If you've still got an Oculus account that you're hanging on to, and that you want to keep, you need to take action pretty swiftly: Meta has emailed users saying that it'll be deleting all old Oculus accounts on March 29.
As reported by The Verge, you should find a message in your inbox if you're one of the people affected. You should also have had plenty of warning about this – the phasing out of Oculus accounts has been in progress for several years.
When your Oculus account is deleted, it'll take with it apps, in-app purchases, app store credits, in-game achievements, friend lists, and any kind of created content. You won't be able to use the account to sign into any of the Meta Quest headsets either.
It was back in 2020 that new arrivals in the Meta VR world were asked to log in using Facebook rather than an Oculus account, and then Meta accounts were introduced in 2022 – which is still the way to get into devices like the Meta Quest 3.
How to save your account
You need a Meta account from now on (Image credit: Meta)
The process of saving your Oculus account is straightforward enough: you just need to turn it into a Meta one. Head to this page on the web, log in using the email address associated with your Oculus account, and you'll be guided through the process.
Everything should move over seamlessly, including all your games, and your Oculus account will then be safely retired from duty. Meta has posted a guide to getting started with Meta accounts if you need more assistance.
Considering the option to sign into Oculus accounts was disabled last year, the majority of users should've now made the switch – but if you've got an old, neglected Oculus account somewhere, you'll need to update it before the 29th of the month.
According to The Verge, some users who've already migrated their Oculus account data into a shiny new Meta account are still getting the warning email, so don't panic if this happens to you – as long as you've previously made the switch, you won't lose anything.
Meta Quest 3 and Oculus Quest 2 owners with a Meta Quest Plus subscription are about to get a lot more bang for their buck as the program is getting a Netflix-style catalogue of rotating software.
Previously, Quest Plus owners got two free games a month that they could keep and use for as long as they were subscribed – the software for March 2024 is shooter Contractors and immersive puzzler Shadow Point. Now, on top of those two free VR apps they’ll also get access to a rotating library of other free titles they can enjoy while they’re available at no extra cost.
The current selection of 12 joining the service in March 2024 includes some excellent sports apps in The Climb and Sports Scramble, as well as some of my favorite VR games with Walkabout Mini Golf and Until You Fall.
The first 12 Meta Quest Plus catalogue titles (Image credit: Meta)
If the deal wasn’t sweet enough for you already there’s an extra offer available for people who buy an annual Meta Quest Plus subscription before May 31, 2024 – this includes people who buy new subscriptions, but also existing users who upgrade from a monthly Quest Plus plan.
That’s because you’ll not only get the best-value Meta Quest Plus subscription – paying just $ 59.99 / £59.99 a year instead of the $ 95.88 / £95.88 it’d cost by paying $ 7.99 / £7.99 monthly – but you'll also get $ 25 / £25 store credit to buy any Quest game or app you want.
Unlike the Meta Quest Plus software, you won’t lose access to it when you unsubscribe.
It’s unclear how long apps will be available in the rotating catalogue – if they’ll all change monthly, or if it depends on the specific title title. We also don't know if you'll get a discount on the software if you choose to buy it before it leaves (which is a benefit offered by other similar services).
At the very least, this catalogue will offer you an extended demo for any games and apps you’re interested in – informing you if it’s worth buying once it’s gone, or not. You might even manage to finish a whole single-player adventure before spending a dime (ignoring the subscription cost).
Meta and LG confirm collaboration on “extended reality (XR) ventures”
This could mean a future Meta Quest Pro 2 uses an LG display
Announcement also hints at team-up for “content/service capabilities”
Following months of speculation and rumors – the most recent of which came literally days ahead of an official announcement – Meta and LG have confirmed that they’ll be collaborating on next-gen XR hardware (with XR standing for 'extended reality' and being a catchall for VR, MR and AR). And I couldn’t be more excited to see what their Apple Vision Pro rival looks like.
While they didn’t expressly outline what the collaboration entails, or what hardware they’ll be working on together, it seems all but guaranteed that Meta’s next VR headset – likely the Meta Quest Pro 2, but maybe the Meta Quest 4 or other future models – will use LG’s display tech for its screens. This means Meta might finally release another OLED Quest headset which promises some superb visuals for our favorite VR software.
Unfortunately, there’s also no mention of a timescale so we don’t know when the first LG and Meta headset will be released. But several recent rumors have suggested that the next Quest headset (probably the Pro 2) will launch in 2025; so we could see LG tech in Meta hardware next year if we’re lucky.
Forget an iPad for your face, the next Meta headset could be an LG TV (Image credit: Meta)
We should always take rumors with a pinch of salt, but these same leaks teased the LG collaboration – so there’s a good chance that they’re on the money for the release date, too.
Beyond the potential for OLED Quest headsets, what’s particularly interesting is a line in the press release that mentions the desire for the companies to bring together “Meta’s platform with [LG’s] content/service capabilities.” To me, that hints at more than simply working together on hardware, but also bringing the LG TV software experience to your Meta headset as well.
More than just an OLED screen
Exactly what this means is yet to be seen, but it could result in a whole host of TV apps reimagined for VR. For Meta, this could importantly mean finally getting VR apps for the best streaming services including Disney Plus, Paramount Plus and Apple TV Plus – as well working apps for Netflix, Prime Video and other services that have Quest software that is practically non-functioning.
These kinds of streaming apps are the one massive software area in which Meta has no answer to the Apple Vision Pro.
I’ve previously asked Meta if it had plans to bring more streaming services to Quest and a representative told me it had “no additional information to share at this time.” I hoped this meant it had some kind of reveal on the way in the near future, and it appears this LG announcement has answered my calls.
Disney Plus is a sight to behold on the Vision Pro (Image credit: Apple)
That said, while the press release certainly teases some interesting collaborations, until we actually see something in action there’s no telling what form Meta and LG’s partnership will take because the announcement is (no doubt intentionally) a little vague.
There’s also a chance the LG-powered TV apps won’t offer the same 3D movie selection or immersive environments found on Vision Pro. Depending on how the apps are implemented, 3D video might not be possible – or perhaps Apple has an exclusive deal for content with these apps on its Vision Pro platform.
Regardless I’m pretty excited by the potential this announcement brings as it appears to answer two of my four biggest Meta Quest Pro 2 feature requests. Here’s hoping the other two features follow suit. If they do (and the device isn’t astronomically pricey) the Meta Quest Pro 2 could be my new favorite VR headset by a landslide.
OLED could provide visual boost next Quest Pros need
The Apple Vision Pro might be the talk of the town in the high-end VR space right now, but not only will it have to contend with rivals like the Samsung XR headset that are expected to launch later this year, new reports claim the Meta Quest Pro 2 will launch in early 2025 to compete with it too.
The original Meta Quest Pro was something of a disappointment. At the time it seemed like a decent option for people looking for a high-end standalone VR headset – especially compared to rivals like the HTC Vive XR Elite. But since the launch of the Meta Quest 3 and Vision Pro – the former of which is not only cheaper but actually has some better specs in the mixed-reality department – it’s fallen by the wayside.
Meta is clearly hoping to make its next Quest Pro device a standout VR gadget. A Korea Economic Daily report (translated from Korean) cites unnamed industry sources who said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to meet with the CEO of LG Electronics to discuss a partnership for its next Pro devices.
While we hope these high-end screens will make their way to the more budget-friendly Quest line it’s more reasonable to assume that a pricier Quest Pro line would be upgraded to LG OLEDs first.
LG makes fantastic OLED TVs like the LG C3 (Image credit: LG)
Yes, we know the original Oculus Quest got there first, but since then Meta has relied on LCD panels with better brightness and resolution because the original OLED Quest couldn’t benefit from this display tech’s full advantages. The pixels took too long to turn on and off so you could never experience true blacks, despite the ability to achieve true blacks being the main reason to use an OLED.
Thankfully, the recent Korea Economic Daily report said we might not be waiting too long. The Meta Quest Pro 2 is apparently being prepared for an early 2025 launch, and while this is a slight departure from Meta’s usual October release strategy it makes some sense.
However, as with all rumors, we must remember to take these reports with a pinch of salt. Until Meta or LG make an official announcement there's no guarantee they’re working together on the next Quest Pro or any kind of headset – nor a guarantee of when it’ll launch and what specs it might have.
