What we know about Oculus Quest 3 at this point.
As you may have heard lately, Facebook has changed its name to Meta and their impending virtual reality headset Project Cambria is not a Quest gadget.
It’s a whole new headgear IP called Initiative Cambria, and it’s meant for Facebook – sorry, Meta – to help launch its appropriately titled (but maybe overambitious) metaverse project by introducing consumers to cutting-edge VR technology.
The Oculus Quest 3 is now in a precarious position
Meta has stated that work on the next generation of its more affordable VR headsets is still in progress, which is excellent news for those who were afraid that Project Cambria would doom the Quest 3.
Meta has been developing on “new hardware [that] will suit the same platform [as the Quest 2]” for some time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg informed investors during a conference call in 2021.
In the meantime, we’re curious to see what new Quest products Meta has up its sleeve over the next year or so, aside from the more expensive Project Cambria. We’re not sure if those comments were made in reference to an Oculus Quest 3 headset, a better version of the Oculus Quest 2 (which is already on shelves), but we’re still intrigued.
As a result of this decision by Meta, new (and, we believe, current) Quest hardware will no longer be referred to as “Oculus.” The ‘Meta Quest’ branding will be used for Meta’s VR products in the future. Oculus Quest 3 headsets will likely be referred to as Meta Quest 3 because of this move.
The Oculus Quest 3 will be referred to simply the “Quest 3” without the Meta prefix throughout the following tutorial, at least until the word is more widely used in gaming circles. Read on for the most up-to-date information, rumours, and forecasts about the most anticipated virtual reality product in history.
The release date for OCULUS QUEST 3
There is no definite timeframe for the introduction of Project Cambria, but Meta’s next Quest headset won’t be on the market until 2023 at the earliest.
Meta has made it clear that it wants to establish itself as the home of mainstream VR gaming, so it’s disappointing that the Quest 3 will launch so late. However, with the possibility of clashes between its own hardware releases now a genuine reality, Meta will likely put some distance between the two products.
The Oculus Quest 3 will be presented out during a Meta Connect event in 2023, according to analyst Brad Lynch, who tweeted (above) about it. In October 2023, if the firm adheres to its yearly event schedule, we may be playing the Quest 3!
It’s possible that the Quest 3 will be released in the same time frame as the Quest 2, which launches in October 2020, little over a year and a half after the original.
There are encouraging indicators, as well, as more details regarding the upcoming Quest gadget are being unveiled as the months go. According to Zuckerberg’s 2021 interview with The Information, Facebook is already working on a fourth version of its Quest product line.
The way hardware is built, you need to know what your next three products will look like at the same time.” “This is what Zuckerberg had to say.
“Contrary to popular belief, this is not a software update every two weeks. We’ve got product teams working on the next several generations of virtual reality and how Quest 3 and 4 will appear,” he said.
People who are interested in learning more about the upcoming Quest 3 may rejoice, since there is a significant gap between what is now being developed and what will be revealed in the near future.
However, everything is not well in the world. It was revealed in April 2021 that a recent online chat between two key Oculus executives hinted that its next device is more likely to be an incremental Oculus Quest 2 Pro upgrade rather than a full-on Oculus Quest 3 follow-up—though this may have been in reference to the recently-announced Project Cambria. It’s hard to tell what the meta is, either way.
With all of this in mind, we believe the most realistic release date for Oculus Quest 3 will be somewhere in late 2023.
It’s time for the OCULUS CHALLENGE 3!
Expect the Quest 3 to remain a standalone VR headset with the usual improvements in battery life, processing power and resolution based on the advancements achieved in the Quest 2.
The Quest 2’s picture is 50% crisper than the original gadget, which sets a high bar for the Quest 3’s image quality. Quest 2’s refresh rate was upgraded from the original model’s default of 72hz to 90hz and again to 120hz before the end of 2019.
That means the Quest 3 will have a minimum refresh rate of 120Hz, but only time will tell whether future VR games can take full use of the improvement, considering that most games don’t currently support that high of a refresh rate..
A tweet from analyst Brad Lynch claims the Quest 3 will use uOLED panels, which is an interesting development (an upgraded version of OLED). Even though it’s not yet official, it is virtually probable that Meta’s upcoming Quest headset will push the graphic quality envelope.
The CREAL VR company in Switzerland showcased their breakthrough in light-field display technology last year, showing off a headset that could concentrate at vast distances and output high definition visuals close up. It’s possible that the Quest 3 will include circuitry that can generate images that precisely replicate how humans view light in the actual world, albeit it’s not currently accessible to the general public.
As for the display, CREAL claims it’s capable of operating at double the 120Hz refresh rate set by the Quest 2 upgrade, although this does seem like a bit too much of an improvement to make.
Changes to the headset’s form factor, such as a lighter weight or an emphasis on comfort, are also possible. Oculus (now Meta) has been rumoured to be working on a new headset codenamed “Seacliff,” and we’ve seen various footage of what seems to be a prototype in action.
