Meta reveals $499 Quest 3 VR headset with fall release date

After several leaks and rumors, Meta’s Quest 3 virtual reality and mixed reality headset has been officially announced. Meta revealed the Quest 3 ahead of Thursday’s Meta Gaming Showcase, where it will likely debut several new games. Quest 3 comes with 128GB storage and will retail for $499.99. The release date is set to fall 2023. The company said it would go into greater detail about the headset on Meta Connect Sept. 27, but that there is no release date yet.

Meta didn’t provide hard specs for Quest 3, but promised “higher resolution, stronger performance, breakthrough Meta Reality technology, and a slimmer, more comfortable form factor” for its next-gen headset. Meta says it has also “completely redesigned Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers with a more streamlined and ergonomic form factor.”

Quest 3 replaces the Quest 2 launched in 2020. It is now the best-selling and most supported headset available. Like the Quest 2, the Quest 3 is a wire-free headset that doesn’t require a fast PC to use. Meta claims that the Quest 3 is compatible with all Quest 2 titles and will have twice as much graphical power. It will also feature thinner opticals and higher-resolution displays.

Unlike the Quest Pro, which can track your face to make your cartoony avatar more convincing in the metaverse, the Quest 3’s features don’t seem to be leaps and bounds above the Quest 2. The passthrough feature has been improved with high-fidelity colors, allowing you to play games like augmented reality. Demeo, that utilize the Quest 3’s tracking cameras (the Quest 2’s passthrough mode is fuzzy and in color). Quest 3 includes new Touch Plus Controllers with haptic improvements borrowed from controllers shipped with the more expensive Quest Pro.

Meta will sell Quest 2 at the lower price starting June 4 for 128GB models and $349.99 if you want the 256GB version. The company also revealed that a software update will be released soon for the 2020 headset to increase the CPU and GPU performance.