Meta Unveils Quest 3 Mixed Reality Headset
In a strategic move just days before Apple’s anticipated entry into the mixed reality headset market, Mark Zuckerberg took the stage to unveil Meta’s Quest 3 headset. As the dominant player in the virtual reality headset space, Meta faces the prospect of formidable competition from Apple this year.
While Zuckerberg has been vocal about Meta’s ambitions to shape the future of the internet through the metaverse, Apple has quietly been working on its own vision for the digital world.
Reports indicate that Apple has faced two delays in announcing its mixed reality headset due to the device not meeting the company’s stringent standards for design and functionality.
As tech enthusiasts and Apple fans eagerly await the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week, Meta is strategically aiming to capture attention and maintain a competitive edge with the unveiling of its Quest 3 headset.
What to expect from Meta’s Quest 3?
With Apple looking set to jump into the AR/ VR segment, Meta needs to up its game and the Quest 3 is an obvious attempt to do get this done. For starters, the device is 40 percent thinner than its predecessor while the graphic performance has been doubled.
Meta is moving away from being just a VR headset company by adding three cameras on the front and giving users a connection to the real world around them. Smartly, it will also leverage these cameras to lets users play virtual games on a tabletop, increasing the ways the headset can be used.
The company has added a depth sensor to this headset and dropped the halos around the controllers to make them feel more natural. The device is priced at $499 and Meta is dropping the prices of its other headsets to stir up demand, after seeing a dip in sales over the past year.
Meta is perhaps hopeful that the rumored price of $3,000 for Apple’s upcoming headset will serve as a deterrent for many buyers, who will pick its pocket-friendly offering instead.
However, knowing Apple’s track record of entering the market with the right offering at the right time, makes one wonder if Meta is missing a trick by trying to keep its device light on the pockets. Reports suggest that Apple could pack 4k displays inside its headset, leaving nothing to chance when it comes to user experience.
The WWDC will perhaps give the world the first glimpse of Apple’s vision for mixed-reality headsets and it would not be a surprise if others are found falling severely short of what Apple achieves. It did it with the smartphone, the smartwatch and the mixed reality could be its next big offering.