The Meta Quest 3 is a self-contained virtual reality (VR) headset created by Reality Labs, a part of Meta Platforms. It was announced on June 1, 2023, and released on October 10, following the Quest 2 as the third version of the Meta Quest series.
Like earlier models, the Quest 3 runs on Meta Horizon OS, a system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Users can play VR games and apps directly on the headset or stream them from a computer using USB-C or Wi-Fi. The Quest 3 includes improved hardware with features from the Quest Pro, such as a thinner design and lenses, as well as extra sensors and color passthrough cameras for mixed reality (MR) software.
Reviewers praised the Quest 3’s slimmer design and better performance compared to the Quest 2. However, they criticized the passthrough cameras for not being clear enough and noted that there were few MR experiences available when the device launched. The system software also remained largely unchanged from earlier versions.
Specifications
The Quest 3’s design builds on the Quest 2 and includes features from the Meta Quest Pro. It uses two LCD screens, with each eye seeing a resolution of 2064×2208p. This is about 30% higher than the Quest 2’s resolution of 1832×1920p. The screens are viewed through custom-designed 2x element pancake lenses, similar to those in the Quest Pro, which improve image clarity, increase the field of view, and make the device 40% thinner. It returns to an inter-pupillary distance (IPD) mechanism like the first-generation Quest, allowing users to adjust the IPD between 53 mm and 75 mm using a scroll wheel. The Quest 2 only had three preset IPD settings and used a single screen panel.
The headset has three "pills" on its face, each containing sensors and cameras. The two outer pills have hybrid cameras that switch between visible light and infrared to track the headset and Touch Plus controllers. They also include a 4 MP RGB camera for mixed reality passthrough. Two additional dual-role infrared tracking cameras are located on the bottom left and right sides of the headset, totaling four. These help create a larger tracking area.
The center pill has an IR light projector (marketed as a depth sensor) that works with the front-facing IR cameras to measure the distance and depth of the user’s surroundings for boundaries and mixed reality experiences.
The Quest 3 uses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, made by Qualcomm. This chip is based on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile phone processor and has more than twice the graphics performance of the Quest 2’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chip.
The headset comes with "Touch Plus" controllers, which are similar to the Touch Pro controllers used in the Quest Pro. These controllers replace the infrared sensor ring with infrared sensors in the body and use the headset’s hand tracking for input. Unlike the Touch Pro, they do not have a dedicated processor or cameras for tracking and use AA batteries instead of rechargeable ones. The Quest 3 is also compatible with the Touch Pro controllers.
In December 2023, an API for inside-out body tracking was added. This uses computer vision and side cameras to track upper body and arm movements. It can be combined with the "generative legs" API, which uses a machine learning model to estimate leg movements, to enable full-body motion tracking without extra sensors. A depth API was also added to improve mixed reality rendering quality.
The Quest 3 is backward compatible with all Quest 2 software. Existing apps may receive updates to include higher-resolution graphics when run on the Quest 3. Due to platform limitations, software may use more storage on the Quest 2 because of shared packages that include Quest 3-specific assets.
During a private presentation, Meta’s VR vice president, Mark Rabkin, mentioned plans for 41 new Quest apps and games to launch with the device. In a June 2023 digital event, Meta highlighted titles like Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Asgard’s Wrath 2, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, I Expect You to Die 3, Onward, PowerWash Simulator, Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party, Stranger Things VR, and Vampire: The Masquerade — Justice. At Connect, Meta announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming would be available as an app for the Quest 3 in December 2023.
Release
In February 2023, The Verge received a plan showing that Meta intended to release the Quest 3, which was called "Stinson" internally, later that year. This plan matched information shared earlier in September 2022 by VR analyst Brad Lynch, including details about the Quest 3's design.
Before an official announcement, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman shared news on May 28, 2023, about a private event where he tested a Quest 3 prototype named "Eureka." Later that day, Meta officially introduced the Quest 3 on June 1, 2023, through a video on Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram account. The video stated the Quest 3 would be released in late 2023 and cost $499.99 for the 128 GB version, with larger storage options to be announced later. Many news sources noted that the release date was four days before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where Apple was expected to announce a new AR headset called the Apple Vision Pro.
The Quest 3 became available for pre-order on September 28, 2023, with shipments beginning the next month. It was officially released on October 10, 2023, with the 128 GB model priced at $499.99 and the 512 GB model at $649.99. All pre-orders included a copy of Asgard's Wrath 2, and the 512 GB version also included six months of the Meta Quest+ subscription. At first, the Quest 3 and Quest 2 would both be sold in stores, with the Quest 2 marketed as a more affordable option. Meta's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, said the company would continue supporting the Quest 2 "for quite a while."
On September 25, 2024, Meta introduced the Quest 3S as a new, lower-cost model priced at $299.99 for the 128 GB version. This made the Quest 3S the new entry-level option, replacing the Quest 2. As a result, the 128 GB Quest 3 was reduced in price to $429.99 while supplies lasted, and the 512 GB model was lowered to $499.99. Additionally, new purchases of the Quest 3 or 3S would include a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow until April 30, 2025.
Reception
A preliminary report published before the official release stated that Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman found the new AR passthrough feature in the device was much better than previous Meta products, including the Quest Pro. This feature allowed users to clearly see and use their phone through the headset. However, the tracking of the controllers was not as precise. Meta stated that it plans to improve the accuracy of controller tracking before the launch using existing tracking technologies and software updates.
Wired praised the upgraded hardware of the Quest 3 and its design, which offered a more comfortable and "secure" fit. The color passthrough cameras were better than the previous monochrome cameras, but still appeared blurry. The available apps did not fully use mixed reality features. The user interface was criticized for being similar to older models, with limited app management tools and unclear ways to transfer saved data from previous Quest headsets. In conclusion, some reviewers suggested that the Quest 3 "does everything well but lacks features that would place it at the top of its class" and that it "may not be enough to make VR or MR widely used."
Polygon also praised the technical and ergonomic improvements of the Quest 3, noting that it was "more complete out of the box" with fewer obvious areas for improvement compared to the Quest 2. Few games were updated for the Quest 3 at launch, but those that were had better visual quality, such as Red Matter 2, which was described as having visuals close to Half-Life: Alyx. However, performance improvements were not consistent across all games. The headset’s library of native software included "worthwhile experiences," but reviewers noted that Meta’s release of new games was slower than the pace of traditional game consoles. They compared the Quest 3 to a "mid-generation console refresh" but pointed out that it lacked the large number of highly improved games typically available with such updates.