Meta Quest 3 128GB – Breakthrough mixed reality
Meta Quest 3 128GB – Breakthrough mixed reality – Powerful performance – Asgard’s Wrath 2 bundle
Meta Quest 3 128GB – Breakthrough mixed reality – Powerful performance – Asgard’s Wrath 2 bundle
…but a friend of mine suggested we play golf together and I actually really love it… heh
The headband it ships with is awful and I recommend buying an accessory to make wearing it more comfortable. I would also recommend buying silicone covers for the whole thing, because it is so easy to smack things, like tables, or lamps! You can also buy prescription inserts for the eye ports, if you look it up online – wearing glasses for more than about 30 minutes becomes a pain (and mine are already really slim).
The tracking on the controllers is pretty decent in a well-lit room and I’ve already clocked up 100kms of hand movements in Beat Saber. The games are decent and the overall immersion is superb, especially if you integrate Bluetooth headphones.
I have owned all 3 generations of Quest, the DK2 and Rifts. I understand the desire o keep manufacturing costs down but the 2 & 3 versions of the quest are just very uncomfortable to wear. Consider the aftermarket replacement straps which are a massive improvement, and with added battery power (on some options) the balance is much better.
Works well when it doesn’t freeze up. And is more comfortable with the Bobovr headset. It also needs lots of power so extra batteries are essential in my experience. Not sure if the 512mb storage is worth it but it’s there if needed.
I hadn’t used VR before and was blown away by the immersive experience for gaming. It was just what I wanted.
On the downside, I use it mostly to play Steam VR games on my PC (Fallout 4 VR) and I found it finicky to set up and it can be cantankerous. It’s not clear if it is the Steam part or the Quest 3 part, but it is really frustrating to be immersed in a game and then get kicked into the Steam VR Home when you haven’t saved for a bit. Sometimes setting up for gaming takes seconds and sometimes I grind my teeth for 10 mins or so.
But overall, I am very happy.
seen loads of vr when first out( never had one) I thought it was time to buy after technology had improved ,WOW you can do so much and the games are excellent even though I bought it for watching TV on a giant screen, you can have so many screens open if needed,, plus I’ve only explored the tip of the iceberg
Love this so much.
Beyond my imagination
I no longe4 need. A tv a conputer a laptop an xbox. Thus has replaced all my large cumbe4some items.
The technology is wow.
Im constantly in awe. Have played many games and appd and still get amazed by how beautiful and natural it all feels. Am creating my own world now.
I bought this for my husband, he’s over the moon with it! He has the meta quest II and he says everything has improved immensely, the graphics, quality, it’s a lot lighter to wear, you don’t have to set the boundaries etc., highly recommended!
Great for home exercise with things like Synth Riders and Pistol Whip. Great for gaming with a lot of titles to choose from.
Good battery life and even better with a battery pack headstrap. Good support from Meta with costant updates that genuinely improve performance and usability.
There is so much to like about the MQ 3, for me the immersive and augmented reality take gaming to a new level. Games are a weird experience, holding your arms out in front of you to find them covered with glowing tattoos or battle armour gives it a sense of reality. Watching my living room break apart into pieces and have aliens fly through the gaps in the wall are surreal.
I love streaming VR videos whilst sitting in a chair and looking all around me as I soar through the sky on the wing of a jet, wingsuit or drone. Watching Amazon Prime videos is like being sat in a cinema. Doubled up with my 360 camera and I can re-visit places I have been. The sound is good, even without earbuds you have a sense of direction.
I love this head set and would highly recommend it, but before you do jump in, you have to understand that it isn’t without some issues and whilst headsets like these have been around for a long time, there is still a very long way to go before they become an everyday household gadget.
I can link this to my PC and have my keyboard and mouse viewable in pass-through mode, but my monitor is augmented and like having a huge screen in front of me.and I can have multiple screens. I have tried playing RDR2 on this and whilst it plays well, it struggles with brightness and it is jumpy, but low demand games are great.