This new VR headset (which seems to be wireless like the Oculus Quest 2) has a considerably less bulky front visor, with weight dispersed over the front and a pack at the rear, as seen in the movies, one of which you can find below.
If Seacliff is in fact the codename for the mysterious Project Cambria announcement, we’re quite sure we’ll see a new Quest headset with probable shape alterations in the near future.
Hand tracking on any next Oculus device would almost certainly be improved, as the PS5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback looks like it might enrich VR experiences if it made its way to the Quest’s pair of controllers.
If you want to use the Quest 3, you’ll almost certainly require a Meta account because of its connectivity with the Meta ecosystem. Because of this, you’ll once again be exposed to Meta’s data monitoring procedures, thus you’re out of luck if you’re morally opposed to the Quest 2’s data-harvesting techniques.
Although the firm has made a deliberate effort to segregate its virtual reality division from its Facebook platform, this doesn’t always mean that you don’t need Facebook to experience the products built by this division.
Meta may have given up on developing its AR/VR operating system for the time being, which means that the software running on the new headset will likely be comparable to that found on the Oculus Quest 2.
Price of OCULUS QUEST 3
How much would it cost to buy an Oculus Quest 3? The Oculus Quest 2 is available in two models: one with 128GB of storage for £299 / $299 / AU$479, and one with 256GB of storage for £399 / $399 / AU$639, which is the most expensive.
Compared to the original, entry-level Oculus Quest, this represents a huge savings. Even if Oculus adopts the “same price but improved specifications” model with the Rift S, we don’t anticipate a Quest 3 to go any cheaper.
To put it another way, if Meta’s goal is to make its hardware the go-to mainstream VR platform, it could either lower its pricing or pursue an Apple-esque strategy of making its goods look more enticing (read: exclusive) by raising their price.
According to the rumours, Project Cambria’s headset is expected to be on the pricey side. If this turns out to be the case, then the Quest 3 might be much more costly.
Three predictions about Oculus Quest
Oculus Quest 2 is a great VR headset that we had a hard time finding anything wrong with throughout our time with it. Even while it’s a clear leader in the VR business, it still falls prey to some of the flaws that the technology itself has. The following is a wish list for Oculus Quest 3:
An improved method of preventing motion sickness
The motion sickness that may occur while wearing any VR headset is one of those technical hazards, and probably an inescapable one. When it comes to dizziness, the Quest 2 may be a real whirlwind for some people. The Oculus Quest 3’s dizziness issue is one we’d want to see addressed, even if a solution isn’t presently available.
A better match for your needs.
The same holds true for the device’s fit. Even though the Quest 2 is light and easy to wear, getting a nice, snug fit may be a bit of a challenge. Once again, this is an underlying issue for all VR headsets that has to be properly addressed by the next generation of technology. Oculus’s upcoming gadget may address some of these concerns according to those design speculations.
Oculus Store Redesign
We’d also want to see a more efficient Oculus Store in virtual reality. Instead of allowing users to swiftly access to new releases and forthcoming games on the browser or app store, the shop built into headsets seems to randomly choose which apps are shown, making it difficult to fast find new content. For the sake of preserving the headset’s replayability, this makes it more difficult to pre-order games and discover new titles.
Social space resembling a community neighbourhood
In spite of the fact that the Quest 2’s party invitation system works well, there is no place to socialise between games. Introducing a virtual social environment, such to NBA 2K’s neighbourhood area, would be a fun addition to the Quest 3. In the existing household setting, why is there multi-person furniture if no one can share it? Even while it may sound grandiose, Meta’s latest metaverse initiative predicts that virtual social spaces will be at the forefront of all future Quest headsets.
Improved sharing of media
Oculus devices have never made it simple to share screenshots and videos, and the Quest 2 attempts to solve this problem with minimal success. If you want to share your VR material, you still have to go through multiple hoops before you can do so, and we’d like to see the Oculus 3 make the entire thing easier. Full HD video and excellent audio synchronisation in apps would be wonderful additions.
The future of Oculus Quest 3 is uncertain.
The Quest 2 apparently garnered five times as many pre-orders as its predecessor, but VR gaming has yet to break into the mainstream.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, who allegedly said in 2018 that the Oculus platform needs 10 million VR users to be successful, at the very least, that is the case “sustainable and lucrative for developers of all stripes.” “Once we break this barrier, we anticipate that the content and ecosystem are absolutely going to explode,” he did add ” (as reported by RoadtoVR).
At the same time, the Quest 3 might try to fill a need in the market that now exists. In our tests, the Valve Index is one of the finest VR headsets on the market, but transistor shortages have practically halted production, making it very difficult to get your hands on a device. In that case, a new Qust headset may benefit from Valve’s accomplishments and gain traction in the VR sector.
Apple is also said to be developing a VR headgear (along with an Apple vehicle, an Apple TV, and so on), which might pose a serious threat to Meta in the future. We’re eager to see what the Oculus (Meta!) Quest 3 can bring to the table, since several tech giants are battling for the top place in VR gaming, so we’ll keep an eye out for its release. Source