Apple's biggest competitor? Quest3 helmet for foreign media: expected to be released in October

On May 29th, Bloomberg Technology author Mark Gurman recently tried out Meta's upcoming hybrid reality headworn device, Quest3. He believes that Quest3 is lighter and thinner, with significantly improved transparency, faster processing speed, and more executable content, making it significantly attractive in the field of mixed reality

On May 29th, Bloomberg Technology author Mark Gurman recently tried out Meta's upcoming hybrid reality headworn device, Quest3. He believes that Quest3 is lighter and thinner, with significantly improved transparency, faster processing speed, and more executable content, making it significantly attractive in the field of mixed reality.

Apple's launch of headworn devices at this year's Global Developers Conference undoubtedly became the biggest news in the mixed reality field this year. But this market is not only owned by Apple, but also by Meta, the leader in the hybrid reality field, who is constantly updating and upgrading its devices.

The two companies will engage in fierce competition, similar to the 15 year struggle between Apple's iPhone and Google's Android smartphone. The iPhone dominates the high-end market with higher prices and a closed ecosystem, while Android smartphones dominate the low-end market with a more open platform.

This time, Apple will occupy the high-end market in the hybrid reality field with its head worn devices priced over $2000, but Meta will still dominate the low-end market. Apple's promotion of hybrid reality devices may even benefit Meta, allowing it to leverage its price advantage to provide services to consumers who cannot afford top tier models.

On June 5th, Apple will release its headphones, while Meta plans to release its latest Quest3 in October. The competition between the two companies in the field of hybrid reality will unfold in the coming months. Although Apple's device is still in a confidential state, Meta's upcoming model, Quest3, is ready for testing.

Through testing the user interface, video transmission mode, software, and game features, Gurman stated that the overall performance of Quest3 has significantly improved compared to Quest2.

This new device, codenamed "Eureka," is lighter and has thinner sides than the Quest2 launched in 2020. The strap used to wear the device on the user's head seems to be stronger, and the two side straps are made of fabric fabric, not plastic like Quest2.

The front of the Quest3 device has undergone a new design, with three elliptical areas arranged vertically with built-in sensor arrays. The elliptical areas on the left and right have a color perspective camera and a standard camera. This means that Quest3 uses two color perspective cameras, while Quest2 uses non color perspective cameras. The oval area in the middle has a depth sensor, which is also the first time that Quest series devices are equipped with a depth sensor.

There are two tracking cameras located on both sides of the device, with an IPD adjustment knob on the left side to adjust the distance between the screen and the pupils, and a volume slider on the right side. Compared to Quest2, this is a significant improvement, which requires users to remove the device and manually adjust the internal virtual reality display. The power button and USB-C interface, like Quest2, are still set in the middle position on the side of the device.

Although there are rumors that Quest3 has a slightly higher resolution, the clarity and virtual reality display effect of the actual experience are similar to Quest2. However, the transparency and processing speed of this device have significantly improved.

Video transparency is the core of mixed reality. By utilizing an external camera, users can see real-time videos of the real world even when wearing a headworn display, creating an augmented reality effect without the need for transparent lenses. Although Gurman believes that Quest3's video transmission performance will not be close to that of Apple devices (which will be equipped with about a dozen cameras), it has made tremendous progress compared to Quest2.

Quest3 is equipped with two RGB color perspective cameras, which provide more accurate color rendering through the transparency function. The rendering of the external real world can almost be fake. Test users can even use their phones while wearing their devices, which is usually not achievable on Quest2.

The speed of Quest3 navigation, launching applications, and running games is also much faster than Quest2, mainly because this device uses Qualcomm's second-generation Snapdragon XR2 chip.

Although Meta has not yet found a "Killer application" for headworn devices, it is indeed several years ahead of Apple in developing virtual reality games. In order to promote its own hybrid reality devices, Apple plans to launch tools that can easily convert iOS and iPad software into xROS applications, thereby changing the current situation.

The control method of Quest3 is the same as that of current Quest devices, which is achieved through left and right hand control handles and hand tracking function. But unlike Apple devices or QuestPro, Quest3 does not have facial tracking and eye tracking functions. This means that Quest3 does not have the so-called line of sight tracking rendering technology, and will not concentrate resources on the place where users are looking like Apple devices.

The control handle of Quest3 has been redesigned to look similar to the handle included with QuestPro. The handle features a gray appearance, consistent with the color of the main device, but the grip function of Quest2 has been removed, and there is no camera on the QuestPro handle. This means that the new controller for Quest3 is difficult to locate itself, which may affect the effectiveness of some games. Meta is seeking to compensate for its shortcomings through improved hand tracking functionality.

The depth sensor installed on the device is used to capture images of the user's real environment to generate a grid image, allowing the device to automatically recognize surrounding walls. In this way, users can play games shooting at objects on the wall or cover the surrounding environment with virtual content. More importantly, users of Quest3 no longer need to manually determine the position of each wall in the house like Quest2 does.

Meta has not yet finalized the pricing for Quest3. But those involved in the development believe that the price may be higher than Quest2's $400. There is also a view that Meta may continue to release Quest2 at a lower price, but it may not release the second generation QuestPro in the short term.

Overall, Quest3's hybrid reality functionality is impressive. The transparent transmission function has been greatly improved, with faster processing speed and more executable content. If the price of Quest3 is about $500, it is only one-fifth that of an Apple device, but its appeal to users is bound to exceed one-fifth that of an Apple device. With hybrid reality products becoming consumers' preferred devices, Quest3 may create a buzz during this year's holiday shopping season. (Chen Chen)