It is comfortable to wear, a little cumbersome at first, but you quickly learn to ignore it and forget that it is on your head.
Issues you may encounter:
A lot of reviews have mentioned poor battery life and for good reason. I believe that Meta have done their very best to get the balance of weight and battery life right, but sadly, there are times when you will place a huge demand on the battery. You are powering a computer, hi-res screens, wireless, Bluetooth, sound, motion sensors, cameras, area sensing and cooling fans all within a small headset. On high demand games, you may find this running flat in just a few hours. Even connected to the charger, the demand can outstrip the supply and you still run the battery down.
You can experience motion sickness, dizziness or momentary loss of sense of surroundings. That isn’t a fault of the headset, but something to think of. I haven’t been badly affected, but there have been a few occasions where my brain, inner ears and eyes are not in-synch and my balance wobbled for a moment..though to be honest it was fun!
Whilst you can wear glasses with this, it isn’t great and you may need to find specs with smaller lenses to fit neatly inside. I wear my headset without glasses, but I still struggle to get crisp focus. I need to move it a few mm further from my face than the adjusters allow just to get it right.
There is not a huge range of games or apps for this, but it is improving.
Don’t expect 4k videos to play like you are watching a 4K TV. For me it is like watching a good quality copy of a DVD. When it comes to watching streamed 360 degree videos on the YouTubeVR app, then the quality drops off even more with a lot of artefacts present. This in understandable, to capture a 4k video the camera only frames an area in front of it. To do this in 360, you would need multiple cameras which would be a massive amount of data per frame.
Despite these issues, I am still a massive fan of the MQ3 and I am likely to be the one who follows the upgrade path as it develops.
After looking at numberious reviews and videos etc. I took the plunge and bought the 512GB version as It was below the RRP , so got a great deal. MY only real gripe is the head strap it total garbage and so uncomfortable to wear ( so bought a decent 3rd party head strap) Hence why it only got 4 stars . I would highly recommend getting the 512gb as the 128gb is NOT value for money and you will be forever deleting games to make room for new ones . Do your research and make your own minds up . Short and to the point honest review , that’s about sums it up
I’m loving my Meta Quest 3 so far and it’s the first VR headset I’ve ever owned (although I’ve tried various other ones elsewhere). The quality of the VR experience is stunning and I was extremely taken aback by it in a good way when I first launched Google Earth VR on it (in my opinion this is worth owning just for Google Earth VR alone).
I did come across all kinds of issues with various apps and particularly with Quest Link when connecting the headset to my PC, but these were all resolvable after some Googling. For this reason I will say that if you plan to use this with a PC, expect the full set up of all your apps to take some patience.
The boundary functionality can cause some glitches in some apps or certain situations so in the end after getting used to the headset I normally turn it off altogether. To do this you need to create a developer account with Meta, otherwise the setting to access the developer menu to turn the boundary functions off isn’t visible.
I don’t yet own any accessories for it other than some I 3d printed myself, such as a sound concentrator and Ghostbusters particle thrower type controller, which works incredibly well with this (both downloaded from Thingiverse). There are a lot of 3d printable accessories available online you can print yourself to save money on expensive accessories.
I find the best way to use this is to wear a beanie hat underneath it, because the beanie hat significantly helps prevent your cheeks from getting pushed in and getting raccoon eyes or marks on your forehead from the pressure of the headset (as the beanie hat will take most of it with ease). The first time I wore the headset without a beanie hat I had very unflattering deep pressure marks on my face afterwards. So in my view the only accessory you need to purchase for this from the start is a simple beanie hat you can find anywhere.
My hair also gets less messed up when using this with the beanie hat (I sometimes also put a do-rag or hair cap underneath to prevent my hair getting messed up if I want to use this in the morning before going out).
The graphics are brilliant, I think sometimes people expect too much from a standalone VR headset, this is class leading. Setup is simple & getting a comfortable fitting position is easy, not too tight but not too loose is the best to avoid problems.
