The next Meta Quest will be much thinner and faster, but pricier too
According to leaked information, Meta Quest 3 will be more expensive than Meta Quest 2 and will be followed by a cheaper device in 2024.
On Tuesday, Meta held an internal presentation for employees of the Reality Labs division and shared the roadmap for VR and AR products through 2027. This information came to the public through a report by The Verge.
The report confirms and substantiates earlier rumors about the Meta Quest 3, which will be released later this year. According to the report, the device "will be two times thinner, at least twice as powerful, and cost slightly more than the $400 Quest 2". Mark Zuckerberg previously mentioned a price range of $300 to $500.
The headset will also offer a better mixed reality experience like the recently launched Meta Quest Pro. This was confirmed already.
Mixed Reality to be a big new feature
Mixed Reality "will be a huge selling point", according to the report. Meta Quest 3, whose internal codename is Stinson, will offer a "smart guardian" to help navigate the real world while they are wearing the device.
"The main north star for the team was from the moment you put on this headset, the mixed reality has to make it feel better, easier, more natural," Mark Rabkin, Meta's vice president for VR reportedly said during the presentation. “You can walk effortlessly through your house knowing you can see perfectly well. You can put anchors and things on your desktop. You can take your coffee. You can stay in there much longer.”
The Meta Quest 2's mixed reality capabilities are quite limited: The real environment is shown in grainy black and white, and walls and physical objects must be manually drawn to be recognized by the headset and mixed-reality-enabled apps.
Another, cheaper Meta Quest is planned for 2024
According to the report, there will be 41 new apps and games shipping for the Quest 3, including new mixed reality experiences to take advantage of the updated hardware. Good to know: Meta has acquired nine VR studios since November 2019, which could deliver some of the new VR games and content for Meta Quest 3.
Despite the improved mixed reality and new software, Meta is aware of the challenge of launching a new headset that's pricier than the older one it's presumably replacing. “We have to get enthusiasts fired up about it,” Rabkin told Meta employees. “We have to prove to people that all this power, all these new features are worth it.”
Another headset, codenamed Ventura, is slated to follow in 2024 and is expected to be "more accessible."
"The goal for this headset is very simple: pack the biggest punch we can at the most attractive price point in the VR consumer market," said Rabkin. Ventura could thus follow in the footsteps of Meta Quest 2 in terms of price and product strategy, while Meta Quest 3 is aimed more at enthusiasts.
The article image shows a rendering of a presumed Stinson prototype. It is not an official image. The actual design of Meta Quest 3 might differ from it.
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