Meta Quest 3 could be quite slim - render design

Meta Quest 3 could be quite slim - render design

January 22 update:

3D artist and industrial designer Marcus Kane aka Hyperware produced professional renderings of the leaked prototype showing more details.

Original article from Jan 19, 2023:

A 3D model of the presumed Meta Quest 3 prototype shows the possible design of the VR headset.

Later this year, the successor to Meta Quest 2 will be released. That much has been confirmed on Meta's part. Last fall, well-informed hardware analyst Brad Lynch published blueprints of a VR headset prototype, allegedly showing the design of Meta Quest 3.

The Youtuber leaked drawings of Meta Quest Pro a few months earlier, which subsequently proved accurate. There's a good chance that there's something to the leak. Still, Lynch emphasizes that small details could still change.

Zwei CAD-Baupläne zeigen Meta Quest 3 von vorne und seitlich gedreht.

The leaked CAD blueprints show Meta Quest 3. | Image: SadlyitsBradley

Leaked Stinson prototype as 3D model

3D artist Alvin Suen has created a 3D model based on the CAD blueprints of the presumed Quest 3 prototype. If you are reading this article on a smartphone, you can view the 3D rendering from all sides by touching it.

With the Sketchfab app, it's also possible to see the headset in your physical environment via augmented reality. Meta Quest 2 also lets you view the VR headset in VR in the Meta Quest browser, or with the Figmin XR app.

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What immediately catches the eye are the three elongated protrusions on the front of the VR headset. According to the blueprints, there are a pair of black-and-white and RBG cameras (left and right, respectively) as well as a depth sensor (center). These allow spatial tracking, color passthrough, and improved hand tracking. The elaborate sensor architecture suggests that Meta's hardware focus is on mixed reality.

CAD blueprint showing the front of Meta Quest 3 with passthrough sensor technology.

This image shows the technology located behind the front cover. | Image: SadlyitsBradley

Also quite noticeable is the slimmer profile of the case compared to Meta Quest 2 (review). Chances are good that Meta uses pancake lenses like they did with Meta Quest Pro (review), allowing for a slimmer form factor.

Ein Rendering des Stinson-CAD-Leaks, dass das Headset von oben zeigt.

Meta Quest 3 should catch up to Pico 4 in terms of form factor. | Image: Alvin Suen

White Touch Pro controllers look good

Suen added Meta's new Touch Pro controllers to the 3D model of the headset, but in white to match the Meta Quest 3. The new VR controllers are included with Meta Quest Pro, but are also compatible with Meta Quest 2 and have been available for purchase separately since December. The Touch Pro controllers track themselves and therefore do not need the obtrusive tracking rings of the usual touch controllers.

It is extremely unlikely that Meta Quest 3 ships with the Touch Pro controllers, given the high price of $300. Meta Quest 3 is supposed to cost between $300 and $500, according to Mark Zuckerberg. However, they would fit well with the new VR headset in white, as the 3D model shows. We assume that they will also be compatible with Meta Quest 3.

An overview of facts and rumors about Meta Quest 3 can be found behind the link.

Sources: Luna @ Twitter