Battery life is in my opinion in the sweet spot, I’ve never had the warning message that the battery is low come up before I’ve already decided I’ll stop playing soon.
Games are great and there is a wide selection and constant discounts / sales, this headset gives you the chance to get a workout without even realizing it depending on the games you choose to play & there is also plenty of sitting down games to choose from as well if you just fancy a relaxing evening.
Its my first vr so i dont know much , i have nothing to compare it with.
But
It needs a halo strap , and even with it you need a battery in the back to balance it.
fit on the face its ok even thou i would want to go something like 5mm closer to the lens for better field of view and focus and you can if you super tight it but youll get a headache for at least.
i’ve seen online topics about glare, mine has almost none.
burned pixels , again mine has none.
fogging on lenses its a thing, especially if you’r sweating like a pig
100% need of a silicone cover on that sponge , it would be disgusting after 1-2 uses without a cover
(or other soft cloth removeable washasble covers)
Im trying to figure out if weird shiny textures is the units fault ,i might go for a replacement if it is
It’s a bit weird though cause if you are choosing between a quest 2 or 3, if you aren’t gonna be using it all the time I’d probably save some money and go with the quest 2 for now.
At the moment most games don’t actually run much better on quest 3 since they haven’t updated the game for the new hardware. But the ones that have updated work great.
Hopefully meta will prioritise the quest 3 more in the future and make more games with it in mind.
The controllers are great but a little small if you have big hands.
The tracking is excellent and audio is great.
Game library is pretty much as good as you can get for stand alone VR.
I’d recommend playing beat saber, Asgard’s wrath 2, super hot VR, pistol whip and resident evil 4 VR. Maybe for a game to start though pick something chill like job simulator or super hot .
It’s not the most comfy thing in the world but coming from someone who owned a quest 1 it’s so much better then that, just don’t except to be able to play for more than 1.5 without discomfort.
Mixed reality is cool, but it shouldn’t be the reason you buy this, it works well enough but is by no means life like. However I low that pass-though is now by default the Home Screen. It works really well and you can move the menu around your room by just grabbing it with your hands.
Overall it is a fantastic headset with some amazing games, if you’ve been wanting to get into VR for a while this is a great choice.
Firstly the Gen2 XR snapdragon processor feels very snappy, never once did it feel underpowered or have any slowdowns. The Pancake lenses are great and very clear, only negative is I noticed a mild reflection glow type reflection when watching dark content like space movies whenever something bright pans across the screen, its not too distracting and I’ve read the same thing happens with the Vision Pro which is 7x the price.
The displays are very good and surprisingly well saturated, colours look more vivid than my computer screen or Ipad.
Only thing i didn’t like was the passthrough quality which seems much more grainy than in youtube reviews. Its definitely better in good natural lighting, but in artificial lighting in my house its pretty grainy.
The controllers and hand tracking are very impressive
Overall its a great bit of tech for 1/7th price of a Vision Pro with the added benefit that it is also has a huge library of VR games which the vision Pro totally lacks.
As with the Rift, I had got some vouchers from work which made this a relatively inexpensive buy. A friend had let me try his out and I had been blown away. With the old Rift, you had a ‘screen door’ feeling where you could see the outline of the pixels that were making up the image. It wasn’t enough to spoil the experience, but was definitely noticeable. Also with the Rift, the lenses were such that you only ever looked straight ahead.
The Quest is an enormous leap forward in quality. The image is clean and crisp, you are not connected to your PC by a cable so can play anywhere you want to, the movement of the image is silky smooth and the lenses are set up in a way that gives you the ability to move your eyes and see peripherally. The passthrough camera is really handy too, tap the controller twice on the side of your headset and whatever application you are using will be replaced with a view in front of you, handy for re-orienting yourself if you happen to stray outside of your gaming space. Worth noting too that the Quest has a very clever application that scans the room you are in and helps you map out your play area, if you move towards the edges, it will show you a mesh overlaid on whatever you are playing to show where you might be straying close to a wall, door or whatever. Even so, it would take a braver man than me to play in the same room as a large TV, a collection of fine china, a pyramid of champagne glasses – you get my drift.