As soon as we do hear anything more concrete, or we spy any interesting leaks and rumors, we’ll be sure to keep you informed.
The Oculus Quest 2 has been the most popular VR headset in the world for the past couple of years – dominating sales and usage charts with its blend of solid performance, amazing software library and, most importantly, affordability.
Now its successor – the Meta Quest 3 – is following in its footsteps.
Just four months after launch it’s the third most popular headset used on Steam (and will likely be the second most popular in the next Steam Hardware Survey). What’s more, while we estimate the Quest 3’s not selling quite as well as the Quest 2 was at the four-month mark, it still looks to be a hit (plus, lower sales figures are expected considering it’s almost double the launch price of the Quest 2).
Despite its higher cost, $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 is still relatively affordable in the VR space, and its early success continues the ongoing trend in VR that accessibility is the make or break factor in a VR gadget’s popularity.
The cheap Oculus Quest 2 made VR mainstream (Image credit: Facebook)
There’s something to be said for high-end hardware such as the Apple Vision Pro bringing the wow factor back to VR (how can you not be impressed by its crisp OLED displays and inventive eye-and-hand-tracking system), but I’ll admit I was worried that its launch – and announcement of other high-end, and high-priced, headsets – would see VR return to its early, less affordable days.
Now I’m more confident than ever that we’ll see Apple’s rumored cheaper Vision Pro follow-up and other budget-friendly hardware sooner rather than later.
Rising up the charts
According to the Steam Hardware Survey, which tracks the popularity of hardware for participating Steam users, 14.05% of all Steam VR players used a Quest 3 last month. That’s a 4.78% rise in its popularity over the previous month’s results and means it’s within spitting distance of the number two spot, which is currently held by the Valve Index – 15% of users prefer it over other VR headsets, even three-and-a-half years after its launch.
It has a ways to go before it reaches the top spot, however, with the Oculus Quest 2 preferred by 40.64% of Steam VR players. The Quest 3’s predecessor has held this top spot for a couple of years now, and it’s unlikely to lose to the Quest 3 or another headset for a while. Even though the Quest 3 is doing well for itself, it’s not selling quite as fast as the Quest 2.
(Image credit: Future)
Using Steam Hardware Survey data for January 2024 (four months after its launch) and data from January 2021 (four months after the Quest 2’s launch) – as well as average Steam player counts for these months based on SteamDB data – it appears that the Quest 3 has sold about 87% as many units as the Quest 2 did at the same point in its life.
Considering the Quest 3 is priced at $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99, a fair bit more than the $ 299 / £299 / AU$ 479 the Quest 2 cost at launch, to even come close to matching the sales speed of its predecessor is impressive. And the Quest 2 did sell very well out of the gate.
We don’t have exact Quest 2 sales data from its early days – Meta only highlights when the device passes certain major milestones – but we do know that after five months, its total sales were higher than the total sales of all other Oculus VR headsets combined, some of which had been out for over five years. Meta’s gone on to sell roughly 20 million Quest 2s, according to a March 2023 leak. That's about as fast as the Xbox Series X is believed to have sold, which launched around the same time.
This 87% of Quest 2 sales figure can be taken with a pinch of salt – you can find out how I got to this number at the bottom of this piece; it required pulling data from a few sources and making some reasonable assumptions – but that number and the Quest 2 and 3’s popularity on Steam shows that affordability is still the most powerful driving force in the VR space. So, I hope other headset makers are paying attention.
The Apple Vision had me a little concerned (Image credit: Future)
The early popularity makes sense. Whatever Mark Zuckerberg says about the superiority of the Quest 3, the Apple Vision Pro is the best of the best VR headsets from a technical perspective. There’s some debate on the comfort and immersive software side of things, but eye-tracking, ridiculously crisp OLED displays, and a beautiful design do make up for that.
Unfortunately, thanks to these high-end specs and some ridiculous design choices – like the outer OLED display for EyeSight (which lets an onlooker see the wearer’s eyes while they're wearing the device) – the headset is pretty pricey coming in at $ 3,499 for the 256GB model (it’s not yet available outside the US).
