Open up our Meta Quest 3 review and you'll see the virtual reality headset has a not-unreasonable starting price of $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 – certainly way below the $ 3,499 (or higher) you'll pay for the Apple Vision Pro. However, it seems an even more affordable Meta headset is on the way.
After teasing what's being called the Meta Quest 3 Lite earlier this month, VR Panda (via Android Authority) has posted a picture of the rumored device on social media. As you might have expected, it looks a lot like the Meta Quest 3.
There are some differences though – the passthrough cameras on the outside of the wearable have apparently been ditched, which presumably means augmented reality effects and any kind of hand tracking control are off the agenda.
The team at Android Authority reckons that further savings could come through the use of a more affordable processor. Savings are certainly going to have to be made somewhere, if Meta is going to manage to significantly undercut the price of the Quest 3.
As with every leak, we should apply a certain level of caution before taking it at face value. Last year we did hear talk that a cheaper Meta Quest VR device was on the way, but there hasn't been an abundance of leaks and rumors about it – and of course company plans can always change when it comes to gadget launches.
The lack of any passthrough cameras would be a surprise, even if Meta is trying to save on production costs. The company has previously said that passthrough is likely to be a “standard feature” on future headsets, so make of that what you will.
If you're wanting to strap a device to your head that mixes virtual reality and augmented reality, then the distinction between Apple and Meta is pretty clear – with the former company's offering costing seven times as much.
Affordability is a big selling point for Meta to emphasize, and it looks as though that gap will grow even more with the next device. As yet though, there's no indication about when a Meta Quest 3 Lite headset could see the light of day.
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.
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.
Meta might have been a big – perhaps even the biggest – player in the VR world for some time, but newcomer Apple is already giving it ideas for features to add to its Quest headsets, and the first of these could be the ability to use your Quest VR wearable while moving in a car or on a plane.
Using a VR headset while traveling – especially on a packed plane – sounds like a no-brainer. Rather than having to contend with movies displayed on a small screen on the back of the seat in front of you, you can enjoy them on a massive virtual movie theatre screen and forget that you’re crammed into coach like a sardine.
(Image credit: Apple)
However, while the idea sounds simple, it’s rather tricky to pull off – as one disappointed Meta Quest 3 user discovered when they struggled to use mixed reality on a flight. On Twitter/X, user @afoxdesign posted a rather amusing clip of their Quest 3 menu floating off into the distance while trying to use the headset on a flight.
In a reply to the post, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth (@boztank) explained that the issue is caused by the plane’s movement throwing off the headset’s IMUs (inertial motion sensors). The sensors are picking up on the plane’s movement and acceleration, so your headset thinks you’re moving about and adjusts the position of virtual objects accordingly.
Encouragingly, Bosworth added that Meta is “Working on it” with regards to making it possible to use Quest headsets while traveling in a vehicle.
No, we use an IMU to keep objects localized relative to your headset motion so moving vehicles represent a challenge (when they accelerate in any direction). We also use the cameras, of course, they work together as the IMU is higher frequency but lower accuracy. Working on it!January 24, 2024
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Back in May 2023 Meta showed off a demo where a Meta Quest Pro was being used in a BMW, with the car’s own sensors keeping the headset's IMUs in check. Unfortunately, this solution wouldn’t work for low-tech vehicles or commercial planes, where it might not be the safest idea to give random people direct access to the airplane’s sensors.
Option two, then, may be to introduce a simplified travel mode in which these motion sensors are turned off. Instead, the headset would use scaled-back tracking data and reference points to enable stable versions of static experiences like watching a video or playing a game through the VR Xbox Game Pass app – becoming a headset version of the Xreal Air 2 and similar wearable AR display glasses.
We’ll have to wait and see what Meta comes up with, but with Apple offering a solution to the using-a-headset-while-traveling problem, and Bosworth saying that a solution is being worked on, we’re hopeful that Quest headsets will be usable on a plane or in a car in the not too distant future.
Just as Apple has officially confirmed that its Vision Pro headset will go on sale in February, Xreal has announced a spatial computing rival that’s way more affordable. Its new Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses will come out in March, and will cost $ 699 (around £550 / AU$ 1,050), which is significantly less than the $ 3,499 Apple gadget (around £2,755 / AU$ 5,225).
The Xreal Air 2 Ultra launch happened at CES 2024, the massive annual tech expo in Las Vegas. The glasses are a follow-up to the AR smart specs we’ve tried in our Xreal Air review and Xreal Air 2 Pro review, with both delivering solid visuals in a comfortable-to-wear and sleek form factor. If you ask us, the Xreal Airs are the best version of this kind of smart glasses.
The new Ultra model looks set to take things up a notch with the addition of cameras – the first time Xreal has incorporated them into its Air specs. These will allow spatial computing apps to identify real-world objects that virtual elements can interact with, and will also enable hand-tracking.
Xreal has also highlighted that its specs can let you enjoy immersive 3D spatial video, just as you'll be able to on the Vision Pro – which in our experience is the most mind-blowing Vision Pro feature. To view your own recordings on the Air 2 Ultra you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro and a third-party video conversion app to turn your file into the right format; the process sounds nearly identical to the way you watch spatial video on a Meta Quest 3.
Are they truly an Ultra XR gadget at an affordable price? (Image credit: Xreal)
One issue we’ve previously had with the Air glasses is that they lack the ability to interact with virtual elements – they’re effectively just wearable screens. So, with the introduction of cameras, the Air 2 Ultra glasses could finally feel like true AR glasses.
Unfortunately, there’s a big catch.
Familiar faults remain
While the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is billed as an affordable alternative to the Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3, the comparison isn’t exactly accurate, as the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is not a standalone product. Much as with the other Xreal Air products, you’ll need to hook them up to a compatible gadget with a USB-C display port (meaning it can output video and audio through USB-C).
That's just for screen mirroring though. If you want a bona fide spatial computer there are just three compatible devices listed on the official store page right now: the Samsung Galaxy S22, the Samsung Galaxy S23, and a “custom computing unit” that Xreal says is on the way. The list is slightly longer if you include the other phones in Samsung’s S22 and S23 lines – the Ultra and Plus models – but still, if you have any other smartphone it looks like you’ll have to buy a new handset to get the most out of these specs.
As such, while the glasses and Samsung phone combo would still be a whole lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro – costing you not much more than $ 1,000 / $ 1,100 if you can find a Galaxy S22 on sale, for example with this $ 369.99 Galaxy S22 deal at Target – they don’t look like an affordable alternative to the $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 Meta Quest 3.
The Meta Quest 3 will probably still be the best affordable XR gadget (Image credit: Meta)
Maybe the “custom computing unit” will offer a cheaper alternative to a whole smartphone – it won’t need features like cameras after all – but the Xreal system will still cost more than a Meta headset, and it won't be as easy to use as a Quest given all those required add-ons.
What’s more, currently it’s not clear if Xreal will come close to matching the quality and range of dedicated XR software found in the Quest library (XR being a catchall for VR, AR, and MR). So you might have cool gear, but not all that much to look at or play on it.
We’ll have to try the Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses for ourselves to get a proper sense of their capabilities. But, much as with the base Xreal Air 2, while the Ultra model is a clear leap forward it looks like it'll be let down by familiar faults.
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