Pre-orders for Meta Quest 3 Go Live, Mixed Reality Headset will begin shipping on October 10th

Back in June, Meta introduced the Meta Quest 3 mixed reality headset, boasting double the graphics performance of its predecessor, the Quest 2. With rising competition in the mixed reality category from Apple, the business released further details about its next-generation headgear, including an official launch date, at its Meta Connect 2023 annual conference on Wednesday. The Meta Quest 3 will begin arriving on October 10, with pre-orders for the headset now available. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also demonstrated the headset's immersive virtual reality capabilities, while keeping your actual surroundings visible with full-color passthrough.

The headgear elements that "blend the physical and digital worlds together," as Zuckerberg described it, were the focus. The Meta CEO demonstrated virtual games performed in real-world settings using the headgear, lego puzzles and unique creations, and real-time AR/VR exercises. Meta promises ten times the pixel count of Meta Quest 2, allowing customers to see their living spaces in fine detail thanks to two specialized color camera sensors and a depth sensor. A double touch on the Meta Quest 3's side alternates between immersive virtual worlds and your actual environment, with virtual components put on top. The Meta Quest 3 claims to be the world's first gadget to use the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform, which allows for quicker load times and sharper pictures. The headgear also has 8GB of dynamic RAM, which is 33% more capacity than the Meta Quest 2.

The headset has a better resolution display than its predecessor — a 4K+ (2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye) Infinite Display with a pinch resolution of 1,218 pixels. The Meta Quest 3 boasts a roughly 30% increase in resolution over the Meta Quest 2. There are also upgrades to the headset's audio capabilities, with Meta adding spatial audio to the device for immersive film-watching and gaming experiences. The audio range on the Quest 3 is also 40% louder than on the Quest 2.

All of this comes in a more streamlined packaging. The headset's pancake lenses, according to Meta, offer it a 40 percent smaller optic profile than the Quest 2, with a more configurable and adaptable fit. The Quest 3 features updated precise Touch Plus controllers that provide haptic feedback and do away with tracking rings, allowing its sensors to handle all of the hard lifting. "It's completely standalone!" During the lecture, Zuckerberg made a subtle reference to the Apple Vision Pro headset. "No wire, no battery pack, nothing like that that's going to break your sense of presence," he remarked during his Meta Connect talk.

Zuckerberg also said that Xbox Cloud Gaming would be accessible on the Meta Quest 3 in December, as well as the suite of Microsoft 365 apps before the end of the year. Meta Quest 3 starts at $499.99 (approximately Rs. 41,500) for the 128GB edition, and $649.99 (about Rs. 54,000) for the 512GB variant, which also includes a six-month membership to Meta Quest+, which provides players with two free games each month. Pre-orders for the new headset are currently available on Meta's website, with deliveries beginning on October 10.

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