Meta is releasing the Quest 3 this fall; the headset boasts a smaller and more comfortable design, a sharper resolution, full color passthrough for mixed reality capabilities, and a depth sensor that will ditch the need for a guardian.
The headset is expected to retail for R17,000 (approximately), a reflection of Meta’s mission to keep virtual reality hardware as low-cost and accessible as possible.
While this is all exciting news and we can’t wait to see what the Quest 3 has to offer, a pressing issue is what these developments mean for existing Quest users. Should you upgrade to a Quest 3? Should you wait out the hype? Or what if you’re new to this VR stuff and have no idea what’s going on?
We can’t answer for you, but here are two important points that can help you decide:
- Meta will be dropping the price of the Quest 2 to approximately R8,000 and R9000 for the 128 Gb and 256 Gb versions respectively
- The company is also releasing a software update for the Quest 2 and Quest Pro that will see an increase in computing power of 26% for both headsets and a GPU boost of 19% for the Quest 2 and 11% for the Quest pro.
The first point means that the Quest 2, one of the best VR headsets released in the past 5 years and an excellent entry point to VR, just got even more beginner friendly. If you’re new to VR and want to try a headset to experiment with, the Quest 2 is still a solid option.
The second point means people who still want to hold on to their Meta Quest 2 headsets can afford to do so and still enjoy the best the Quest library has to offer.
So, does this mean no one should get a Quest 3?
Absolutely not.
VR technology has progressed such that owners of the original Oculus Quest headsets would be greatly served in making the switch. The jump in resolution, full color passthrough, depth sensor, in-built hands control and mixed reality capabilities are guaranteed to make the difference in experience between a Quest 3 and an Oculus Quest a revolutionary experience.
In fact, if you have the cash, the above mentioned features are worth making the jump even if you have a Quest 2.
The Quest 3 is the best of what Meta has to offer in terms of consumer VR, and based on how impactful the Quest 2 was when it released, we can expect this to hit the ground running on release. Again, if you have the cash, get one; from this website too, if you want top notch customer support and guidance during your purchase process.
The Quest 2 still remains the most affordable entry point to a solid VR experience and is a good enough option to have as a standalone VR headset that can do everything pretty well. So, if you have one and want to stick with it, or are looking to purchase one, go ahead. Just make sure you buy your headset/accessories from these guys.
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