I am not going to dock any stars, but I do want to point out a few things that are important to know in advance:
– Battery life, when using processor intensive applications, will give you a little over 2 hours use. This isn’t really a problem as you won’t often want to be strapped into the headset for that long. That said, as I do a fair bit of racing in VR which can last longer than the battery, I have dealt with by buying a replacement strap with a battery passthrough from Kiwi Design (highly recommended, and reviewed on here separately). Budget about 60 more if you want a similar upgrade.
– Onboard memory – you can buy the Quest in 128Gb or 512GB versions. Given how cheap solid-state memory is, I balked at the cost uplift for the 512Gb version and bought the 128, and honestly unless you want all your VR apps stored on the headset itself you really don’t need 512Gb. Save some money and buy the lower-storage version.
– The headstrap that the Quest comes with is perfectly functional, but not the most comfortable for longer sessions. As noted above, I have replaced this with one by Kiwi Design which makes the whole thing much more comfortable.
– If you want to play titles from your PC on the rift, check that your motherboard supports the necessary connectivity, otherwise you may have to buy a passthrough cable which will mean you are tethered to your PC (as well as out of pocket for the cable). Mine does, and I happily play Half Life Alyx and other titles downstairs in my conservatory where I have plenty of space.
So that’s all the consumer advice that I have to share. The gaming experience is fabulous. Half Life Alyx is mindblowing, it really feels like you are there although having life-size headcrab zombies shambling towards you is quite unnerving! Assetto Corsa looks amazing, and sitting in the cockpit of your chosen car feels so natural. Microsoft Flight Simulator – well basically you feel like you are flying a real plane.
If you are considering upgrading from an older VR experience, or thinking of taking the plunge for the first time, this is a really impressive offering at a reasonable cost and one I recommend highly. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have about any details I have not covered here.
This headset is a huge upgrade from the quest 2 (Q2) in terms of its visuals and comfort; greater clarity and less eyestrain. The reduction in eyestrain vs the Q2 is a huge feature for me, perhaps this is due to the proper inter-pupillary distance settings it has vs Q2. Text is easily readable and movies/video look really good on the cinema size screen.
A head-strap like the Bobo vr m3 is an essential accessory as the stock one is very uncomfortable and you certainly wouldn’t want to spend 2 hours plus to watch a movie with the stock head-strap but you can with a good replacement one.
A proper head-strap is a game changer for comfort; with one you won’t need to take the headset off because your face can’t take it anymore, you just finish playing when you’re bored or have other things to do (like with normal consoles) , I don’t know why Meta don’t stock decent head-straps as default like Sony and Valve.
FYI I thought the elite head-strap wasn’t much good either, defo not worth 70.
Graphics are what you might expect of mobile gaming; think ps3 rather than ps5. The better chip vs Q2 hasn’t really been put to much use at this point imo with only one Q3 exclusive and some OK graphics updates, hopefully in the future this will change.
Haven’t used MR much yet but I feel it could be quite good. The visual experience of passthrough is not that great imo (grainy) although obviously much better than the rubbish Q2 MR. Visual experience is good enough to do basic tasks like picking up objects and moving around but not typing or reading a monitor. There is not much warping and the latency is very low. Doesn’t produce much eyestrain which is a game changer in usability however.
Summary: actually useful VR/MR headset. The headset is cheaper than a massive TV and more useful. Gaming in VR is epic. Not much eyestrain, great clarity and is actually comfortable to wear with a decent 3rd party head-strap. VR/MR has come a long way indeed.
I currently use the stock head strap on the 3, which is much more comfortable than Quest 2. The only disadvantage vs. Quest 2, apart from the large price premium, is slightly lower battery life. But (a) I prefer playing VR in 30-60 minute bursts and (b) there are workarounds with third party headstraps/batteries if needed.
