Meta Quest 3's passthrough is a "big improvement", Mark Gurman reaffirms
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman went hands-on with a prototype of the Meta Quest 3. In a new video, he elaborates on the experience.
The report was published on Sunday and largely confirms the Quest 3 leak from Youtuber Brad Lynch as well as information from The Verge. The following two articles summarize the information from Mark Gurman's hands-on:
- Hands-on preview of Meta Quest 3 reveals big mixed reality upgrades
- A slim and light Quest 3 with ringless controllers revealed in hands-on preview
VR Youtuber DeeSax chatted with Mark Gurman and followed up with him to clear up any ambiguities in the Bloomberg article. Gurman says that he was not given access to the prototype by Meta and that Meta would not answer any questions. Accordingly, Gurman was most likely trying out a developer unit.
Quest 3 is about the same weight as Quest 2
Shortly after the article appeared, mixed reality developer and Twitter user CIX write that he had also tried Meta Quest 3, though he later deleted his tweets. CIX wrote that contrary to the Bloomberg report, Quest 3 is heavier than Quest 2, weighing in at 509 grams (Quest 2 weighs 503 grams).
Asked about this fact, Gurman said:
"My hands-on was with the Quest 3, not with the Apple device. A developer stated the Quest 3 is actually 509 grams, just a few more grams than the Quest 2. It felt lighter to me, but I didn't bring a scale with me. It felt lighter on the face. That's right. When I said later, I was talking about on the face. It felt lighter to me."
That the Quest feels lighter is probably due to the thinner profile. Both Gurman and CIX write that the device is thinner than the Quest 2.
As for the look and design, Gurman says the prototype he saw is "100 % exactly like the renders" leaked by Brad Lynch in October. He also says that the Quest 3's headband is "much better and higher quality" than the Quest 2's.
A difference "like night and day"
Gurman also discusses the quality of the passthrough mode, comparing it to that of the Quest 2 and confirming that it allows the use of a smartphone.
"Yes, I tried mixed reality on the Quest 3. So, you know, if you're like in your home environment, you turn on mixed reality passthrough. It's like a software setting. And basically instead of seeing the home environment or like a gray screen or whatever you have it set to, behind the app you're looking at, it's actually the real world behind you. It's the same thing Apple's doing."
"[...] I have used the Quest Pro. That thing's awful. I don't remember the passthrough honestly. But I literally was wearing this headset [Quest 3] and I did what I couldn't do on my Quest 2. I tried looking at the time on my Apple Watch. And I was able to read the time, I was texting through my iPhone while wearing the headset, which if you've used a Quest 2 you know, is not possible. So, yeah, it's a big improvement, big improvement. I'm not saying it's crystal clear, like you're looking through regular glasses, right? But I'm telling you, it's day and night compared to the Quest 2."
Quest 3 is the same color as Quest 2
Gurman reiterates that the device does not offer eye or face tracking, but it does offer a kind of smart guardian that automatically scans the surrounding room for mixed reality experiences.
"The Quest I used OS-wise was identical to the Quest 2. Same home environment, the new software features had to do with the environmental meshing, which is similar to like a feature that iOS has already with the Lidar scanner."
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He also says that Quest 3 is significantly faster than Quest 2, likely referring to the system itself rather than performance in VR games.
"It felt so much faster. I've got two Quest 2's here, and this thing is so much faster. It's got the second gen XR 2."
Gurman also acknowledges that the device is not gray, but is the same color as the Quest 2.
"I said gray. Believe it or not, I'm frickin' colorblind, okay. It's the same color as the Quest 2, all right. So, God forgive me, I said gray, it looks great to me. It's the same as the Quest 2, okay?"
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Check out Meta Quest 3: All the facts and rumors for more information on the device. Meta Quest 3 will be launched this year, probably around October, and is rumored to be slightly more expensive than Meta Quest 2.
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