I am typing these words while sitting on my plush couch. The fire crackles in the fireplace and feels cozy. In front of me stood a huge piece of floor-to-ceiling glass – a piece of glass so impressive that it would have been worthy of Kevin McCloud’s tut-tuting at the camera. It outlines a magnificent winter scene. Snow-capped mountain peaks. The bliss of isolation. I was immersed in the beauty, with feathery snowflakes drifting lazily in the air. Needless to say, I have worked in worse places. To my right, a man suddenly appeared. He muttered in German. I waved at him awkwardly and continued working.
I’ve had Meta Quest 3 for a few weeks now, and I find myself falling more and more into it every day. At first, I played games, watched Netflix, and enjoyed the reactions of my VR-newbie friends and family, who squealed with delight at the shenanigans it diligently delivered. But over time, I’ve come to realize that the Quest 3 was the first head-mounted display I’d ever used that truly changed my perspective on what this technology was really about.
I used to think virtual reality and mixed reality headsets were just novel gaming gadgets. Yes, that includes the previous Quest 2, which has sold 18 million units to date. But the Quest 3 finally hits the sweet spot in terms of resolution, field of view, and power, delivering an immersive experience at a price that’s hard to beat. This is somewhat surprising, as Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro has long been credited with ushering in this new era of widespread face-mounted technology. However, the Quest 3 is already available, priced from £480. The future is already here, and it’s (relatively speaking) affordable, especially if you’re desperate to get away from your family this Christmas.
a whole new world
Ever since Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s move to Meta, he has been unsparing in sharing his vision for a Metaverse — a world where people can work, play, collaborate and consume ads wherever they are. Fantasy. The Quest 3 is the headset yet that has the best chance of realizing this vision, better than any other headset before it. With three times the resolution of the more expensive Quest Pro and 10 times that of the Quest 2, the pass-through camera is a device you’ll enjoy using for hours.