As an Oculus Quest product, you have access to a huge number of games and experiences in the Quest Store, some of which (not many, yet) have already been enhanced to take advantage of the Quest 3’s improved graphics power. I played through Red Matter 2 on Quest 2, which at the time was the ‘reference’ title for what could be graphically achieved on a standalone VR headset and was blown away. But with the Quest 3 enhancements it’s even more stunning.
At present, there are not too many titles that take advantage of the Quest 3’s graphics or mixed reality capabilities. These will come, I’m sure. In the meantime, existing titles will look sharper on the 3 purely because of the improved lenses and processing power.
I bought the 512Gb version because I had run out of space on my 64Gb Quest 2. You would think 128gb would be enough for a ‘3’ but bear in mind that when games incorporate Quest 3 graphics enhancements they will require more installation space. You can offload games you’re not currently playing to reinstall on your device later but reinstallation takes time, quite a lot depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of the game.
Finally, and I think this only applies until 26th Jan 2024, getting the triple-A new title ‘Asgard’s Wrath 2’ free with the headset, is great. It is an amazing game that has blown me away with its scale and quality.
So, in conclusion, a fantastic VR experience. It’s quite a price hike vs. the ‘2’, especially now the ‘2’ has been reduced. If you want the best, most future-proof headset which will run all current and future (next 2-3 years minimum) games then get the ‘3’. For a first-time, toe in the water experience maybe the ‘2’ at its new low price is worth considering. The 3 came out around 3 years after the 2, so assuming the same release cycle getting the ‘2’ now, enjoying it and then getting the ‘4’ in 3 years is an option!
Whilst I could go on about the worst launch day debacle I’ve experienced through Amazon, and oculus having the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced in tech.
The headset itself is again not a next generation experience, they have made the fov wider at 110 degrees the Res is bumped a little and the pancake lenses have a curious tendency to show light in pereferal vision on darker scenes.
That said the sound is way better and louder, the weight distribution is much better and even the stock strap is better. Where VR is let down is in the games, next to nothing in the first 3 months is made bespoke for this device. So 90 percent of what you’ll see is oculus quest 2 games, with some having had Res and FPS boosts with an even smaller number receiving graphical quality boosts. Hopefully this will change but given the price of entry is so high with quest 3, I don’t think developers are going to be chomping at the bit to jump ship from quest 2 and start to take advantage of the quest 3’s extra power.
Having said all of that though the wealth of vr content both software and video is now beginning to become quite awesome, and regularly still blows me away, whilst not quite on par with the likes of PSVR2 it’s not far off and it’s wireless which makes VR brilliant yet quite unsafe, be careful out there.
Good product let down by dire supply and support issues both Oculuses fault.
Set up seemed pretty simple but I had checked on you tube for tips on how to get the best use out of my oculus and found some of the videos quiet helpful
I am still trying to get to grips with the controllers as they are different than other console controllers and when your in fully immersive VR mode you can’t see the buttons to press them it’s more down to feel and muscle memory so it’s going to take a while to adapt and use of the safety straps is a real necessary.
I find the headset becomes a little uncomfortable although this is not such a bad thing because for me it’s a reminder to take a break for a while because hour’s simply fly by and hours seem like minutes
The graphics although clear are on most games are cartoony more like Wii than the latest ps or xbox but VR is in its infancy compared to those platforms and im looking forward to future advancements and realistic game graphics
VR gaming for me is a much different experience than just normal gaming for instance when riding roller coasters it feels like your really moving and games draw you in more when you are fully immersed
Playing a zombie shoot em up is a much different experience when you can hear them coming up behind you and you have to turn to fight them or when your surrounded and they are closing in this is usually where my cat jumps on me and because I am totally immersed and cannot see her brings a whole new scary experience
One of the things I have come across that I don’t really like is that when you purchase a game most have add ons that cost extra and some also have subscriptions so the total cost for some games can be much more I prefer to buy games outright
There is a lot of free stuff to try though and so many other different uses than just gaming which is where the oculus stands out from other games platforms with interactive learning possibilities like learning to play an instrument or learn a language business productivity apps and much more
All in all this technology is only going to get better and I think will be the way forward other platforms will have to adapt to keep up
Would’ve been 5 stars but there are some minor issues.
