Meta Quest 3 Review

Normally, I try to leave my upgrades with a gap of at least two iterations — my phone is over two years old — so as I do have a Meta Quest 2, I’m surprised to be writing about the Meta Quest 3. It’s available in two versions, the Quest 3S and the Quest 3, this review will focus on the latter because I don’t have the former.

Right out of the box, the headset is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The attached head strap is also better as it’s a sort of mesh design, so it feels more secure than the old one’s default strap. As you look at it from the front, the power button is on the right side along with the USB-C port, and on the right is what could be a touch-sensitive button, because it’s used to swap in and out of Passthrough mode so you can easily see your actual surroundings. Along the bottom on the left are the volume buttons, and on the right is a dial to alter the lenses to suit your eyesight. You can also move the facial interface (the face cushion) slightly to alter your comfort and field of view.

On the front are two sets of dual colour cameras, which in use will show you the room in colour, though don’t expect HD quality, it’s still quite grainy like if you’ve ever seen the black and white Passthrough mode on the Quest 2. But at least now I can read my phone notifications in a pinch.

The foam cushion that surrounds the viewing area feels stiffer than I’m used to, or maybe I just need to adjust it a bit more. It’s an inexact science, getting the tightness of the strap and the facial interface distance perfect, I really only tend to notice it towards the end of a gaming session.

Hand tracking is a feature on the Quest 2, but I never found it viable until the Quest 3. The cameras are clearly better, because I no longer have to make exaggerated gestures to be noticed, and I don’t actually need my hands right in front of me. If I make a pinching motion just below my viewing area, the Quest 3 still usually picks it up, handy while browsing the store.

While I do have a link cable for playing games via my computer, I haven’t needed it yet as the Air Link has been super. It could be flaky when I tried it in the past, but I’ve honestly had maybe a handful of glitches over multiple hours of PC games, usually surrounding loading screens, so I don’t think the Quest 3 itself is to blame.

All of the games that I’ve tried from my Quest 2 run just as well on the Quest 3, and although I’m not an audio person, I’ve noticed they sound better. There may be something to the 3D audio in the marketing materials.

On the other hand, the Touch Plus controllers don’t feel any different to me. They’re smaller than the Quest 2 controllers, but as far as enhanced haptics go I’ve not noticed any differences. They work just as well, so it’s not like there’s a problem with their design, I just think they might be overselling how good they are.

Unfortunately, it’s proving to only provide a couple of hours of gaming. The battery life isn’t great, but to be fair it at least lets me sit down and catch my breath after an active bout.

Should you upgrade to a Quest 3? There are certainly things that it does better than the Quest 2, but unless you’re after playing Batman: Arkham Shadows or the other upcoming Quest 3 exclusives, I wouldn’t say it’s a must-buy. However, if you don’t yet have a VR and want to see what the fuss is about, it’s definitely worth a look, or the cheaper Quest 3S if that better suits your budget.