Like two little brothers who envy the other when they have something that he doesn’t, Apple and Meta seem to work the same, and that is that as soon as the rumors come out that next Monday, June 5, the apple company is going to present its new virtual reality goggles, Mark Zuckerberg and his team couldn’t be in a hurry to get ahead of the launch of the new Meta Quest 3.
It is true that nobody talks about the Metaverse anymore, but the race for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is still there, and despite being relegated behind Artificial Intelligence, it is still a technology for an untapped market and with high expectations placed on it.
Meta, is one of the main companies when it comes to the development of RV, since it his Meta Quest glasses are one of the few options that are available to test, however, everything seemed to indicate that the launch of the new generation of these glasses was going to be later, until Apple arrived.
With WWDC just around the corner, there is a lot of anticipation that Apple presents its own VR glasses, the Reality Pro, and that attention turned to the apple company has not liked what was previously known as Facebook.
For this reason, in an announcement that has surprised everyone, Mark Zuckerberg himself has presented the new Meta Quest 3.
How are these glasses
It is true that in terms of design there has not been much change, although it is worth noting that they have managed reduce viewer size by 40% if we compare it with the previous version in order to make it easier and more comfortable to use.
In turn, the Meta Quest 3 offer a high resolution color image and as expected they are the most powerful so far due to the new generation processor from Qualcomm. Zuckerberg has explained that it will be possible to play with the Meta Quest 2 games cataloghowever, the glasses They won’t hit the market until fall.
Meta surprise launches Meta Quest 3 glasses to battle Apple
The Meta Quest 3 they are a reality. Goal announced by surprise on Thursday the launch of his new virtual reality headset (VR), with whom he hopes to give a cheaper alternative to Apple’s rumored VR headset.
Through a post on Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the parent company of Facebook, revealed that the glasses will arrive this fall and that the initial cost will be $499.99 for the 128 GB model. “The first mainstream headset with high-resolution color mixed reality. 40% thinner and more comfortable. Better screens and resolution. Next-generation Qualcomm chipset (Snapdragon) with twice the graphics performance. Our most powerful helmet”, Zuckerberg has indicated.
“Quest 3 will be the best way to experience virtual and mixed reality on a standalone device. It will be compatible with the entire Quest 2 library with more titles coming soon. More details in our Connect conference on September 27“, has added.
For his part, Meta has reiterated that the glasses “They allow you to perfectly combine your physical world with the virtual one”.” These new experiences go beyond the current mixed reality, since they understand and respond intelligently to the objects in your physical space and allow you to navigate through that space in natural and intuitive ways that were almost impossible before. .
“The passage of high-fidelity color, innovative machine learning and spatial understanding allow you to interact with virtual content and the physical world simultaneously, creating unlimited possibilities to explore”, they added, while highlighting the improvement of perception “natural” depth in the environment.
On the other hand, the Menlo Park company has pointed out that Quest 3 has two 4 MP RGB color camerasa depth sensor for a “more accurate representation of the playing space” and 10 times more pixels in the passthrough compared to Quest 2.
“Ultimately, our vision is to provide you with the ability to move through all realities in a way that is intuitive and enjoyable, reaching beyond the rigid classifications of virtual reality and mixed reality to deliver truly next-generation experiences. that allow you to effortlessly mix the real and virtual world. We can’t wait to see what developers and creators can create on the Quest platform when the possibilities are limitless.” Mark Rabkin, Vice President of VR in Meta.
In addition, the company has also announced that will lower the price of the Meta Quest 2 from next June 4. After these cuts, the 128GB model will cost $299.99 and the 256GB model will cost $349.99. It should be noted that the Quest 2 helmet from Meta launched in fall 2020 at a starting price of $299.99. In July 2022, Meta raised the price of the basic Quest 2 from 299.99 to $399.99, citing increased manufacturing and shipping costs Of the device.
Likewise, last October, Meta presented its virtual reality helmet Quest Pro, intended for businesses and not consumers. Although the Quest Pro initially sold for $1,499.99, Meta dropped the price of the device to $999.99 in Marchwhile also lowering the price of a more expensive version of the Quest 2 helmet with extra storage from $499.99 to $429.99.
In turn, they have announced a GPU and CPU upgrade for Quest 2 and Quest Pro to “increase CPU performance by up to 26% and GPU speed by up to 19% for Quest 2 and 11% for Quest Pro.”
With the announcement of Meta Quest 3, Zuckerberg’s company has been ahead of Applewhich is expected to present its commitment to virtual reality in society during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) of the company, which will take place between June 5 and 9.
Analysis signatures such as Goldman Sachs either wedbush have been very optimistic about Apple, which is flying in the stock market in this 2023while waiting for the company to hear about its virtual reality headset later this year.
Meta introduces new virtual reality headset to the market ahead of Apple’s announcement
The next-generation Quest 3 with improved performance and a slimmer design will be available later this year for a starting price of $500, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post on Instagram.
Zuckerberg described the upcoming headset model as the “most powerful yet” launched by Meta and promised that it would provide the best wireless way to experience virtual and mixed reality.
He added that more details will be shared at an annual Meta Connect developer conference on September 27.
Meanwhile, the starting price of currently available Quest 2 devices will drop to $300, according to Meta.
Zuckerberg told a Meta shareholder meeting this week that the tech giant remains dedicated to building a future in which life on the Internet takes place in virtual worlds called the metaverse.
Apple is expected to provide a preview of a long-rumored virtual reality, or augmented reality (AR) headset, next Monday at an annual Worldwide Developers Conference, attracting programmers and software companies to get started. to provide content.
“By all accounts, Apple was expected to launch a product that felt more like designer glasses than a head-worn gaming device, but it’s launching something much bulkier,” said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Yory Wurmser.
The idea is to put the device in the hands of early adopters and developers and lay the foundation for the release of more innovative mixed reality virtual devices in the coming years, Wurmser said.
