Meta Quest 3 vs Apple Vision Pro: Does Meta’s new headset punch above its weight?

How does the Meta Quest 3 fare against the Vision Pro, especially considering that the Apple headset is thousands of dollars more expensive? Check out the detailed comparison below.

Meta Quest 3 vs Apple Vision Pro: Know the difference between the two mixed reality headsets. (AP)

Meta Quest 3 vs Apple Vision Pro: After being teased in June, Meta Platforms yesterday finally launched the Quest 3, its next mixed reality headset and the successor to Quest 2, at the Connect 2023. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to the stage to give us a proper look at the headset, its features, supported apps and games, and more. And yes, there were some shots at Apple too! For instance, Zuckerberg jokingly claimed that the Quest 3 requires “no wires, no battery pack”.

This is of course, in reference to the Apple Vision Pro, which the Cupertino-based tech giant unveiled at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023 on June 5. It is Apple's first attempt to dip its toes in the world of virtual reality and comes with a tethered battery pack that needs to be lugged around everywhere.

So, how does the Meta Quest 3 fare against the Vision Pro, especially considering that the Apple headset is thousands of dollars more expensive? Check out the detailed comparison below.

Meta Quest 3 vs Apple Vision Pro: Pricing and availability

Meta Quest 3 is a consumer-focused mixed-reality headset and therefore is priced accordingly. The Quest 3 starts at $499 for the 128GB variant. There is also a massive 512GB variant but that will set you back $649. The Quest 3 will be available for purchase starting October 10.

On the other hand, the Apple Vision Pro is built not for just consumers, but for the developers who can use it to design and build AR/VR applications and products. The Apple Vision Pro costs a hefty $3499 but isn't on sale yet. Apple, at its WWDC 2023, announced that the Vision Pro won't go on sale until “early next year”.

Meta Quest 3 vs Apple Vision Pro: Specifications, features, design and more

Quest 3: The Meta Quest 3 features an Infinite Display optical stack with a pancake lens. Both LCD displays get 2064×2208 resolution per eye and over 9 million pixels, with 1218 pixels per inch. According to Meta, it provides a 40-slimmer optic profile compared to Quest 2. It also features a High-fidelity color Passthrough, which means you can see the real world in full color instead of monochrome like its predecessor.

Finally, the company has also said that the Meta Quest 3's Touch Plus controllers will be more ergonomic and get TruTouch haptics. While the overall design is similar to its predecessor, it now features three vertical pill-shaped cutouts for cameras and sensors that allow it to have a mixed-reality feature. The new headset is powered by a processor based on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform which has been developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. The Quest 3 gets a battery pack but it is integrated into the visor, meaning there is no external battery that needs to be connected.

The Apple Vision Pro headset is constructed using lightweight materials and an aluminum frame with polished laminated glass at the front. For controls, there are buttons for capturing video and photos, with the inclusion of a digital crown. Apple says that there are 23 million micro-OLED pixels across displays in the Vision Pro, meaning there are more pixels in a postage stamp-sized area than what you can get on a 4K TV! It also houses 5 sensors and 12 cameras.

Powering all this tech is a fan-cooled computer with an M2 chip and a new R1 chip, running on VisionOS. It has an external battery that lasts up to two hours and can connect via a woven cable that you can easily put in your pockets. Apple Vision Pro seamlessly blends the digital world with the real world, says Apple CEO Tim Cook. Instead of a physical controller, you control it with your hands, voice, and eyes! The EyeSight feature lets others see your eyes when they are near you. You can also use a digital crown on the side of the headset to determine how immersive the environment is.

Unlike the Quest 3, the Vision Pro is tethered to a physical battery pack via a cable. That means you'll need to carry it around wherever you go.