The Oculus Quest 3 is on its way – although not until 2023, if current rumours are to be believed. While Meta is due to release a VR headset sometime this year, the company has confirmed that it won’t be the successor to the hugely popular Oculus Quest 2.
So, if not now, then when should we expect to see the Quest 3 and, more importantly, what can we expect from the next-gen virtual reality headset?
While it’s early days, there are already whispers that give us a rough idea of what to expect from the Quest 3, including early release date rumours and feature leaks. We round up all the latest Oculus Quest 3 rumours right here.
Oculus Quest 3 release date rumours
When Oculus teased its high-end VR headset, Project Cambria, at the Meta keynote in October 2021, many assumed it’d be the successor to the Quest 2.
But as confirmed by the company, it’s an entirely different headset with a focus beyond gaming, rumoured to be dubbed the Meta Quest Pro at release in late 2022.
If that is the case, it’s likely that we won’t see a successor to the standard Oculus Quest 2 until 2023 – Meta doesn’t want the two VR headsets to compete with each other after all, even if they are designed for different audiences.
That’s a timeline backed up by analyst Brad Lynch, who suggests that the upgraded Meta Quest 3 (as it’ll be known by then) will be revealed at Meta’s Connect 2023 event and released soon after. If the company sticks to the same schedule as recent years, that could mean an October 2023 reveal for the Quest 3.
Of course, that’s quite a way away, and Meta could adjust the release date schedules down the line, so it’s worth taking that information with a pinch of salt for now.
Oculus Quest 3 pricing rumours
While it’s likely far too early for Meta to have priced up the upcoming headset – especially if it’s not due until the end of 2023 – we can estimate pricing based on that of the Quest 2.
You see, the Quest line is Meta’s way of getting VR headsets into the hands of as many people as possible. In fact, Meta continues to subsidise the cost of the headset to provide it at such a tempting £299/$299 price tag.
It’s likely that this trend will continue with the Quest 3, keeping the attractive entry-level price to not only entice existing users to upgrade, but to continue to tempt people into the world of virtual reality.
With that in mind, we expect the Quest 3 to cost a similar amount to the £299/$299 Oculus Quest 2, but we’ll update this section if we hear anything different.
Latest Oculus Quest 3 rumours and leaks
While it’s still relatively early days, the Quest 3 has already been the subject of leaks, giving us our first tidbits of information about the upcoming VR headset.
Improved performance
The Oculus Quest 2 sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR 2 platform, offering the impressive standalone performance we’re all familiar with.
It’d be safe to assume that Meta and Qualcomm would continue that relationship with the Quest 3 and the Snapdragon XR3 mobile platform, which should be available by the time the Quest 3 goes into production.
However, VR analyst Brad Lynch suggests that Meta could take a different route, instead developing its own chipset for the upcoming headset. Per the analyst, the company is rumoured to be working on a chip with a “focus on a GPU that is better designed for VR loads” as to “not rely on a SoC that all smaller XR players will use”.
While that doesn’t give us much to go on, it seems to confirm that the Quest 3 will have better graphics performance, which should translate to better, more immersive games and apps available on the standalone platform.
It’ll also be able to differentiate itself from other VR/AR headset makers that will utilise Qualcomm’s platform, adding another USP to the headset – especially if there are significant gains in the performance department.
If Meta manages to succeed, following the trend of companies like Apple and Samsung that manufacture their own custom chips for their devices, the Quest 3 could have quite the performance upgrade.
uOLED displays
Another prediction from analyst Brad Lynch suggests that the Quest 3 will offer quite the upgrade in the display department, allegedly ditching the LCD panels of the Quest 2 for much improved uOLED tech, an upgraded form of OLED.
That should translate to more vibrant images with deeper, more accurate colours for a more immersive, realistic virtual experience on the upcoming headset. OLED has been used in high-end VR headsets in the past, but it’s the first time it’ll be used in a mass-market entry-level VR headset.
Not much else is known about the display tech, including possible resolution, field of view or lens-related changes, but it’s exciting nonetheless.
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