Seeing this, and the instant renewed attention Apple has drawn to the VR space – with high-end rivals like the Samsung XR headset now on the way – I’ll admit I was a little concerned we might see a return to VR’s early, less accessible days. In those days, you’d spend around $ 1,000 / £1,000 / AU$ 1,500 on a headset and the same again (or more) on a VR-ready PC.
The Valve Index is impressive, but it’s damn expensive (Image credit: Future)
Apple has a way of driving the tech conversation and development in the direction it chooses. Be it turning more niche tech into a mainstream affair like it did for smartwatches with the Apple Watch or renaming well-established terms by sheer force of will (VR computing and 3D video are now exclusively called spatial computing and spatial video after Apple started using those phrases).
While, yes, there’s something to be said for the wow factor of top-of-the-line tech, I hoped we wouldn’t be swamped with the stuff while more budget-friendly options get forgotten about because this is the way Apple has moved the industry with its Vision Pro.
The numbers in the Steam Hardware Survey have assuaged those fears. It shows that meaningful budget hardware – like the Quest 2 and 3, which, despite being newer, have less impressive displays and specs than many older, pricier models – is still too popular to be going anywhere anytime soon.
If anything, I’m more confident than ever that Apple, Samsung, and the like need to get their own affordable VR headsets out the door soon. Especially the non-Apple companies that can’t rely on a legion of rabid fans ready to eat up everything they release.
If they don’t launch budget-friendly – but still worthwhile – VR headsets, then Meta could once again be left as the only real contender in this sector of VR. Sure, I like the Meta headsets I’ve used, but nothing helps spur on better tech and/or prices than proper competition. And this is something Meta is proving it doesn’t really have right now.
(Image credit: Meta)
Where did my data come from?
It’s important to know where data has come from and what assumptions have been made by people handling that data, but, equally, not everyone finds this interesting, and it can get quite long and distracting. So, I’ve put this section at the bottom for those interested in seeing my work on the 87% sales figure comparison between the Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 four months after their respective launches.
As I mentioned above, most of the data for this piece has been gathered from the Steam Hardware Survey. I had to rely on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to see some historical Steam Hardware Survey data because the results page only shows the most recent month’s figures.
When looking at the relative popularity of headsets in any given month, I could just read off the figures in the survey results. However, to compare the Quest 2 and Quest 3’s four-month sales to each other, I had to use player counts from SteamDB and make a few assumptions.
The first assumption is that the Steam Hardware Survey’s data is consistent for all users. Because Steam users have to opt-in to the survey, when it says that 2.24% of Steam users used a VR headset in January 2024, what it really means is that 2.24% of Steam Hardware Survey participants used a VR headset that month. There’s no reason to believe the survey’s sample isn’t representative of the whole of Steam’s user base, and this is an assumption that’s generally taken for granted when looking at Hardware Survey data. But if I’m going to break down where my numbers come from, I might as well do it thoroughly.
Secondly, I had to assume that Steam users only used one VR headset each month and that they didn’t share their headsets with other Steam users. These assumptions allow me to say that if the Meta Quest 3 was used for 14.05% of Steam VR sessions, then 14.05% of Steam users with a VR headset (which is 2.24% of Steam’s total users) owned a Quest 3 in January 2024. Not making these assumptions leads to an undercount and overcount, respectively, so they kinda cancel each other out. Also, without this assumption, I couldn’t continue beyond this step as I’d lack the data I need.
Who needs more than one VR headset anyway? (Image credit: Shutterstock / agencies)
Valve doesn’t publish Steam’s total user numbers, and the last time it published monthly active user data was in 2021 – and that was an average for the whole year rather than for each month. It also doesn’t say how many people take part in the Hardware Survey. All it does publish is how many people are using Steam right now. This information is gathered by SteamDB so that I and other people can see Steam’s Daily Active User (DAU) average for January 2021 and January 2024 (as well as other months, but I only care about these two).
My penultimate assumption was that the proportion of DAUs compared to the total number of Steam users in January 2021 is the same as the proportion of DAUs compared to the total number of Steam users in January 2024. The exact proportion of DAUs to the total doesn’t matter (it could be 1% or 100%). By assuming it stays consistent between these two months, I can take the DAU figures I have – 25,295,361 in January 2024 and 24,674,583 in January 2021 – multiply them by the percentage of Steam users with a Quest 3 and Quest 2 during these months, respectively – 0.31% and 0.37% – then finally compare the numbers to one another.
