Meta has announced that the Meta Quest 3, its next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset, will be available beginning this fall at a starting price of $499.99 (128 GB). Per an Instagram post from Mark Zuckerberg, users can expect a new headset that features a 40% thinner design, as well as double the graphics performance thanks to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chipset. Meta also had two updates to share regarding its previous hardware: 1) starting on June 4, Quest 2 will be available starting at the reduced price of $299.99 USD, and 2) new software updates for the Quest 2 and Quest Pro are in the works for improving CPU and GPU performance by up to 26%.
From a Meta post:
Quest 3 combines our highest resolution display and pancake optics to make content look better than ever. To power those extra pixels, this will be the first headset to feature a next-generation Snapdragon chipset developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. That next-gen Snapdragon chipset delivers more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2 — meaning you’ll get smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games.
With a 40% slimmer optic profile compared to Quest 2, Quest 3 is a sleeker, more comfortable headset. We also completely redesigned Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers with a more streamlined and ergonomic form factor. Thanks to our advances in tracking technology, we’ve dropped the outer tracking rings so the controllers feel like a more natural extension of your hands and take up less space. We also included TruTouch haptics that first debuted in Touch Pro to help you feel the action like never before. You can even upgrade to our fully self-tracked Meta Quest Touch Pro Controllers for a premium experience. And hand tracking will be supported out of the box, so you can explore without controllers, thanks to Direct Touch that lets you use just your hands to interact with virtual objects.
Starting June 4, we’re lowering the price of Quest 2 to $299.99 USD for the 128GB SKU and $349.99 USD for the 256GB SKU, helping even more people access the magic of all-in-one VR and our vast content library.
But that’s not all! In an upcoming software update, we’re updating the Quest 2 and Quest Pro GPU and CPU. Quest 2 and Pro will see an up-to 26% CPU performance increase with an up-to 19% GPU speed increase for Quest 2 and 11% for Quest Pro. As developers take advantage of these changes, you can expect smoother gameplay, a more responsive UI, and richer content on both headsets. And we’re enabling Dynamic Resolution Scaling for both Quest 2 and Quest Pro, so games and apps can take advantage of increased pixel density without dropping frames.