We reviewed Quest 3 six months ago. Meta, as it did with previous standalone headsets released several system software updates and developer tools in Quest 3’s first six-months on the market. Here’s what they are, and how they change our verdict on whether you should buy it.
Mixed Reality Is Better, But Not Significantly
Quest 3 Review: Excellent VR With Limited Mixed Reality
I’ve been using Quest 3 at home since last week – here’s what I think of it in real world use.
Meta markets Quest 3 as the “first mainstream mixed reality headset”. Given this, in our review we harshly criticized the lack of dynamic occlusion and the significant warping geometric distortion of the passthrough.
In December Meta
allowing developers to add dynamic occlusion. It requires complex integration by developers and so is not supported in many apps. Further, the depth map driving it is very low resolution, leading to pretty awful-looking results.
UploadVR testing Depth API occlusion.released the Depth APIThe passthrough was
with improved dynamic range and exposure control, making it easier to view physical screens like monitors and phones. This passthrough was
with improved dynamic range and exposure control, making it easier to view physical screens like monitors and phones. This comes with a darker, less vivid image. Interestingly, this new passthrough tuning, including the darkness and vibrancy tradeoff, is closer to Apple Vision Pro’s, as we noted updated earlier this month.in our review of itMeta has also solved one of the complaints about passthrough in our review: that it didn’t appear in all system interfaces and wasn’t supported for loading screens. Apps can now use
Quest 3 Gets Improved Passthrough Quality & New Features
The Quest v64 update is all about Quest 3. It brings improved passthrough quality, external microphone support, and lying down mode.
and Meta has added passthrough passthrough on their loading screen like the lock screen and power-off menu.to system interfacesThese changes may seem somewhat small, but together they allow you to remain in uninterupted passthrough from around five seconds after you put Quest 3 on until you take it off, making it feel more like a mixed reality headset and less like a VR headset with mixed reality poorly tacked on.
Meta is also
mixed reality apps to disable the VR-centric safety boundary, letting you use the full space around you, and since allowing some the headset can remember multiple mixed reality rooms instead of needing to redo setup every time you move to a different room.v62Inside-Out Body Tracking Arrived, But Is Barely Used
Meta Allowing Chosen Quest MR Apps To Disable Boundary
Quest mixed reality apps can disable the boundary, but only a handful of whitelisted developers can ship this on the Quest Store and App Lab.
Quest 3 was announced with a major feature coming post-launch, inside-out upper body tracking (IOBT).
Inside-Out Body Tracking (IOBT) uses Quest 3’s side cameras, which face downward, to track your wrist, elbows, shoulder, and torso using advanced computer vision algorithms. Inside-Out Body Tracking (IOBT) uses Quest 3’s side cameras, which face downwards, to track your wrists and elbows. It also tracks the shoulder and torso using advanced computer vision algorithms. When developers integrate IOBT, you’ll see your arms and toro in their actual positions – not an estimate.
IOBT shipped in December. However, four months later it’s still only used by a tiny handful of standalone apps, including Swordsman VR, Drunkn Bar Fight, and XRWorkout.
Quest 3 Now Has Inside-Out Body Tracking & MR Occlusion
Quest 3 inside-out upper body tracking is now available, and mixed reality occlusion can now be shipped in apps.
The biggest use for IOBT currently is in Virtual Desktop, which uses it
to enable body tracked avatar movement in the PC VR version of VRChat.to emulate worn Vive TrackersSpatial Videos & Panoramas Are Easily Viewable
Two of the key use cases of Apple Vision Pro, viewing panoramas and 3D “spatial videos” captured by your iPhone, are now easily doable on Quest 3.
This means you can view this content on a headset for one seventh the price of Apple Vision Pro. If you’re the kind of person who captures a lot of photos and videos and deeply enjoys viewing them to look back at memories, it could even be a reason to buy a headset.
Quest v62 Adds Spatial Video Support & Much More
The Quest v62 update adds support for easily viewing iPhone spatial videos, improves Quest 3’s microphone quality, and much more.
Quest Now Lets You View Panoramas Captured By Your iPhone
Quest v65 lets you view panoramas captured by your iPhone, brings passthrough to all system UI panels, and improves mouse & keyboard support.
External Microphones Are Supported
When Quest 3 launched I was initially excited to use it on our
but found its microphone had the same annoying weekly VR Download podcast as Quest Pro, so I still use Quest 2.plosives popping issueThe
in February brought some improvements to Quest 3’s microphone quality, including specifically to the plosives issue. It’s still not good enough to be used for VR Download and sounds worse than Quest 2.1001010I tested it and discovered that I still haven’t found a solution. This can include a mic with a USB-C connector or any mic via a USB-C adapter.v62 updateAccessing SteamVR Is Easier For Free
At launch using SteamVR required using Meta’s free (Air) Link feature or buying Guy Godin’s Virtual Desktop. Air Link did not support the 120Hz refresh rate of Quest 3 on Quest 3 nor had it a better battery life than Virtual Desktop.
Meta corrected both Link issues with their
release in February. But more notably, Valve released a free official Steam Link PC VR streaming app on the Quest Store, making it almost frictionless to connect directly to SteamVR.
Quest v62 Extended Air Link Battery Life By More Than 50%
Meta claims the Quest v62 update released last month improved Air Link energy efficiency so much it extends battery life by over 50%.
Exclusives Are Being Announcedv62 updateAt launch we noted that while Quest 3 was a greatly superior headset, Quest 2 still played all the same games for $200 less.
Valve Launches Steam Link PC VR Streaming App For Quest
Valve just launched a free Steam Link app on the Quest Store that can stream SteamVR games from your PC.
That gap increased to $300 in March when Quest 2 was
. But what’s also changed is the first games that will run on Quest 3 but not Quest 2 have been announced.
will utilize the 3D scene mesh generated by Quest 3 during mixed reality room setup to position virtual objects on your walls and furniture.cut to $200Last week
Starship Home Is The First Meta Quest 3 Exclusive
Starship Home is the first announced Quest 3 exclusive game, utilizing its mixed reality 3D room meshing.
Starship Home was announced for Quest 3, PlayStation VR2, and PC VR. The Verdict on Quest 3 6 Months Later
Alien: Rogue Incursion Coming To Quest 3, PSVR 2, And PC VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion was just announced for Meta Quest 3, PlayStation VR2, and PC VR. Survios calls it “the biggest, most ambitious VR game we have developed in our decade-long history”.
Quest 3 remains an outstanding VR headset. It is the headset most people who are looking to buy a VR head-set should purchase, as there is no real competition. Its spatial video and panorama support even make it a good purchase for certain iPhone owners not interested in gaming or fitness.Alien: Rogue IncursionWhile Meta has made strides in polishing its mixed reality capabilities, it still suffers from the warping passthrough and rare dynamic occlusion, and thus we’d still describe its mixed reality as barely passable.
While Quest 2 has dropped to $200, developers are starting to build around the capabilities of Quest 3’s
, and graphics updates for existing games have become a common occurance. Virtual Desktop
, and its release
have made PC gaming VR more accessible and convenient.