Meta Quest 3 may only have been available for two weeks, but the rumors of another kind of Quest 3 device are already flowing. Word of a low-cost Meta headset codenamed Ventura first appeared in March ’23, but its arrival now seems all but confirmed. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in early October that ’24 would see Meta deliver “a cheaper mixed reality headset that looks a lot like Quest 3 but uses less expensive components.” Gurman also suggested that the device could be released without any physical controller to further reduce its price.
What We Know Now
Brad Lynch, known to many as SadlyItsBradley, has leaked copious pieces of information about Meta devices in the past and has done so once again regarding this more affordable Quest, rumored to be called Meta Quest 3 Lite. According to a report leaked to Lynch by an anonymous Chinese analyst with supply chain connections, Meta Quest 3 Lite could arrive as soon as the first half of 2024 and start at a price of $199 USD. With storage options ranging from 64 GB ($199) to 256 GB ($399), Meta Quest 3 Lite would cover the gap left by Quest 2, which would be discontinued upon Lite’s release.This same anonymous analyst also claims that Meta will opt for black-and-white passthrough like Quest 2, not the full color passthrough of Quest 3, while utilizing the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset. Fresnel lenses are also reported to remain in use and not the pancake lenses found in Quest 3.
Control In Your Hands
While these two leak reports contain a few contradictions, where they agree is on the issue of controllers. Meta has greatly improved its hand-tracking tech over the last few years, to the point that Quest 3 Lite may be perfectly usable with only human hands as controllers. Removing standard controllers from the package would obviously cut down on production costs and retail price while also giving Meta a chance to tout its high-quality hand-tracking control.Any headset from Meta that lands on shelves at less than $200 will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience, including many who ignored VR and MR for being too expensive. VR porn may only be a small portion of what Meta Quest 3 Lite is eventually used for, but at this price point and with a strong set of features, it could very easily become the VR porn device of choice for a huge audience. Advanced, boundary-pushing VR and MR tech is all well and good, but if you’re just looking to leap into a VR sex romp with a big-bootied baddie, a lighter load is often the best choice.
vrjoeker says
Would be nice to ditch the controllers. Would take some getting used to but what an advancement.
SilentMajority says
The price point sounds fantastic. What I am not sure about is hand tracking only. I still find myself grabbing the controllers in my Quest 2. Has hand tracking improved that much in the 3?