Meta Quest 3 News & Reviews

During Meta Connect’s big Quest 3S unveiling yesterday, where the company showed off the $300 headset for the first time, Meta announced it was also releasing a new app exclusively for Quest 3 that lets you explore photorealistic spaces. And they aren’t like the 360 photos you’ll see in Google Street View either; they’re full photogrammetry scenes you can actually walk through.

Meta calls the app Horizon Hyperscape, which is now available to Quest 3 and Quest 3S users in the US for free.

The company notes its photorealistic environments were created using mobile phone scans and cloud-based processing, highlighting however that Horizon Hyperscape is a “demo experience to showcase our vision for photorealism, as a profound new way to feel like you’re physically there.”

While users can’t upload their own photo scans “today,” on stage at Connect CEO Mark Zuckerberg underlined “you can use your phone to scan a room and recreate it, or step into a room that someone else has scanned and shared,” making it seem like that functionality seems could come at some point in the future.

For now, the app features a handful of large-scale photogrammetry scenes, which include explorable spaces, such as EastWest Studios in Hollywood, and densely packed artist workshops from Daniel Arsham, Rebecca Fox, and Gil Bruvel.

All of it feels a bit like Valve’s now-defunct Destinations Workshop tools for PC VR, released in 2016, which allowed users to similarly explore and upload photogrammetry scenes. We’re betting Meta wants to make it a bit simpler from an end-user perspective when it comes to capturing and processing the massive number of photos required to create such a detailed environment though.

Amazon today released a new version of its Prime Video app for Quest, which is letting you do one thing the 2019-era version never got around to: downloading and watching videos offline. That ought to put Travel Mode to good use.

The original Prime Video VR app for Quest hasn’t seen much love since it was launched in 2019, although with the entrance of Quest 3S and overtures to mobile app developers to stock the Horizon Store with 2D and spatial apps alike, Amazon is launching a new version of the video streaming app, supporting Quest 2/3/Pro. And Quest 3S, of course.

The new version, named Amazon Prime Video, is now live, letting you sign into your Prime account and watch the regular slate of movies, TV, and sports, although it’s now boasting the ability to download and watch content offline.

It also includes multi-user profiles, and access to X-Ray, the IMDb-powered pop-up for extra information, such as actors currently on screen.

This comes as Meta kicks its spatial app framework into high gear, promising more rapid development of traditional 2D apps.

Say goodbye to the 128GB version of Quest 3, as the company is slated to only offer the 512GB version moving forward, and at a new, more attractive price.

With the entrance of Quest 3S, and the discontinuation of Quest 2 and Quest Pro, Meta’s lineup is shifting a bit to make way for its new entry level XR headset, Quest 3S.

Released in late 2023 for $650, the 512GB version of Quest 3 is still the company’s best-in-class XR headset. Originally released at $500, Meta today announced at Connect it’s retiring the 128GB version, slashing the larger storage option to the new $500 price tag.

You can still get a 128GB version though, now priced at $430 while supplies last. Although it’s not a crazy price cut, it’s certainly not something to sneeze at if you absolutely need a great XR headset today and don’t want to go down a half-step with Quest 3S, which is being offered starting at $300 for the 128GB version and $400 for the 512GB version.

Quest 3S is slated to launch on October 15th, offering the same resolution and Fresnel optics as Quest 2, but with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR gen 2 chipset as of Quest 3. Check out the full specs compared side-by-side to see how it stacks up.

So to recap, here’s the Quest line-up as it stands today:

• Quest 3S (128GB) – $300
• Quest 3S (512GB) – $400
• Quest 3 (128GB) – $430, discontinued and available while supplies last
• Quest 3 (512GB) – $500
• Quest Pro (256GB) – $1,000, discontinued and available while supplies last
• Quest 2 (128GB) discontinued, out of stock
• Quest 2 (256GB) discontinued, out of stock

Meta finally unveiled the long-rumored (and leaked) Quest 3S, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting a torrent of new accessories. While most Quest 3 accessories work with Quest 3S, Meta also announced two new model-exclusive facial interfaces that may turn some heads, and a new controller charging dock too.

Note: We’re tracking down prices, and will update once that information is made public.

Quest 3S Breathable Facial Interface

Working out in a VR headset can be an awesome way to burn calories, but it also is usually a pretty sweaty affair. Enter the Quest 3S-exclusive ‘Breathable Facial Interface’ which looks to give your eyeballs some much needed fresh air.

The “perforated yet immersive” fabric design also comes with a silicone face pad exterior that should make wiping down the inevitable sweat buildup that much easier.

Quest 3 Open Facial Interface

We’re still hunting down product images of this one, but Meta says it’s also launching an Open Facial Interface, exclusive to Quest 3.

The low-profile replacement facial interface promises to let you better blend real and mixed reality, leaving your periphery open similar to how the stock facial interface works on Quest Pro. It also promises a removable face pad for easy cleanup.

And with an open-face design, like the Quest 3S Breathable Facial Interface, it also promises to be breathable than the stock face pad.

Touch Plus Charging Dock

There’s also set to be a new Touch Plus controller charging dock, since Quest 3S doesn’t feature charging pins like on Quest 3. They do however share the same Touch Plus controller, which can be docked (hence the new accessory), supporting both Quest 3 and Quest 3S.

