Meta Introduces Next-Gen Mixed Reality Headset

Meta’s cool new gadget is all about mixing the virtual world with the real one. But, will people really like it?

Glenn Burgess

Meta is back with some exciting tech updates! They’ve introduced the new Meta Quest 3, which is the next version of their popular VR headset, and they’ve also brought us an upgraded version of their smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories.

The Meta Quest 3 is thinner and has better graphics compared to the previous model, making it even cooler. But the big deal this time is “mixed reality,” where virtual stuff blends with the real world.

I got to try out the new Meta Quest 3 before it hit the stores, and I was pleasantly surprised. It felt lighter thanks to a new headstrap, and I didn’t have to deal with the annoying fogging issue from the Quest 2. No more wiping the lenses or holding my breath!

What’s really cool is that the Quest 3 can scan your room all by itself, which is a big improvement. Before, you had to do that manually, and it was a bit of a hassle. Meta’s really stepping up their game in this competitive tech market!

New features & alien games

Meta didn’t stop at scanning the room; they also showed off some cool apps and games that take mixed reality to the next level.

In one game, aliens burst through your ceiling, making you wonder if it’s real or just part of the game. It’s like they’re in your living room!

Another game transported me to a virtual, empty space station, making me forget all about the comfy living room Meta had set up.

Now, I’m not a big metaverse person, so it did take some time to get used to it. And when I finally took off the headset and returned to the real world, I felt a bit wobbly, like a sailor who had one too many drinks on a stormy sea.

The Quest 3 is like a tech Frankenstein, borrowing a lot from its fancier sibling, the Pro model, which costs a hefty £1,499.99. Now, the Quest 3 starts at a much more reasonable £499.99, and it inherits some cool features from Pro, like a better display & the ability to use your fingers to navigate menus.

But they had to skip a few things due to high manufacturing costs. For instance, the Pro’s eye-tracking didn’t make the cut, and the controllers don’t have rechargeable batteries like those fancy PlayStation or Xbox controllers.

Meta’s big focus this year seems to be on making things more accessible and user-friendly. They’ve added hand-tracking, so when you can’t reach your controllers or they’re out of battery juice, you can still use your hands to control things.

It’s not as precise as a controller, though; sometimes my finger would tap the wrong button or resize the window, but most of the time, it got the job done.

What’s the Metaverse for?

When you compare the price, the Quest 3 seems like a good deal, especially when you look at its competitors like the HTC Vive Pro 2, which goes for a hefty £1,399, or the PSVR2 at £529.99.

But there’s still a big question mark hanging over Meta’s VR project, and it’s a bit like the sword of Damocles. People are wondering what the real purpose of this ‘Metaverse’ thing is all about.

Meta has poured a whopping $36 billion (£29.5 billion) into developing the Metaverse, but it hasn’t shown much benefit so far. To put it in perspective, Apple spent just over $150 million (£123 million) on R&D to create the iPhone.

When asked if that $36 billion could have been better spent on AI research, a Meta spokesperson said they’ve been investing heavily in AI for over a decade, so it’s not easy to compare. Meta is confident in its AI efforts and believes it’s keeping up in the AI competition with Microsoft and Google, even mentioning their new chatbot for Messenger.

Aside from the Quest 3, Meta has also given a makeover to its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. These glasses don’t project images; instead, they capture them. Two tiny cameras hidden in the frames of Ray-Ban sunglasses can record the world around you without you needing to pull out your phone.

However, the previous generation of smart glasses didn’t do so well, with reports suggesting that 90% of customers stopped using them shortly after buying them.

With the improved cameras, microphones, and built-in speakers, these updated smart glasses might catch the eye of content creators. However, there’s a twist – they only shoot in portrait mode now, leaving out the landscape option. This change is clearly geared toward the Instagram generation.

As someone who’s used to working in traditional TV news, I did miss the landscape feature, but it does make sense for those who are all about Instagram. Whether the general public will embrace this change or not is something we’ll have to wait and see.

The built-in speakers in the glasses’ temples deliver decent Bluetooth music playback, but for tracks heavy on bass, things can get a bit fuzzy when you turn the volume all the way up.

The charging case for these smart glasses looks just like any other case, complete with a light on the front to let you know when they’re fully charged. However, if you’re part of the 10% of men worldwide who have red/green color blindness, like me, you might have a tough time telling apart the orange and green indicators.

Meta’s ultimate goal is to combine the display technology from the Quest with the camera capabilities of the Stories. Mark Zuckerberg has big plans to create smart glasses that do both, but that still seems like it’s a few generations away.

For now, Meta has added some much-needed competition to the market. Even if the concept of the Metaverse is a bit unclear, this competition will push things forward and drive progress.