A new Oculus VR headset, likely the Oculus Quest 3, is apparently in development, after
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will confirm during a January earnings call for the company. Although the details of the project have yet to be officially confirmed, Zuckerberg told investors: “We continue to work on new material. will adapt to the same platform, so
content running on Quest 2 should be forward compatible, so we will build a larger install base around the VR headsets that we have. This gives the impression that Facebook-owned Oculus is working on a successor to the Oculus Quest 2, which we described in our review as perhaps
"the best VR headset of all time."
Information is scant on what is likely to be the early stages of the project's development, but
Below is everything we know about the Oculus Quest 3, the state of virtual reality and what we want to see next.
Oculus Quest 3 release date
Don't expect Oculus Quest 3 to arrive until 2022; with the release of Quest 2 in October 2020, just a year and a half after the original,
Quest 3 is likely to follow a similar timeline.
We'd be surprised to see it launch in 2023, given Facebook's obvious desire to establish itself as the birthplace of mainstream VR games.
Oculus Quest 3 Specifications and Expectations
Given the improvements Quest 2 has made over its predecessor,
we would expect the Quest 3 to remain a standalone VR headset with the usual improvements in battery life, processing power, and performance. The Quest 2 features a 50% sharper image than the original device, which
sets an impressive benchmark for the Quest 3.
The Quest 2 also increased the refresh rate to 90Hz from the original Quest's default 72Hz.Although we wouldn't expect to see a major increase (if any) in a new device given that most VR titles don't yet support these higher refresh rates.
(Image credit: Oculus) We could also see changes to the form factor,
possibly further reducing weight or focusing on changes related to comfort. We're sure the software will be updated to improve hand tracking at this time as well, while the kind of haptic feedback we're seeing on the PS5 DualSense controller looks like it could improve VR experiences if it were. From the Quest driver pair in a significant way. However,
An almost inevitable feature of Quest 3 will be its integration with the Facebook ecosystem., which means that you will probably need a Facebook account to access the platform.
This prerequisite means that you will again be subject to Facebook's data monitoring practices., so if you're morally against Quest 2's data collection methods, you're out of luck.
Oculus Quest 3 Price
How much would an Oculus Quest 3 model cost? The Oculus Quest 2 comes in two variations: a model with 64GB of storage, priced at €299 / €299 / AU$479, and a 256GB version for €399 / €399 / AU$639.
That's a significant savings from the price at which the original entry-level model of the Oculus Quest opened sales.. We would not expect a
Quest 3 was much cheaper, and we've seen Oculus adopt a same price, better specs strategy when upgrading from the Oculus Rift to the Rift S.
Knowing Facebook's plans for hardware like a mainstream VR platform, it's a safe bet that it won't be more expensive than the current Quest 2 model.
(Image credit: Oculus / Facebook)
Oculus Quest 3 predictions: What we want to see
In our Oculus Quest 2 review, it was hard to find fault with a VR headset that proved immersive, comfortable, and easy to use. However, even though
clearly leads the pack in the virtual reality market, it still faces some of the pitfalls that affect the technology as a whole.
Here's a list of updates we want to see in Oculus Quest 3:
Improved motion sickness prevention
One of those technological pitfalls, and perhaps unavoidable, is the
motion sickness that can often occur when using any virtual reality headset. Depending on your tolerance for buzzing and blurring,
Quest 2 can cause dizziness. While there is no clear path yet to make a VR headset immune to motion sickness,
however, it is something we would like to see improved in Oculus Quest 3.
Best fit
The same goes for device tuning. Yes ok
the Quest 2 is really a comfortable weight on the head, it can still be a bit claustrophobic to get a good, tight fit. Again, this is a problem almost every VR headset faces, and a basic problem that the next generation of hardware should at least try to better address.
Improved Oculus Store
Other improvements we'd like to see include a more efficient VR Oculus Store. While the equivalent in-browser and in-app store makes it easier to discover new releases and find upcoming games, the in-ear store seems to roll the dice on which apps are displayed without any means of finding out. Quickly navigate to new content.
This makes it hard to pre-order games and discover new titles to buy. while using the device, which is essential to ensure the headphones retain playback capability.
(Image credit: Oculus / Facebook)
A social space with a neighborhood air
While Quest 2 has a competent party invitation system for you to play with your friends, there is no social space to interact with others.
It would be interesting to see Quest 3 introduce a virtual social space, along the same lines as the NBA 2K neighborhood, to share downtime with others. What is furniture for several people in today's home environment if there is no one to share it with?
Improved media sharing
Sharing screenshots and videos on Oculus devices has never been easy, and it's an issue Quest 2 has tried to address with little success.. There are a few more hurdles you still need to clear before you can share your VR content, which is often just randomly captured anyway, so
we would like Oculus 3 to make everything more accessible. 1080p video, app integration, proper audio sync would all be nice too.
The road ahead of Oculus Quest 3
While VR gaming is a medium that has certainly grown in popularity in recent years
(Quest 2 has reportedly received five times as many pre-orders as its predecessor), is not yet considered to have entered the mainstream market. At least that's the opinion
from Mark Zuckerberg, who reportedly said in 2018 that 10 million VR users were needed to ensure the Oculus platform was "sustainable and profitable for all types of developers". However, he added that "once we cross that threshold, we think the content and ecosystem will just explode" (as reported by RoadtoVR). Also
there's a huge hole in the market right now that the Oculus Quest 3 could try to fill. The Valve Index is one of the best VR headsets we've tested so far, but transistor shortages have effectively halted production of the device for the past year, making it very hard to come by. Therefore,
a new Oculus device could learn from the success of the Valve headset and really establish itself in the VR industry.
Of course,
Rumors are also circulating that an Apple virtual reality headset is in the works (along with an Apple car, smart glasses, TV, etc.), which could mean stiff competition in the coming years. However, several tech heavyweights vying for the top spot can only be a good thing for VR gaming, so we look forward to what the Oculus Quest 3 can bring. Today's best Oculus Quest 2 deals