The result is that the number of Steam users with a Quest 3 in January 2024 is 87.05% of the number of Steam users with a Quest 2 in January 2021.
My final assumption was that Quest headset owners haven’t become more or less likely to connect their devices to a PC to play Steam VR. So if it's 87% as popular on Steam four months after their respective launches, the Quest 3 has sold 87% as well as the Quest 2 did after their first four months on sale.
In our Apple Vision Pro review, we commended the headset for wowing us with its dual hand-and-eye-tracking system. Meta has now launched its own dual-tracking system for the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro, though the eye-tracking has been swapped for handset tracking so you can use controllers and hands simultaneously – and people are already using it for foot-tracking.
Admittedly this feature isn’t entirely new. Since hand tracking launched it has been possible to swap between the two within apps that support both – though there was a delay when switching modes, and as soon as you put the controllers down they’d disappear from your view (making it a challenge to find them again, in VR).
This new ‘Multimodal’ method that tracks both at the same time has technically been around for a while too. It launched back in July 2023, however, it was in beta which meant official Quest Store apps and App Lab software couldn’t implement it. Instead, software using Multimodal tracking would have to be shared via third-party app stores like SideQuest.
Mixed interaction with hand tracking and controller tracking is finally active on Quest! What is the best way to use it? pic.twitter.com/uOXyjlcEimFebruary 16, 2024
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Now with Quest update v62 it has launched fully (via UploadVR) meaning VR games and apps distributed through the native Quest Store can add Multimodal tracking for Meta Quest 3 and Quest Pro users. This not only allows apps to transition instantly from one method to the other, but it also means you can use controllers and your hands at the same time opening up new ways to interact with virtual worlds.
Perhaps we’ll see an adventure game where you wield a sword in one hand and perform Doctor Strange-like spells with your free hand, or existing apps that only use one controller could add some hand-tracking features – even something as simple as the ability to make hand gestures to improve communication in multiplayer games.
People who have been testing the feature have pointed out this new system could allow tracking of multiple body parts at once. In one example, Twitter user @Lunayian attaches Quest Pro controllers to their feet so they can use their hands and feet in VR without a complex tracking rig.
Unhinged foot tracking method is actually not as unhinged when used with Touch Pro 🤔 https://t.co/b2x6BzAary pic.twitter.com/ZPiTlggkCEFebruary 19, 2024
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Unfortunately, the Oculus Quest 2 lacks the processing power to enable simultaneous hand and controller tracking with its base handsets. However, you could unlock this feature if you buy and pair Touch Pro controllers with the headset – they’ll cost you $ 299.99 / £299.99 / AU$ 479.99 for two – as they track themselves allowing the Quest 2 to focus on your hands.
You might want to hold off on picking up the Touch Pro controllers though, as while this feature is now live for developers to use in official Quest Store apps it’ll take time to see it in your favorite VR and MR software. Hopefully, we won't be waiting long.
Mark Zuckerberg has tried the Apple Vision Pro, and he wants you to know that the Meta Quest 3 is “the better product, period”. This is unsurprising given that his company makes the Quest 3, but having gone through all of his arguments he does have a point – in many respects, the Quest 3 is better than Apple’s high-end model.
In his video posted to Instagram, Zuckerberg starts by highlighting the fact that the Quest 3 offers a more impressive interactive software library than the Vision Pro, and right now that is definitely the case. Yes, the Vision Pro has Fruit Ninja, some other spatial apps (as Apple calls them), and plenty of ported-over iPad apps, but nothing on the Vision Pro comes close to matching the quality or immersion levels of Asgard’s Wrath 2, Walkabout Mini Golf, Resident Evil 4 VR, The Light Brigade, or any of the many amazing Quest 3 VR games.
It also lacks fitness apps. I’m currently testing some for a VR fitness experiment (look out for the results in March) and I’ve fallen in love with working out with my Quest 3 in apps like Supernatural. The Vision Pro not only doesn't offer these kinds of experiences, but its design isn’t suited to them either – the hanging cable could get in the way, and the fabric facial interface would get drenched in sweat; a silicone facial interface is a must-have based on my experience.
