Meta is set to release the successor to the Quest 2 in 2023.

Meta will release the Quest 2 successor in 2023, so what do we know about the device so far? The following is all the news about Meta Quest 3 compiled by foreign media. It is expected that new details will be exposed in the new year, let’s learn about it with DESTEK.

Official Information

Is Meta Quest 3 really going to be called that?
In their informal announcements, neither Mark Zuckerberg nor Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth spoke of a "Meta Quest 3." Zuckerberg called the device the "next generation of our consumer Quest headset" and Bosworth called it the "successor to Meta Quest 2." Even if the executives do not mention the new headset by name, they probably mean the Meta Quest 3.
The secrecy could be related to the Osborne Effect. Meta wants to avoid consumers waiting for the Meta Quest 3 instead of buying a Meta Quest 2. The product name will most likely not be revealed until the official launch.

· When will Meta release Quest 3?
Since Meta usually unveils new VR hardware at Meta Connect (usually held in September or October) and goes on sale shortly thereafter, we expect Quest 3 to launch in the fall of 2023.

· How much will Meta Quest 3 cost?
The final price will probably only be revealed at the official launch. But don't worry, Meta Quest 3 is aimed at consumers and won't be as expensive as the Meta Quest Pro that launched this year.


The device is expected to be in the same price range as the Meta Quest 2. Mark Zuckerberg said the price could be between $300 and $500.

The only reliable leak so far comes from hardware analyst and YouTube blogger Bradley Lynch, who released CAD blueprints of a putative Quest 3 prototype in late September. Lynch had previously leaked similar blueprints for Meta Quest Pro, which turned out to be accurate. So this time the odds are high.
According to Lynch's sources, there are three prototypes for Meta Quest 3. Presumably, the blueprints show the prototype identified by Meta. However, Lynch said that everything is subject to change before mass production.
· Pancake lens and improved form factor
The CAD drawing provides information about the appearance and technical characteristics of this VR headset. The improved case appears to be thinner and smaller than the Meta Quest 2, suggesting that the new VR headset features a new Pancake lens that first appeared in the Meta Quest Pro.
In a blog post published in late 2022, Meta wrote that the company spent four years developing the lenses and building an entirely new supply chain to manufacture them. It's unlikely Meta will do this just for the tiny Meta Quest Pro market.
If Meta Quest 3 uses the same pancake lens as the premium headset, then we can expect a sharper image than Meta Quest 2. As for the headband, don't get your hopes up. Meta Quest 3 may revert to cheap fabric straps to keep costs down and provide a more stable and comfortable head-mounted accessory.

· Color see-through and mixed reality
Also notable is the pill-shaped indentation on the front, which could indicate a high-quality color see-through. According to Lynch, these are two black and white cameras, two RGB cameras, and a depth camera.
This sensor architecture suggests that Meta Quest 3's main hardware feature will be mixed reality. That's no surprise, given that Meta Quest Pro is primarily intended as a development kit that studios can use to get an early start on developing mixed reality apps for Mata Quest 3.
On the other hand, sensors for gaze and face tracking are not in the plans. That's surprising, since Zuckerberg puts such technologies in high regard, suggesting they'll be a fundamental building block of future headsets. Maybe they'll only be used in Meta Quest 4 or Meta Quest Plus.
One hardware feature that the Meta Quest 3 could inherit from the Meta Quest Pro is the charging contacts on the bottom of the headset. These are all clearly visible on the blueprints, suggesting that Meta will sell charging stations for the VR headsets separately.

· Two LC displays and a new generation chip
Lynch's sources reportedly sent him more details that weren't inferred from the blueprints. According to these, Meta Quest 3 will feature two LC displays instead of one. Users will be able to adjust the lens and display distance via clearly visible dials on the blueprint.

Lynch speculates that Meta will rely on the new generation of Snapdragon XR2. The new chip, called the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, is said to boost GPU performance by 2.5 times, while also bringing other key improvements, such as AI computing power important to mixed reality. However, Qualcomm hasn't even launched a new SoC yet.
Finally, Lynch said Meta could offer a pricier version of Meta Quest 3 with up to 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM.


· What will Meta Quest 3 offer?
Meta Quest 3 should support all software available for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. But not all of Meta Quest 3's software will work with older headsets.
If the new VR headset's SoC is much faster than the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro, then it's only a matter of time until exclusive software arrives. The situation is similar for Meta Quest 2 and its predecessor.
Either way, there's reason to expect something from the software side. Since the end of 2019, Meta has acquired nine VR studios, eight of which are game studios, and has not released any new games since the acquisition.
Meta likely has a lot of high-quality in-house work in the pipeline, and it would be a surprise if some of that wasn't released for Meta Quest 3 and optimized for VR headsets. Those potential VR hits include GTA: San Andreas and Assassin's Creed: Nexus, among others.