First of all, don’t get me wrong this headset is some of the best VR experience you could get around this price point.
Ok so the headset is pretty heavy and the straps are not the best so the headset gets uncomfortable if you are on it for longer than 2-3 hours which is exactly around the battery life of the headset so it’s pretty short. I plug a 15-foot cable in when in used to extend the battery life, it doesn’t fully charge even if you plug in while you play just slows down the battery depletion.
Using the controllers gives you a better experience with interacting with videos and menus as the headset sometimes reads your hand movements when there are none.
So if you can look past the discomfort and inconveniences you are in for a really good experience and like I said these are minor issues I would still recommend the headset as I use it almost daily.
8/10
My only negative comments would be that it (like it’s predecessor the Quest 2) is not very comfortable and therefore additonal comfort items like a new face cover and headstrap such as the Bobo VR M3 is basically a required purchase. The same applies to an extra battery as the battery life is not great if you don’t add some extra power.
With the negatives out of the way, the positives are plentiful so I’ll just summarise a few:
– The new pancake lens are great and so clear. I only realised just how clear when I put back on my old Quest 2 and it looked awful by comparison!
– The resolution has been bumped up a bit and at this point it’s perfectly fine for reading pretty much anything in VR and the resolution is nice enough that 4K movies now look somewhere between 1080p and 4K to your eye. Pleasing image quality, if not quite at Blu Ray levels just yet!
– On that point, you can also play 3D movies in your Quest! 🙂
– Quest 3 has received upgrades to its connectivity so you can now play even better wireless PCVR via Wifi 6E. Lots of technical detail behind that, but it’s quite critical to anyone that is investing in the headset to play with a PC
– However, I’m also pleased to say that the Quest 3 is quite a capable standalone device now too. The new chipset means it can actually play reasonably complex games (e.g. Assassin’s Creed Nexus) at a nice quality and decent framerate. To be honest, the Quest 2 just wasn’t powerful enough. It really struggled with anything beyond simple stuff like Pistol Whip or Walkabout Minigolf. Quest 3 however, actually feels like something you would choose to play bigger games in!
– Final comment: If you install the OculusGameOptimizer, you can get even nicer resolutions and framerates (at the expense of battery life) and I highly recommend any Quest 3 users look into that option!
All in all, I’m very pleased I upgraded to the Quest 3. It’s really re-energised by passion for VR!
I have been using this headset for a few weeks now and I can safely say that it is an improvement from my Oculus Rift S. The pancake lens help make everything look better and sharper. Passthrough is also impressive and was interesting to see how much better it was to my Rift S.
My only issue with the Quest 3 so far is that it can really strain your eyes. On the lowest eye-relief setting it is pretty noticeable and can really throw you off from enjoying the Quest 3. On max settings though, it is a lot better but can be noticeable at times.
Overall, I think it was worthwhile purchase and upgrade to my previous VR. I recommend playing at max eye-relief settings though so you wont experience crazy eye burns like I did. I would like to point out that I do wear glasses so it may or may not make a difference and it may differ between people.
I already own a Q2 and a Pico 4 and mainly play pcvr games.
Being a gadget geek and reading so many good reviews and watching countless YouTube videos on this device, I thought, why not and bought one.
It’s not a massive leap in visual quality over the Pico 4 bit is definitely better and the colours are more vivid.
Where this really shines and absolutely blew me away is the mixed reality mode. Oh my gosh the free included game, FIRST ENCOUNTER will blow your socks off!
