Meta is set to finally showcase its Project Cambria VR headset on October 11, but the company's other Quest 2 successor, the Oculus Quest 3, may have been leaked.
With the Oculus Quest 2 proving a huge hit, Meta announced that it was working on two follow-up devices. The first is Project Cambria (believed to be called the Meta Quest Pro), and will almost certainly debut at Meta Connect 2022, if Mark Zuckerberg’s teasers are to be believed.
This premium VR headset will boast eye-tracking and mixed reality capabilities (meaning it can facilitate both VR and AR experiences), with rumors suggesting it will feature 8GB RAM and dual mini LED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2160 x 2160 pixel resolution.
However, it’s expected to cost a fair amount more than the Quest 2 (which is priced at $400 / £400 / AU$630), with a purported leaked internal road map saying it’ll cost at least $800 (around £710 / AU$1,230).
So users who are on a budget may instead want to check out Meta’s other Quest 2 follow-up. Little is known about this device beyond its codename, Project Stinson, but Meta has said it will be a truer sequel to the Quest 2, sitting between it and Project Cambria in terms of features and capabilities. Given its positioning as a proper Quest 2 follow-up, many (us included) are assuming that it'll be called the Oculus Quest 3.
Now it looks like some of the mystery has been stripped away from the Oculus Quest 3, as leaker Brad Lynch has apparently revealed the product’s CAD files and current specs.
Based on looks alone, the leaked model looks like a sequel to the Quest 2, borrowing many of the same design elements. The head-mounted display once again appears to house all of the technical components, and the strap looks unchanged from what we’ve seen from Meta before – suggesting it won’t copy the more comfortable and easier-to-adjust battery-housing strap of the new Pico 4 headset.
Specs-wise the headset is more surprising from what it doesn’t include than what it does. While it does apparently boast two RGB, which could facilitate full-color pass-through for more immersive AR, there’s no eye-tracking which is set to be a major improvement for Project Cambria, the Pico 4 Pro, and PlayStation VR 2.
On top of that, the IPD adjustment – the distance between the lenses that users need to change adjust to their eyes to make the image less blurry – appears to follow a similar system to the Quest 2. The image giving a look inside the headset shows the same window for seeing the IPD setting as on the Quest 2. The presets are generally fine, but with the Pico 4 offering more gradual IPD adjustments we expected the Quest 3 to follow suit.
All leaks should of course be taken with a pinch of salt, but Lynch has a decent track record, so it’s worth paying attention to what he's shared. It’s likely that we’ll hear a couple of details about the Quest 3 (or whatever it's called) during Meta Connect 2022 to build excitement for a 2023 event reveal, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Analysis: is the Quest 3 enough of an upgrade?
These early specs and CAD model design show us a device that looks remarkably similar to the Quest 2, making it appear to be a VR headset that isn’t much more capable or more comfortable to wear than what we already have.
There are still several details we don’t know, such as RAM, display resolution, storage space, and (most importantly) price, and Meta will need to make sure its Quest 2 follow-up offers several upgrades in these departments if it doesn't want to be left lagging behind its new rival, the Pico 4.
We’ve just received the Pico 4 for review, and its improvements over the Quest 2 are already clear. That’s not to say it doesn’t come with some downsides – several of the best VR games aren’t available on the platform for a start – but from a technical perspective, we’re impressed by the Meta competitor.
The Quest 2 has had a fairly easy ride thanks to its low-cost, accessible design and lack of proper budget competitors, but it won’t be easy sailing for the Quest 3. If Meta wants to hold on to its spot at the top of the VR ladder it needs to give us a reason to prefer its hardware over the competition.