The charging dock is said to allow for “drop-in charging for Touch Plus, which comes with rechargeable batteries and an extended cable to charge Quest.”

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We’re at Meta Connect to hunt down all of the missing details, and will update this article with pricing and respective release dates, so check back soon. 

Out with the old, in with the new. Meta announced that the cheap and cheerful Quest 2 and the company’s pricey mixed reality pioneer Quest Pro are officially getting the boot, marking Meta’s next big push to bring mixed reality to the masses.

There aren’t any official figures going around, but it’s safe to say Quest 2 was Meta’s most popular VR headset to date, coming just one year after the launch of the original Quest, which was released in May 2019.

Still, even nearly three years after release, Quest 2 was so popular last Holiday season it handily outsold Quest 3 on Amazon. While it’s impossible to say whether Quest 3S will live up to Quest 2’s legacy, at an aggressive $300 price point for the entry-level 128GB model, it has a pretty good chance of again attracting plenty of eyeballs when it launches October 15th.

So much can’t be said for Quest Pro, which always felt more like an expensive mixed reality dev kit than a consumer device, launching in 2022 for an eye-watering $1,500.

Granted, Meta relented somewhat, bringing it down to $1,000 nearly a year after launch, likely owing to its overly exclusionary price point and lack of compelling MR content—something Meta hopes to deliver on starting with Quest 3S.

That said, we’re unlikely to recommend Quest Pro over Quest 3 or Quest 3S due to the upcoming slate of Quest 3-exclusive content that notably doesn’t support Quest Pro.

And with that, Meta is now officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Quest Pro. Remaining stock will be sold through the end of the year or until they’re gone, whichever comes first, Meta says.

Accessories for both are still going to be on offer, such as carrying cases, Touch Pro controllers, Quest 2 Active Pack, or any of the other accessories for Quest 2 and Pro, with Meta noting it will to continue selling those “for a bit longer” after Quest 2 and QUest Pro headset supplies dry up.

So, out with the old, in the with the new. Check out our hands-on with Quest 3S to get the full details on just why Meta thinks you might want its next XR headset.

Meta CTO and head of Reality Labs Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says the company is currently working on a “glasses form-factor” mixed reality headset.

In an Instagram Q&A, Bosworth confirmed the company is working on the device, although didn’t provide any concrete timelines:

“I don’t think a mixed reality headset, even in a glasses form factor—which we’re working on—is going to disrupt the smartphone. But I do think augmented reality is going to at some point, and we’re also working on that—but I can’t tell you the timelines.”

Two weeks ago, a report from The Information citing two Meta employees alleged the company is now considering a mixed reality device resembling “a bulky pair of glasses,” codenamed ‘Puffin’, which could release as early as 2027.

Puffin allegedly incorporates pancake lenses and includes an “External Processing Puck and Battery,” which would ostensibly offload weight from the user’s head.

In his Q&A, Bosworth also highlighted that a “ground breaking” AR announcement is set to come during Connect 2024, which is due o kick off September 25th.

“I think the AR announcement will be very ground breaking. We’ve already kind of teased it, but I think when people start to be able to experience it, I think that it’s really going to turn some heads,” Bosworth said.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed in an interview with YouTuber Kane ‘Kallaway’ Sutter back in July the company was showing off a pair of prototype AR glasses soon, which now appears to point to a Connect reveal.

“The glasses are, I think, going to be a big deal,” Zuckerberg said. “We’re almost ready to start showing the prototype version of the full holographic glasses. We’re not going to be selling it broadly; we’re focused on building the full consumer version rather than selling the prototype.”

We’ll also be looking forward to learning more about the all-but-confirmed Quest 3S, which is likely set to be the company’s next affordable headset. There’s also a fleet of third-party Quest-like headsets running HorizonOS still sitting in the wings, which will arrive from partners ASUS, Lenovo, and Xbox.

Meta has leaked an image of the supposed Quest 3S via an update to its PC software, showing off what is likely the upcoming cheaper alternative to Quest 3.

As first spotted by Reddit user ‘Gary_the_mememachine‘, the image of can be found in the files of Meta Quest Link client for PC.

At the time of this writing, Meta hasn’t removed the image from its latest software update. Provided your client is updated, you can find it yourself by following this pathway:

C:Program FilesOculusSupportoculus-dashdashdatajsassetssrcappsdashasset_filesexperience-panels

The headset, like many in the ‘experience-panels’ folder, is referred to by its codename, which is labeled as ‘Panther’. The codename was first spotted by serial dataminer Luna when digging through the v65 UX files in the Quest software.

All signs currently point to an imminent launch of Quest 3S, as a new Meta headset was recently certified by the FCC, which is now just a few weeks before Meta Connect 2024, taking place September 25th – 26th.

There, we hope to get confirmation of a few rumors floating around currently, including whether it packs in the same Fresnel lenses and display as Quest 2, if it has the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset as the Quest 3, and whether it will really hit the rumored $299 price point.

We’re also hoping to learn more about when Meta will release HorizonOS to third-party OEMs, which includes XR devices from hardware partners ASUS, Lenovo, and Xbox.