within the “worth vary of $300, $400, or $500, that zone.”.
With that in thoughts, we anticipate the Quest 3 to price an identical quantity to the $399/£399 Oculus Quest 2, however we’ll replace this part if we hear something completely different.
Whereas it’s nonetheless comparatively early days, the Quest 3 has already been the topic of leaks, giving us our first tidbits of details about 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 accustomed to.
It’d be secure to imagine that Meta and Qualcomm would proceed that relationship with the Quest 3 and the next-gen Snapdragon cell platform, which ought to be accessible by the point the Quest 3 goes into manufacturing.
VR analyst Brad Lynch initially recommended that Meta might 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 “deal with a GPU that’s higher designed for VR hundreds” as to “not depend on an SoC that every one smaller XR gamers will use”.
Nevertheless, 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 may have higher graphics efficiency, which ought to translate to higher, extra immersive video games and apps accessible on the standalone platform.
uOLED shows
One other prediction from analyst Brad Lynch means that the Quest 3 will provide fairly the improve within the show division, allegedly ditching the LCD panels of the Quest 2 for a lot improved uOLED tech, an upgraded type of OLED.
That ought to translate to extra vibrant photographs with deeper, extra correct colors for a extra immersive, real looking digital expertise on the upcoming headset. OLED has been utilized in high-end VR headsets prior to now, nevertheless it’s the primary time it’ll be utilized in a mass-market entry-level VR headset.
Not a lot else is thought concerning the show tech, together with potential decision, area of view or lens-related adjustments, 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 offers significant insights into what to anticipate from the next-generation VR headset, codenamed Mission Stinson internally, which basically appears to be like to be a mixture of the Quest 2 and Quest Professional.
The leaked CAD renders appear to counsel the headset can be extra centered on blended actuality than merely digital actuality with extra cameras, seemingly with color passthrough capabilities just like the Quest Professional. It’s additionally mentioned to have the identical pancake lenses because the Professional headset, which permits for a extra compact kind issue, and it appears to be like like there can 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 massive distinction between the Quest 3 and Quest Professional? Lynch claims that the Quest 3 gained’t embrace eye or face monitoring, two essential options of the Professional headset. It’s seemingly a cost-saving measure greater than something, permitting Meta to maintain the value of the Quest 3 down and extra reasonably priced for patrons – 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.