Meta Quest 3 Brings Mixed Reality Technology as the Answer to Apple Reality Pro

JAKARTA - Meta looks like it will bring its Quest 3 headset packing enhanced mixed reality technology and bringing a much thinner and lighter design, as an answer to fight against Apple.

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter claims to have had the opportunity to try out the advanced headset prototype codenamed Eureka.

Gurman stated that the Quest 3 felt much lighter and thinner than the Quest 2. The head strap also seemed a little stronger because it was wrapped in cloth on the sides, not plastic like its predecessor.

The Quest 3 also supports mixed reality thanks to its three vertical pill-shaped sensor areas that house two color video (RGB) pass-through cameras, two standard cameras, and a depth sensor.

The camera later, can provide a real-world rendering that is almost like the original. Of course, this is no small feat.

"Day and night improvements (thanks to the added dual RGB cameras). I can even use my phone while wearing a headset, something that often feels impossible in Quest 2," says Gurman.

As Gurman notes, that's a significant upgrade from the Quest 2, which didn't feature color pass-through or a depth sensor.

This means that users don't have to define walls in their play space. Along the bottom edge of the Quest 3 headset is a position tracking camera, alongside a volume rocker and a wheel for adjusting interpupillary distance.

Furthermore, the headset interface and applications are also better. Gurman said that most likely, this is because of the new custom chip developed by Qualcomm which was first announced in 2022.

However, Gurman states the Quest 3 doesn't include face and eye tracking, meaning the headset won't support foveated rendering.

This feature can only be found in Quest Pro, functioning to prioritize limited computing resources in the area that the user is looking for.

Unfortunately, Meta has yet to set a price for this new headset and it is claimed that it will not be launched in the near future until next October, in line with what the company's executives said some time ago.

"Meta hasn't set a price for the device yet, but the people involved in its development believe that the price may be higher than the $400 (Rp. 5.9 million) Quest 2," said Gurman.

For your information, the Meta Quest 3 is predicted to be a tough competitor to Apple's upcoming Reality Pro headset that offers a similar mixed reality experience, but brings advanced eye tracking and imaging.

It is claimed that this headset will cost more than 2.000 US dollars (IDR 29 million), much more expensive than Meta Quest 3. This was quoted from Engadget, Monday, May 29.