Meta Quest 3S: Much cheaper but hardly worse than Quest 3?
UPDATEJuly 25, 2024:
A purported image of the Quest 3S has surfaced on X (see update below).
VR enthusiast Luna claims to have learned the key specs of Meta Quest 3S, an upcoming cheaper version of Quest 3.
There are credible reports that Meta will release a cheaper version of Quest 3 in 2024 to replace the Quest 2, which could be called Quest 3S.
Meta has not announced anything yet and is selling Quest 2 at the lowest price ever, apparently to clear out stock.
Over the weekend, VR enthusiast Luna asked Quest developers via X to submit information about the Meta Quest 3S developer kit, apparently with success.
Exclusive: Meta Quest 3s (preliminary naming)
AdAdProject Codenames: Ventura, Panther
I have seen multiple devkits and spoken to several people familiar with the device. Here are all the things I have learned and feel comfortable sharing in a single infographic: pic.twitter.com/OFFURqVODS
- Luna (@Lunayian) May 20, 2024
Luna writes on X: "I have seen multiple devkits and spoken to several people familiar with the device. Here are all the things I have learned and feel comfortable sharing in a single infographic."
The infographic includes the following specifications:
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
- Display: Single Fast-Switch LCD with 1,832 by 1,920 pixels per eye (20 PPD)
- Frame rate: 90/120 Hertz
- Lenses: Fresnel with 3-Position IPD/IAD adjustment and Quest 2 style glasses spacer
- Sensors: 4 x IR tracking cameras, 2 x 4 MP (18 PPD) RGB passthrough cameras, 2 x IR illuminators for depth sensing
- Controller: Touch Plus Controller
- Software features: Same as Meta Quest 3 (space setup, inside-out body tracking, multimodal hand tracking)
Luna does not mention the price, the final product name or the release window.
Quest 3S: Not much worse than Quest 3?
If these specifications are real, then the device does not lose much compared to Quest 3:
- The resolution would be 30 percent lower (same as Quest 2), the lenses would be inferior (Fresnel instead of pancake lenses), and the field of view would be slightly narrower. The frame rate would remain identical to Quest 2 and 3.
- The form factor would likely be similar to Quest 2 (bulkier than Quest 3) due to the Fresnel lenses.
- Quest 3S would use the same chipset as Quest 3, which is more than as powerful as Quest 2's chipset.
- The passthrough cameras would have exactly the same specs on paper.
- Quest 3S would have the same ringless controllers as Quest 3.
- The cheaper headset would have 2 IR illuminators instead of a single depth sensor. What exactly this means remains to be seen. In any case, there is feature parity at the software level according to Luna.
These specifications would be exceptional for a device estimated to cost $300, especially considering that Meta Quest 3 costs $500.
A comparison of the alleged Quest 3 specs with Quest 2 and Quest 3. | Bild: MIXED
A manufacturer of VR accessories has published a presumed image of the Quest 3S on X:
Quest3s 🫣 pic.twitter.com/vi6Nctjo8X
— VR Panda. Alex From CHN (@ZGFTECH) July 25, 2024
The arrangement of the sensors matches the advertising material that was leaked in March.
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