The only software area where the Vision Pro takes the lead is video. The Quest platform is badly lacking when it comes to offering the best streaming services in VR – only having YouTube and Xbox Cloud Gaming – and it’s unclear if or when this will change. I asked Meta if it has plans to bring more streaming services to Quest, and I was told by a representative that it has “no additional information to share at this time.”
Zuckerberg also highlights some design issues. The Vision Pro is heavier than the Quest 3, and if you use the cool-looking Solo Knit Band you won’t experience the best comfort or support – instead most Vision Pro testers recommend you use the Dual-Loop band which more closely matches the design of the Quest 3’s default band as it has over the head support.
You also can’t wear glasses with the Vision Pro, instead you need to buy expensive inserts. On Quest 3 you can just extend the headset away from your face using a slider on the facial interface and make room for your specs with no problem.
The Vision Pro being worn with the Dual-Loop band (Image credit: Future)
Then there’s the lack of controllers. On the Vision Pro unless you’re playing a game that supports a controller you have to rely solely on hand tracking. I haven’t used the Vision Pro but every account I’ve read or heard – including Zuckerberg’s – has made it clear that hand-tracking isn’t any more reliable on the Vision Pro than it is on Quest; with the general sentiment being that 95% of the time it works seamlessly which is exactly my experience on the Quest 3.
Controllers are less immersive but do help to improve precision – making activities like VR typing a lot more reliable without needing a real keyboard. What’s more, considering most VR and MR software out there right now is designed for controllers software developers have told us it would be a lot easier to port their creations to the Vision Pro if it had handsets.
Lastly, there’s the value. Every Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro comparison will bring up price so we won’t labor the point, but there’s a lot to be said for the fact the Meta headset is only $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 rather than $ 3,499 (it’s not yet available outside the US). Without a doubt the Quest 3 is giving you way better bang for your buck.
The Vision Pro could be improved if it came with controllers (Image credit: Future)
Vision Pro: not down or out
That said, while Zuckerberg makes some solid arguments he does gloss over how the Vision Pro takes the lead, and even exaggerates how much better the Quest 3 is in some areas – and these aren’t small details either.
The first is mixed reality. Compared to the Meta Quest Pro the Vision Pro is leaps and bounds ahead, though reports from people who have tried the Quest 3 suggest the Vision Pro doesn’t offer as much of an improvement – and in ways it is worse as Zuckerberg mentions.
To illustrate the Quest 3’s passthrough quality Zuckerberg reveals the video of him comparing the two headsets is being recorded using a Quest 3, and it looks pretty good – though having used the headset I can tell you this isn’t representative of what passthrough actually looks like. Probably due to how the video is processed recordings of mixed reality on Quest always look more vibrant and less grainy than experiencing it live.
Based on less biased accounts from people who have used both the Quest 3 and Vision Pro it sounds like the live passthrough feed on Apple’s headset is generally a bit less grainy – though still not perfect – but it does have way worse motion blur when you move your head.
Mixed reality has its pros and cons on both headsets (Image credit: Apple)
Zuckerberg additionally takes aim at the Vision Pro’s displays pointing out that they seem less bright than the Quest 3’s LCDs and they offer a narrower field of view. Both of these points are right, but I feel he’s not given enough credit to two important details.
While he does admit the Vision Pro offers a higher resolution he does so very briefly. The Vision Pro’s dual 3,680 x 3,140-pixel displays will offer a much crisper experience than the Quest 3’s dual 2064 x 2208-pixel screens. Considering you use this screen for everything the advantage of better visuals can’t be understated – and a higher pixel density should also mean the Vision Pro is more immersive as you’ll experience less of a screen door effect (where you see the lines between pixels as the display is so close to your eyes).
Zuckerberg also ignores the fact that the Vision Pro’s screens are OLEDs. Yes, this will mean they’re less vibrant, but the upshot is they offer much better contrast for blacks and dark colors. Better contrast has been shown to improve a user’s immersion in VR based on Meta and other’s experiments so I wouldn’t be surprised if the next Quest headset also incorporated OLEDs – rumors suggest it will and I seriously hope it does.
Lastly, there’s eye-tracking which is something the Quest 3 lacks completely. I don’t think the unavailability of eye-tracking is actually a problem, but that deserves its own article.
