Mark Zuckerberg talks mixed reality on Meta Quest 3

[Daniel Sims]

Forward-looking: As Meta's metaverse division, Reality Labs, threw another few billion dollars into the furnace last quarter, the company presses forward with VR products. Those include the next Meta Quest headset, set to succeed the popular Meta Quest 2 when it launches later this year.

Meta's Q4 2022 earnings call included new information about the company's next VR headset. Likely to be called the Meta Quest 3, Meta wants the device to be a relatively accessible vehicle for its mixed reality ambitions.

Company CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the Quest 3 would incorporate Meta Reality, the company's technology that makes VR headsets capable of augmented reality, making them mixed reality headsets. The $1,500 Meta Quest Pro, which Meta launched last October, includes it as a primary feature.

When Meta debuted the Quest Pro, Zuckerberg confirmed that the company aims to launch the Quest 3 in late 2023 for a price between $300 and $500. Meta currently offers the Quest 2 at $400, giving it a sizable price advantage over offerings from companies like HTC and Valve that cost over a grand. Keeping the Quest 3 at a similar cost could expand Meta Reality's reach.

A leak from last September suggested that the Quest 3 features depth-sensing, two black-and-white cameras, and two RGB cameras, presumably to display the user's surroundings and deliver an augmented reality experience. The Quest 2's external cameras only transmit a rudimentary black-and-white video passthrough feed. The leak also mentioned a Snapdragon SoC, 2 LCDs, thin pancake lenses, mechanical IPD adjustments, a pogo pin connector for a charging dock, and a strap similar to the Quest 2's.

Oddly, the Quest 3 will not include eye tracking, a feature touted by VR-space competitor Sony in its $500 PlayStation VR 2 headset. Eye tracking lets the dual displays detect precisely where a user is looking and use that information to prioritize pixel rendering, thus saving precious graphics processing cycles.

Zuckerberg expressed optimism that Meta Reality would grow in the coming years. The sentiment mirrors his insistence that VR and the Metaverse are a worthwhile long-term investment, even after his company's Metaverse division lost $14 billion in 2022. Meta expects to lose even more money in 2023 as it continues to push its ambitions.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/97494-mark-zuckerberg-talks-mixed-reality-meta-quest-3.html

 

[NintPlayBox]

It has potential at that mid range price tag!

 

[Hodor]

Looks like it's made for MS Flight Sim.
Just make sure you have a vomit bag nearby.

 

[OortCloud]

I expect some form of VR/Metaverse will eventually and probably very suddenly hit the mainstream - probably when the hardware gets a little less obtrusive. I just hope and prey it has nothing to do with Meta and Zuckerburg.

An open-source Metaverse or an arrangement much like the internet itself (rather than Metas $14bn dollar investment) seems a really important thing for the future. A little less Crimson Hexagon in my home would be nice thanks.

 

[maxxcool7421]

We fired all our engineers, sent all the profits to shareholders and screwed our employees sell your data and ruin children's lives because US adults are too lazy to parent their kids online ... but please buy this product

 

[toooooot]

I am not interested in mixed reality. But having a high end VR + plenty of quality games is something I would invest into.
maybe it is time they can actually make quality headsets more affordable. Which means someone needs to adapt many more games to interest people