Updated August 30, 2023
With anticipation high for, well, pretty much anything coming out of Meta headquarters these days, many are wondering how The Company Formerly Known as Facebook would follow up the roaring success of its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. As unveiled in leaks from XR hardware analyst Brad Lynch, there’s much to get excited about months, even years from Quest 3’s eventual release.
Rumored to be arriving in 2023 and suggested be one of the major announcements to come from Meta Connect 2022, Meta Quest 3 is likely to have, according to Lynch, uOLED displays and custom Meta-built chips instead of the Snapdragon XR3 from Qualcomm many expected. Whether Quest 3 runs on a new operating system, an upgrade and adaptation of Quest 2’s OS, or a modified Android OS remains to be seen – though Lynch seems to believe Android will be the way Meta goes.Greater Expectations
Hoping to sell 3 million units after the roaring success of (Oculus) Quest 2, Meta is likely to keep Quest 3’s price point within reach for average VR consumers and in line with previous Quest editions. With a potential obstacle in reaching its intended audience size being its very name – Meta may be a current buzzword, but it is yet to prove it has the global recognition of Oculus – and the looming arrival of Sony’s Playstation VR2, Meta Quest 3 is a crucial piece of hardware for the company. For VR porn fans, it may not be as necessary, but it sure is exciting. Quest 2 was (and still is) a premiere piece of virtual sex hardware with few serious rivals.
A Leaked Look Inside Quest 3
Lynch is back with more details about the forthcoming Quest 3, and the details are graphic this time. In a YouTube video on his SadlyItsBradley channel, Lynch showed off leaked CAD files he believes to detail what will likely be Meta Quest 3.
Allegedly going by the codename ‘Stinson,’ Quest 3 will feature, according to the images, 6DoF tracking via two cameras, a four-camera array with pairs of black-and-white and RGB cameras, dual LCD displays, a depth sensor, and pancake lenses, among other features. Notably, it appears Quest 3 will not provide eye or face tracking, unlike Quest Pro.With Lynch having proven himself quite reliable when it comes to other VR industry leaks, it’s not much of a stretch to assume some, if not all of these new details about Quest 3 are accurate. Either way, confirmation of the device’s features will appear in the coming months.
Quest 3 Leaks, Unboxing
After being officially announced in June ’23, Meta Quest 3 has remained on the minds of VR aficionados and tech industry observers, all of whom seem eager for any and every tidbit of information about the device. A video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) shows the highly anticipated follow-up to the massively-selling Quest 2 being unboxed, giving clear views of the headset, controllers, and packaging.
Posted to X without (much) comment by @ZGFTECH, the video shows a brown box branded with the Meta logo and the words “Meta Quest 3” in white. A card attached to the headset displays instructions on how to adjust lens depth, confirming that feature. Controllers without the tracking rings of Quest 2 and the reduced size of the Quest 3 headset allow for less packaging. The headset itself appears to arrive with a silicone face pad, a feature which Quest 2 only received as an update after initially releasing with a foam insert. While that was about all the video leak revealed, it’s helpful to see the device in someone’s hands.It’s a Date… Or Is It?
An Amazon.ca listing apparently showing product information related to Quest 3 was uncovered by @IronBugVR and shows a release date of October 10. Whether this turns out to be correct remains to be seen, but with Meta Connect 2023 scheduled for September 27-28, it’s expected a release date will soon be made official.
vrjoeker says
I’m anticipating greatness!!!
chazinpuzzy says
Can’t wait for 2023!
JustSquat says
Exciting times for VR