Meta announces a new and cheaper VR headsets
Consumers soon will have access to the newest virtual-reality headset Quest 3S and augmented-reality glasses produced by Meta, something that the company says will change how people experience and see the world.
With a retail price starting at $299, the new Quest 3S headset costs significantly less than the prior Quest 3 headset and enables wearers to watch movies and run VR gaming and fitness apps while wearing it.
Meta says the headset will be available for purchase on Oct. 15.
Meta officials announced the new Quest 3S headset Wednesday during a Connect event at the tech firm’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.
The new headset is a multitasking computer that competes directly with Apple’s Vision Pro headset that costs about 10 times more.
Meta’s prior-generation Quest 3 headset sold millions of units and became tech industry’s bestselling VR headsets.
The addition of the “S” to the Quest 3S headsets emphasizes its ability to enable consumers to start using VR headsets at a cheaper price point.
The headsets require a Meta account to work and replace the older Quest 2 headset that Meta first made available in 2020.
They use a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 processor with full-color pass-through capability.
The Quest 3S also has 8GB or RAM versus the 6GB of RAM supporting the Quest 2 headset.
Two three-lens arrays enable the new headset’s two RGB sensors and four VGA sensors to support hand tracking.
Two flood LEDs also assist tracking in different levels of light, but the Quest 3S lacks an added depth sensor that comes with the Quest 3 headset.
The Quest 3S will run for about 2.5 hours per charge, which is slightly longer than the Quest 3.
Meta has invested more than $65 billion into developing new hardware, such as the VR headsets, which founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said will stop Apple from dominating future hardware innovations.
Consumers also might one day soon be able to choose to view the world through Meta’s augmented-reality glasses that deliver holographic displays in 2D and 3D.
The AR glasses integrate AI content that senses the world around the wearer and helps to anticipate changes and needs.
The lightweight AR glasses work indoors and outdoors and enable wearers to see other people’s faces, eyes and expressions, according to Meta.
The glasses are not yet for sale and reportedly cost $10,000 to make.
