At 3:00 AM on September 28, 2023, in Korea time, Meta Connect 2023 began.
This presentation highlighted three main areas: Quest 3, AI, and AR Glass, so I will organize this into a three-part series for my post.
Among them, the first is the news about the Meta Quest 3.
Meta Quest 3 Launch - MSRP 690,000 KRW
The first news revealed at Meta Connect was the announcement of the Quest 3 launch.
As is known, it was released for 690,000 KRW. Since the US launch price is $499, considering the exchange rate, the price is 688,000 KRW as of today, so the 690,000 KRW price seems to be a pretty good price.
Buy on official site
It is said that if you purchase now, it will be shipped sequentially starting from around October 10th.
It appears that this time it will be officially imported and sold domestically, and it is also possible to purchase it through 11Street, Hyundai Home, SSG, and others.
Here is a summary of the key details for the Meta Quest 3.
Signaling the Launch as a True MR Device
In 2022, it seemed as if Meta had taken the baton from Microsoft, who had been leading the MR (Mixed Reality) market.
Unlike the Hololens 2, which implemented MR using the existing hologram method, Meta started with the Quest Pro and adopted a method called Pass Through (pass-through), utilizing color functionality on external depth cameras to view external scenes mixed with 3D objects through the internal display.
soonsoon
Personally, having tried the Quest 2's grayscale pass-through, I thought this approach was advantageous in terms of cost and seemed suitable for applying mixed technology, so I considered it the future of MR. In that sense, Meta's announcement last year really warmed me up, and as an MVP for the MS MR part, I had expected a new paradigm to be established in the MR field, which had seen no special changes for two years.
However, the Quest Pro's color pass-through, which exceeded 2 million won (now it's in the 1 million won range..), felt very disappointing in terms of resolution, stitching, and noise overall, making one wonder if this is really the MR that Mark Zuckerberg emphasized, forcing a great sense of disappointment.
However, after a year has passed, in the story of the newly announced Quest 3, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the first part he mentioned, talking about the enhancement of the MR section.
Watch the video below to see Meta's vision for full-color pass-through applied to the Quest 3. (It's a pretty touching video.)
What exactly happened in the past year that allowed color pass-through, which wasn't properly applied to the Quest Pro even though it was sold at about three times the price, to be applied?
Major Changes in Hardware
These changes are possible when viewed from two main aspects: first, it is said that by utilizing dual RGB cameras and mixing depth information, high-resolution data can be obtained even in pass-through mode.
Next, it is said that Qualcomm's new XR Gen2 chip is used. Thanks to graphics processing power improved by about twice, a more realistic pass-through mode seems to be realized.
When Qualcomm announced the AR2 platform for AR glasses last November, there was anticipation that the XR Gen 1 used in the Quest Pro would also see a next-generation Gen 2 release. With it finally being applied to the Quest 3, it seems to bring significant performance improvements. (So, what happens to my Quest Pro..? )
soonsoon
Are you watching the Apple Vision Pro?
In addition, it seemed to be suggesting that by utilizing the Quest 3, which has been enhanced with a new color pass-through mode—seemingly mindful of Apple's Vision Pro presentation—users can enjoy the life scenarios mentioned in Vision Pro.
Since Meta has been Facebook since the beginning and acquired Instagram, it is a company with a significant strength in social compared to any other platform company, so this presentation emphasized in various ways that social services and other features can be accessed and utilized in daily life through the Quest 3 via pass-through mode.
Additionally, the hardware strengths were discussed multiple times. The pancake lenses, which were well-received when applied to the Quest Pro, have been further improved, making the device thinner and lighter. Based on reviews from users who have already tried the product, it is said to be convenient to use while wearing glasses without needing to wear a separate lens guide.
And one of the fun parts while watching the presentation was when explaining accessories, it seemed like they were too focused on Apple, saying 'No wire, No battery pack'.