This prototype headset showed me how important great contrast is (Image credit: Future)
Regardless of whether you agree with Mark Zuckerberg’s arguments or not one thing that’s clear from the video is that the Vision Pro has got the Meta CEO fired up.
He ends his video stating his desire for the Quest 3 and the Meta’s open model (as opposed to the closed-off walled-garden Apple has where you can only use the headset how it intends) to “win out again” like Windows in the computing space.
But we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out. As Zuckerberg himself admits “The future is not yet written” and only time will tell if Apple, Meta or some new player in the game (like Samsung with its Samsung XR headset) will come out on top in the long run.
Since the explosion in popularity of large language AI models chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, many smaller companies have tried to wiggle their way into the scene. Reka, a new AI startup, is gearing up to take on artificial intelligence chatbot giants like Gemini (formerly known as Google Bard) and OpenAI’s ChatGPT – and it may have a fighting chance to actually do so.
The company is spearheaded by Singaporean scientist Yi Tay, working towards Reka Flash, a multilingual language model that has been trained in over 32 languages. Reka Flash also boasts 21 billion parameters, with the company stating that the model could have a competitive edge with Google Gemini Pro and OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5 across multiple AI benchmarks.
According to TechInAsia, the company has also released a more compact version of the model called Reka Edge, which offers 7 billion parameters with specific use cases like on-device use. It’s worth noting that ChatGPT and Google Gemini have significantly more training parameters (approximately 175 billion and 137 billion respectively), but those bots have been around for longer and there are benefits to more ‘compact’ AI models; for example, Google has ‘Gemini Nano’, an AI model designed for running on edge devices like smartphones that uses just 1.8 billion parameters – so Reka Edge has it beat there.
So, who’s Yasa?
The model is available to the public in beta on the official Reka site. I’ve had a go at using it and can confirm that it's got a familiar ChatGPT-esque feel to the user interface and the way the bot responds.
The bot introduced itself as Yasa, developed by Reka, and gave me an instant rundown of all the things it could do for me. It had the usual AI tasks down, like general knowledge, sharing jokes or stories, and solving problems.
Interestingly, Yasa noted that it can also assist in translation, and listed 28 languages it can swap between. While my understanding of written Hindi is rudimentary, I did ask Yasa to translate some words and phrases from English to Hindi and from Hindi to English.
I was incredibly impressed not just by the accuracy of the translation, but also by the fact that Yasa broke down its translation to explain not just how it got there, but also breaking down each word in the phrase or sentence and translated it word forward before giving you the complete sentence. The response time for each prompt no matter how long was also very quick. Considering that non-English-language prompts have proven limited in the past with other popular AI chatbots, it’s a solid showing – although it’s not the only multilingual bot out there.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
I tried to figure out how up-to-date the bot was with current events or general knowledge and finally figured out the information. It must have been trained on information that predates the release of the Barbie movie. I know, a weird litmus test, but when I asked it to give me some facts about the pink-tinted Margot Robbie feature it spoke about it as an ‘upcoming movie’ and gave me the release date of July 28, 2023. So, we appear to have the same case as seen with ChatGPT, where its knowledge was previously limited to world events before 2022.
Of all the ChatGPT alternatives I’ve tried since the AI boom, Reka (or should I say, Yasa) is probably the most immediately impressive. While other AI betas feel clunky and sometimes like poor-man’s knockoffs, Reka holds its own not just with its visually pleasing user interfaces and easy-to-use setup, but for its multilingual capabilities and helpful, less robotic personality.
Just as the Vision Pro launches, Meta has started rolling out software update v62 to its Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro, and Quest 2. The new software’s headline feature is it’s now a lot easier to watch your spatial video recordings on Quest hardware – stealing the Vision Pro’s best feature.
You’ve always been able to view 3D spatial video (or stereoscopic video as most people call it) on Quest hardware. And using a slightly awkward workaround you could convert spatial video recordings you’ve made using an iPhone 15 Pro into a Quest-compatible format to watch them in 3D without needing Apple’s $ 3,500 Vision Pro. But, as we predicted it would, Meta’s made this conversion process a lot simpler with v62.
Now you can simply upload the captured footage through the Meta Quest mobile app and Meta will automatically convert and send it to your headset – even giving the videos the same cloudy border as you’d see on the Vision Pro.