You scan your room/environment and once complete the game starts. A small rocket busts through your ceiling, bits of plaster dropping everywhere and the rocket lands in front of you, complete with thrusters looking like it’s scorching the laminate flooring!
Grab your alien gun and scan the walls and ceiling etc and you can then hear the little furball aliens trying to break into your room! They make sort of minion type noises which is quite funny.
The aim of the game is to shoot as many as possible in 2 minutes meanwhile , in my case, watching my kitchen get destroyed!
Once finished , take off the headset and as if by magic, your room is fine.
Just brilliant! Best gaming experience I’ve had in all my gaming life which started back in 1979.
Briefly tried the zombie one but that takes a bit more room setting up in the headset.
Just brilliant this headset, highly recommended.
While an improvement on the Quest 2, as far as weight distribution is concerned, Quest 3 is even heavier and the supplied strap is awful. You will need to buy a 3rd party one.
Battery life can be very poor, dependent on what you’re running, with MR (mixed reality) hitting the battery harder. Going back to the replacement headstrap point, it’s sensible to buy one that has either a built in one, or a hot swappable one (but not the official one, which is 2-3 times the price and offers little extra power). Do your research on YouTube for recommendations. There is an issue with almost all battery straps, when it comes to providing enough power currently, though all the higher rated ones will noticeably make things better. There just might be a better option, a few months down the line.
Do you wear glasses for short-sightedness? In theory you can wear your glasses, but an essential purchase are prescription lens inserts, which will cost anywhere between 30-80. More expensive is not necessarily better, but it is certainly more expensive.
If you’re new to VR, you may initially experience some nausea. If you do, come out immediately and don’t attempt to go back until it’s completely abated. The next day ideally. Many games have ‘comfort settings’, consider using them until you get your ‘VR Legs’.
Now, the reasons to convince you into buying one:
Meta Quest 3 offers a clear, stable image that allows for fully immersive experiences that you cannot experience in any other way, whether that’s straight gaming, or apps that will allow you to paint in oils and even teach you, follow workout programs in the privacy of your home, learn to play piano, or many other activities. You can watch films and TV on a giant screen, even a full sized cinema screen (3D films work better in VR than any other medium). You can learn to model in 3D, or just socialise.
VR isn’t just another games console, but when it comes to games, it does them very well too, but it does them differently. For the most part you probably won’t spend as long in a session as you would on a traditional console, as playing in VR is physical. You will get tired and possibly sweaty. This isn’t couch potato fare.
+ The displays are incredible;
+ The new pass-through is truly next level;
+ The tracking has been floorless;
+ The new depth sensor makes hand tracking and boundaries a breeze;
+ The future potential with Meta’s track record of updates is extremely promising;
– Uncertainty about battery life long-term;
– Replace the fabric strap as soon as possible;
– Not a required replacement for Quest 2 owners;
– Possible audio issues (to be confirmed).
I mainly use VR linked to my PC for racing sims, 3D modeling, shooters, PC usage and general experiences.
If you’ve previously used a Quest 2 you know that you can’t just read messages on your phone or quickly check something on your PC without having to take the entire headset off. Those annoyances are no longer. I will stress it’s not perfect. But it’s actually doable now. Along with being able to record the pass-through (attached), it’s truely next gen.
The mix of the depth sensor and dual front cameras opens the door for potential 3D video recording and even 3D scanning directly from the headset and bringing it into the virtual world which would be very exciting.
If this is your first headset, you might think that the fabric strap is good enough. All I can say is once you try a proper head strap, you’d never go back. Even though it technically weighs more than the quest 2, the balance is a lot closer to your face and (with a proper strap) holds a lot nicer without causing strain on your neck.
The Quest 3 has a bigger battery, but a more powerful processor. The battery lasts around 2 hours as advertised, which does give you the opportunity to have a break. But isn’t ideal for intense sessions to be interrupted by required charging. Even while plugged into the PC only extends its life an extra hour or so and current third party battery solutions seem to not be able to even keep the Quest 3 charged while being used as well.