Instead, the Meta Quest 3 directly launches a strap+battery integrated strap, seemingly taking a different path than Apple. Of course, using the USB-C port to insert a separate battery pack into a pocket, as Apple does, is also naturally possible.
I am confident that Meta has been manufacturing and selling HMD devices since Oculus, so it has received more user feedback than any other company and possesses a vast amount of data to create a lighter and more comfortable fit.
Until now, it was standard to buy compatible products via AliExpress immediately after purchasing a Quest due to the inconvenience of the basic strap and accessories. This time, however, it appears they are making an effort to reduce this inconvenience by launching a variety of accessories and offering additional discount benefits.
Also, as known, the controllers are expected to be miniaturized to allow for lighter and more comfortable operation. At the same time, hand tracking, which was applied through the previous Quest Pro and received much praise, is said to be further enhanced and applied.
Increased content but still concerning content
It seems that they are making a lot of efforts to secure more diverse content that can be enjoyed through the Quest 3. Among them, about 50% of the content is said to be in preparation to be enjoyed in the enhanced MR environment this time, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
However, during the part introducing the new titles, the presenter seemed to expect applause... but the scene where they had to quickly move on due to the relatively meager (?) applause also elicited some sympathy.
Something, maybe they should have brought in Hideo Kojima like Apple... Looking at this part, I feel like there are still difficulties in securing sufficient killer content to use the Meta Quest 3.
If there had been, we would have talked about nothing else for 10 minutes..
And there was an introduction to the new subscription model, Meta Quest Plus. It is a system where you receive two games per month for a subscription fee of $7.99, and it is said to be a familiar format for existing console game users, as there is a similar subscription service on PlayStation.
Personally, I have doubts about whether this will be successful... but since they are offering a free 6-month subscription to individuals or companies purchasing five or more Quest 3s, I think we can wait and see how things unfold.
Among most users using Oculus devices or Quest 2, or other VR devices, there is common feedback from users who hold positive outlooks.
Specifically, the reactions 'There aren't any games worth playing.' and 'Games are too expensive.'
Actually, most popular titles are priced above 30,000 KRW and do not offer a trial or demo version, so purchasing them requires a lot of deliberation. Furthermore, even after purchasing them after all that deliberation, the playtime is often shorter than expected, making it difficult to evaluate whether they were worth the money, except for a few structures like BitSever.
And for some reason, I think I bought it without feeling it was a waste of money, but there are quite a few cases where I enjoy it for just a few days at first and then don't really use it much afterwards.. This is just my case and the opinions of a few people around me, so it's hard to generalize.. But anyway, it seems that concerns about securing content and popularizing HMD devices in the HMD device realm will continue to be necessary.
Is the Meta Quest 3 worth buying? I bought one.
Overall, the Quest 3 appears to be an excellent device for those who have been satisfied with and used the Quest 2 over the past few years. Since the Quest 2 was priced at $299, the price is about $200 higher, but considering the rise in prices and the performance difference, it appears to be worth the investment.
However, having purchased the Quest Pro for over 2 million KRW last year, and with the price dropping significantly to the 1.4 million KRW range around March this year.. from the perspective of those who suffered a major emotional wound, purchasing is also hesitant..
Watching this presentation, I got into the mode of thinking, 'Oh my, I have to buy this.!! ' and ended up buying it again.
I will review it once I receive the product in the future.
However, with the Quest 3 coming out so well just a year later, I'm actually curious about how the Quest Pro I purchased will be positioned...
I will soon organize the differences between the Quest 3 and the Quest Pro. In the meantime, I plan to create a separate post to summarize more specific details about the Quest 3.
Anyway, as time passes, the anger felt from buying the Meta Quest Pro is fading and turning back into anticipation.
As a user and developer interested in MR, seeing Microsoft not making any moves while the Apple Vision Pro launch is approaching, I expect Meta to make the Quest series perform even better.
Continuing in the next 2 parts..