by If you’re put off by the Meta Quest Pro’s astronomically high price, don’t be too disheartened – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that the upcoming Oculus Quest 3 will cost somewhere between $300 and $500 (roughly £270 to £450 / AU$480 to AU$800).
Although we didn’t hear anything about the Oculus Quest 3 at the Meta Connect 2022 keynote – instead we were given the full reveal of Project Cambria, aka Meta Quest Pro – Zuckerberg didn’t let the event pass without mentioning the truth about its successor Oculus Quest 2.
In an interview with Stratechery (opens in new tab)the CEO of Meta confirmed that the Oculus Quest 3 was on the way, but “not this year” and that it would be in the “$300, $400 or $500 price range, in that zone.”
The low-key announcement follows a massive leak in September that revealed the Quest 3 might look like the Quest 2, though thanks to new pancake lenses it should be thinner (and hopefully a bit lighter) than its predecessor.
Disappointingly, however, the leaked Quest 3 design shows us no signs of tracking – a feature present on the Meta Quest Pro and which the upcoming PlayStation VR 2 headset will also feature. Meta had given us the impression that these were key features that she wanted to bring to her budget-friendly headphones as soon as possible, but that may not be the case.
However, as we always say, leaks should be taken with a grain of salt. The handset that leaked in September could be for an older or alternative Quest 3 prototype, or it could be a complete fake. The only way to really know what the Oculus Quest 3 looks like is to get our hands on it – and based on Zuckerberg’s comments that’s at least a year away.
Analysis: a handset worth waiting for
If you’re not sold on the Oculus Quest 2 and are instead weighing the Meta Quest Pro and Oculus Quest 3, we’d recommend thinking about what you want more from a VR headset.
If you’re looking for a headset that has powerful components under the hood, is more comfortable than any standalone headset we’ve used, and is available to buy today, then the Meta Quest Pro could be the device for you. However, at $1,500 / £1,500 / $2,450 it’s not exactly cheap, and in our experience it will be much better suited to mixed reality experiences than VR experiences.
That’s because it’s designed to give you a fairly clear view of the real world from the sides and bottom of the headset, whereas a more traditionally designed VR headset completely obscures your view of reality.
If, instead, you’re looking for a budget-friendly device that will fully immerse you in the best VR games without having to buy an extra attachment like with the Quest Pro, then you might want to wait for the Oculus Quest 3.
Alternatively, you can check out our picks for the best VR headsets out there, and if you’re in the UK, you might want to consider picking up the Quest 2’s new rival: the Pico 4.