In regards to the audio issues, for my device it seems that the internal speakers have a occasional popping or cracking issue. Looking online it could be just a fault with my device. But will provide updates on the review if required.
Updated review here.
Can connect to pc vr games and steam vr with or without the link cable.
As long as have wifi can connect without lead, however battery will reduce but if connect using link cable via Thunderbolt 4 connection on pc then will charge headset whilst playing games etc.
Graphical display is so much crisper than previous quests etc and playing games varies depending on the game but some of the game si play show the graphics very well.
Really impressive graphics thorughout even though some cheaper games have basic graphical display.
Changed the headset band to elite aftermarket version as felt that the original headband was not sturdy enough.
Microphone and headphone side of things are really good as even though build in, the headphones can be heard clearly and same with microphone speak being very clear.
I have not come across any issues and hopefully won`t do.
It is worth getting a link cable (Kuject Link Cable 5M 19.99), which cost me 16 and USB-C to USB-C. (you do not need one which also connects the origiall charger to the cable, just connect a USB-C to USB-C to Thunderbolt 4 port on pc)
Original review below.
Had the original Oculus Rift CV1 and decided that it was time to upgrade to the latest in VR.
Meta Quest 3 came in a much smaller box than i thoguht it would but this does not have the seperate sensors like the old one.
Setup was very easy and took less than 10 minutes as it was doing update for initial use and then connecting to network and setting up avatar.
Once this was done, everything was easy to navigate and i also managed to get it to connect to my pc via the link cable i purchased which also charges it whilst in use.
If you decide to connect to pc then use the Thunderbolt 4 port as will charge whilst in use.
Love the design of the headset and the display is so much more defined as well as the pancake lenses.
Viewing through the headset is a pleasure with the graphics looking absolutely amazing (compared to the original Oculus Rift)
Might have cost more but worth every penny.
Not tried games as of yet due to time but once i do, hopefully will update this review
Mixed Reality Features: The Quest 3 introduces innovative mixed reality features, seamlessly blending the virtual and real worlds. This feature enhances immersion by allowing you to interact with virtual objects in your physical environment, opening up exciting possibilities for gaming and productivity.
Next-Level Performance: Equipped with a powerful processor and upgraded graphics, the Quest 3 delivers a high-performance VR experience. This means stunning visuals and smooth gameplay, even in demanding titles.
Crystal-Clear Resolution: The Quest 3 boasts an impressive resolution, ensuring that you see every detail with exceptional clarity. The high-resolution display enhances the realism of virtual worlds, making your VR experiences truly lifelike.
Wireless Immersion: The Quest 3 offers a completely wireless VR experience, allowing you to move freely without the hassle of tangled cables. This freedom enhances immersion and eliminates distractions.
Comfortable Design: Oculus has meticulously designed the Quest 3 for comfort. Its lightweight build and adjustable straps ensure that you can enjoy VR for extended periods without discomfort or fatigue.
Ergonomic Touch Controllers: The included touch controllers are not only precise but also comfortable to hold. They enhance interaction with virtual environments, making your actions feel natural and intuitive.
Versatility: One of its standout features is its versatility. The Quest 3 can be used as a standalone headset or tethered to a PC for even more graphics-intensive experiences. This flexibility allows you to choose the level of immersion you desire.
Effortless Setup: Setting up the Quest 3 is a breeze, thanks to its user-friendly interface and straightforward instructions. Whether you’re a newcomer or a VR enthusiast, you can be up and running quickly.
In summary, the Oculus Quest 3 is a technological masterpiece that offers a seamless, high-performance VR experience. Its mixed reality features, crystal-clear resolution, wireless design, powerful hardware, versatile functionality, and user-friendly features make it the best choice for anyone seeking a top-tier VR headset. Whether you’re exploring virtual worlds, engaging in intense gaming, or simply enjoying immersive entertainment, the Quest 3 delivers an unmatched level of quality and value in the world of virtual reality.