You can find the recordings, and a few Meta-made demo videos, in the spatial videos section of the Files menu on your Quest headset.
You need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max to record 3D video (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Spatial video has been a standout feature referenced in nearly every review featured in our Apple Vision Pro review roundup – with our own Lance Ulanoff calling it an “immersive trip” after one of his demos with the Apple headset. So it’s almost certainly not a coincidence that Meta has announced it’s nabbed the feature literally as the Vision Pro is launching.
Admittedly Quest spatial video isn’t identical to the Vision Pro version as you need an iPhone 15 Pro – on the Vision Pro you can use the iPhone or the headset itself – but over time there’s one potential advantage Meta’s system could have. Non-exclusivity.
Given that other smartphone manufacturers are expected to launch headsets of their own in the coming year or so – such as the already teased Samsung XR headset created in partnership with Google – it’s likely the ability to record 3D video will come to non-iPhones too.
If this happens you’d likely be able to use whichever brand of phone you’d like to record 3D videos that you can then convert and watch on your Quest hardware through the Meta Quest app. Given its typical walled garden approach, you’ll likely always need an iPhone to capture 3D video for the Vision Pro and Apple’s future headsets – and Samsung, Google, and other brands that make smartphones may also impose some kind of walled garden to lock you into their hardware.
(Image credit: Meta)
Other v62 improvements
It’s not just spatial video coming in the next Quest operating system update.
Facebook Livestreaming, after being added in update v56, is now available to all Meta Quest users. So now everyone can share their VR adventures with their Facebook friends in real-time by selecting “Go Live” from the Camera icon on the Universal Menu while in VR (provided your Facebook and Meta accounts are linked through the Accounts Center).
If you prefer YouTube streaming, it’s now possible to see your chat while streaming without taking the headset off provided you’re using OBS software.
Lastly, Meta is improving its hand-tracking controls so you can quickly access the Universal Menu by looking at your palm and doing a short pinch. Doing a long pinch will recenter your display. You can always go back to the older Quick Actions Menu by going into your Settings, searching for Expanded Quick Actions, and turning it back on.
A slick new advert for the Apple Vision Pro has just appeared on the official Apple YouTube account, just a few days ahead of the first shipments of the mixed reality headset being sent out to customers. Meanwhile, a new report claims that Meta now considers itself to be the headset's main, Android-style adversary.
The 68-second video has the usual Apple polish and a lot of the ingredients we've come to expect from Apple commercials – such as a classic pop song, aspirational lifestyles, travel, family and friends. It's called “Hello Apple Vision Pro” and the promise in the caption is that “you can do the things you love in ways never before possible”.
It's actually a helpful preview of some of the features and experiences that the Vision Pro offers: watching movies, working on presentations in a virtual 3D space, making FaceTime calls, bringing up images and video that wrap around your field of vision, and more.
As you would expect from an advertisement, it's somewhat selective in what it shows. There's no sign of the Vision Pro battery pack, and Napoleon is an interesting choice as the featured movie, because Ridley Scott's historical epic is seven minutes longer than the Vision Pro's official estimated battery life. You might need a recharge for the end credits.
More competition
We've already spent some time with Apple's headset for our hands-on Apple Vision Pro review, though not enough yet for a full review. Those first verdicts are going to be interesting, as will the impact of the headset on the augmented/virtual/mixed reality hardware market as a whole.
The Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro are now in direct competition with Apple's new device, but Meta executives don't seem to be overly perturbed by the Vision Pro's arrival. As per the Wall Street Journal (via 9to5Mac), Meta is hoping that the Vision Pro boosts interest in the tech in general, leading to more sales of the cheaper Meta headsets too.
Meta executives are “optimistic”, sources have told the WSJ, with the report going on to say that Meta is hoping to be the Android of the AR/VR/MR space – in other words, the main alternative to Apple, as Google's mobile operating system is on phones and tablets.
According to the WSJ, the Vision Pro has “influenced Meta's thinking” when it comes to embracing mixed reality experiences, and improving natural gesture control – Apple's headset relies on eye and finger tracking, while the Meta devices are primarily operated by physical controllers, with gesture support in testing.
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