Meta Quest 3 (8/10, Wired recommends) is a major upgrade over its predecessor in almost every category. It's improved the specifications across the board – a slightly higher resolution, faster processor, more RAM and the option of up to 512GB of internal storage – but the biggest change is the mixed-reality upgrade. previous model, quest 2There were outward-facing cameras for orienting yourself in the world and a pass-through feature that lets you see the room you're in to avoid obstacles. The Quest 3 takes this several steps further, making immersive augmented reality the core of the experience.
For starters, pass-through cameras can now show you a color image instead of black and white. It has a slightly higher resolution, so it's easier to tell what you're looking at. It still feels a bit like you're watching an early 2000s YouTube video from your living room, but it's a lot better than not being able to see your surroundings. This technology enables some innovation New games and experiencesOne of my favorites, PianoVision, is designed to help you learn piano by overlaying useful information and even piano rolls over videos of your real, physical keyboard. It turns the practice of the tool into a guitar Hero-like experience, and this is something that would not be possible with VR alone.
negative side? Meta Quest 3 is more expensive than Quest 2 by far (even after all). mid life price riseStarting at $500, that's the equivalent of buying an entire game console, so it's not worth buying too early, but if you're looking for the best stand-alone VR headset with an extensive library of games and apps that mix VR and Reality supports both, with the Quest 3 being the headset to beat. It's worth noting that the company behind this is Meta (aka Facebook). Looking at the meta, you may not like it less than stellar History Managing user data (not mentioned). How is that data usedAt least you no longer need a Facebook account to use the Meta headset.
Room-scale VR supports pass-through mixed reality, can work with or without a PC, and comes with two controllers.