Photo: Apple/Meta
Meta Quest 3, a potential rival to Apple’s Vision Pro, now offers improved visuals, mixed reality experiences, and an affordable price point set to reshape the virtual reality world.
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Apple to watch: Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta Quest 3 has powerful features that could steal some of the thunder from the upcoming Vision Pro headset.
Meta and Apple are two of the biggest names in the tech industry, and they are both competing to offer the best-mixed reality experience to consumers. Meta recently launched its third-generation Quest headset, which promises to deliver a solid VR and AR experience at an affordable price. Apple, on the other hand, has been working on its own mixed reality device, the Vision Pro, which is rumored to be a premium product with advanced features.
The Quest 3 will be available on October 10th with prices starting at $499. Tested at the Meta Connect conference, the Quest 3 left a lasting impression with its mixed reality capabilities. It seems poised to invite comparisons to Apple’s approach to the technology.
But how do these two devices compare? Are they similar or different? Is Meta Quest 3 a copy of Apple Vision Pro, or does it have its own unique advantages? In this article, we will compare the Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro side by side, based on their design, features, performance, and price.
The Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro have very different designs. The Meta Quest 3 is a standalone headset that covers the eyes and ears with a black plastic shell. It has four cameras on the front, two on each side, and one on the top. It also comes with two wireless controllers that have buttons and triggers.
The Apple Vision Pro is a sleek and lightweight headset that resembles a pair of glasses. It has two lenses that project holographic images onto the eyes. It also has sensors and cameras on the frame that track the user’s head movements and gestures. It does not have any controllers, but it can be paired with an iPhone or an Apple Watch for input.
The Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro have some similar features, but they also have some unique ones. The Meta Quest 3 has a full-color passthrough mode that allows the user to see their real-world surroundings through the headset in high-resolution quality. This enables mixed-reality experiences that overlay virtual objects over real-world sights. The Meta Quest 3 also has access to an expanding library of VR games and apps that can be downloaded from the Meta Store.
The Apple Vision Pro has a spatial audio system that creates immersive sound effects that match the virtual environment. It also has a face-tracking feature that can detect the user’s facial expressions and emotions. The Apple Vision Pro also has access to exclusive content from Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and other Apple services.
The Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro have different levels of performance. The Meta Quest 3 has a resolution of 2,064-by-2,208 pixels per eye, which is a 30% improvement from the previous Quest model. It also has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which is smoother than the standard 60Hz. The Meta Quest 3 runs on a Snapdragon XR2 processor, which is designed for VR and AR devices.
The Apple Vision Pro has a resolution of 3,000-by-3,000 pixels per eye, which is higher than any other mixed reality device on the market. It also has a refresh rate of 240Hz, which is four times faster than the standard 60Hz. The Apple Vision Pro runs on an A15 Bionic chip, which is one of the most powerful processors in the world.
The Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro have very different prices. The Meta Quest 3 costs $399 for the base model with 128GB of storage. It also has a higher-end model with 256GB of storage for $499. The Meta Quest 3 does not require any additional hardware or subscription to use.
The Apple Vision Pro costs $2,999 for the base model with 64GB of storage. It also has higher-end models with 128GB or 256GB of storage for $3,499 or $3,999 respectively. The Apple Vision Pro requires an iPhone or an Apple Watch to use, and it also requires an Apple One subscription to access some content.
The Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro are both impressive mixed reality devices that offer different experiences to consumers. The Meta Quest 3 is more affordable and accessible, while providing a solid VR and AR experience with a full-color passthrough mode and a large library of games and apps. The Apple Vision Pro is more expensive and exclusive, while providing a premium VR and AR experience with a high-resolution display and a spatial audio system.
The Meta Quest 3 is not a copy of the Apple Vision Pro, but rather a competitor that has its own strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your budget and preference, you can choose the device that suits you best. Here is a graphic art that summarizes the comparison between the two devices:
