Meta Quest 3 With Upgraded Snapdragon Chipset, Redesigned Touch Plus Controllers Launched

Meta Quest 3 was launched on Thursday as the company's next-generation mixed reality headset. It is powered by a new Snapdragon chipset that is claimed to offer twice the graphical performance of its predecessor, the Meta Quest 2. The device is also equipped with redesigned Touch Plus controllers that don't use outer tracking rings, while offering support for TruTouch haptics from the Meta Quest Pro. The third-generation headset comes days before the expected debut of the Apple Reality Pro, the iPhone maker's first mixed reality headset. 

An upcoming software update will also improve CPU and GPU performance on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets, according to Meta. Both these devices will also gain support for dynamic resolution scaling, for increased pixel density without frame drops. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be sold alongside the upcoming Quest 3 headset, Meta says.

Meta Quest 3 price, availability

Meta Quest 3 price is set at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 41,200) for the 128GB model. The headset will be available for purchase in the fall, and the company is expected to announce details about pre-orders and sale dates at its annual Meta Conference that begins on September 27.

On the other hand, Meta has also lowered the price of the current-generation Quest 2 VR headset, which will retail for $299.99 (roughly Rs. 24,700) from June 4. The headset is now back to its previous price, nearly a year after it was hiked by $100 (roughly Rs. 8,200) in July 2022. 

Meta Quest 3 specifications, features

The company has revealed some of the key specifications of the new headset. It is powered by a next-generation Snapdragon chipset, which is believed to be the Snapdragon XR3 chip. The firm says it provides more than twice the graphical performance as the Snapdragon XR2's GPU that powers the Quest 2 headset. The company says the Quest 3 will feature its highest resolution display and pancake optics for smoother performance and improved details in immersive games.

Unlike the Quest 2, Meta's newly launched Quest 3 headset features redesigned Touch Plus controllers that don't require outer tracking rings. The company says hand tracking is supported out-of-the-box with Direct Touch support. The new controllers offer TruTouch haptics found on the Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers — these can also be purchased separately and are compatible with the Quest 3.

The company says the Quest 3 has a 40 percent slimmer optic profile (without the foam facial interface) compared to the Quest 2 headset. It is equipped with a series of sensors located at the front of the device, but doesn't support advanced face-tracking features. The new mixed reality headset will be compatible with the company's catalogue of games for the Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro, that includes 500 VR apps and games.