Meta announced that the Meta Quest 3 will arrive on October 10th during its Meta Connect event, providing a little clarity around the headset’s initial “fall” launch timing. Unlike its predecessor, the Quest 2, the $499.99 Quest 3 will function as both a virtual reality and mixed reality headset. That means, like Apple’s forthcoming Vision Pro headset, you’ll be able to see and interact with the real world while you wear it.
How well it does outside a highly curated demo space remains to be seen, of course, and we’ll let you know after we’ve fully tested the Quest 3. In the meantime, though, you can check out our initial impressions and place a preorder for the upcoming VR headset.
Powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, Meta claims the Quest 3 should offer double the graphics performance of its predecessor and even outperform last year’s Quest Pro, though it won’t offer more battery life. While it is more powerful, the headset is also smaller and slimmer, which Meta claims should make it more comfortable to wear.
The new headset also features two color cameras that should deliver better passthrough video. You can now switch between the immersive VR mode or opt for the “blended” mode, too, which lets you view both the real world and your game. In addition to better cameras, the Quest 3 sports a new 2064 x 2208 LCD display for each eye, along with a larger field of view than both the Quest 2 and the Pro.
Starting today, September 27th, you can preorder the Quest 3 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $499.99 or with an expanded 512GB of storage for $649.99. While the Quest 3 won’t ship until October 10th, you can preorder the headset with 128GB of storage at B&H Photo or in either configuration from Meta’s website. Meta is also throwing in a free copy of Asgard’s Wrath 2 — an upcoming action-adventure RPG — when you buy either model, along with a six-month trial to Meta Quest Plus when you purchase the 512GB model.
Outside of Meta and B&H Photo, it doesn’t appear any other retailers are currently accepting preorders for the Quest 3. That said, you can sign up to get preorder notifications at Best Buy, which should let you know when the retailer begins accepting preorders.
