Bought a Quest 3, now more excited for Vision Pro

[jclardy]

I bought a Quest 3, mainly to play around with VR/AR development, and so far in using it, it has me more hyped for the Vision Pro.

The hardware on the Quest 3 is fine, especially for the $500 price point. The passthrough works well enough that I can work in VR, doing iOS development (The main issue I had with past headsets was passthrough not being able to see/read phone displays, without taking off the headset.) Virtual displays in the Quest 3 look about like using a pre-retina monitor (Think 1080P monitor at 27".) Software is the place where Apple will take the cake. Hand tracking has improved a ton on the meta side, but gestures are still finicky, and "tapping" on virtual displays always takes multiple attempts before it takes your input (Even though it shows your hand going through the button, it just doesn't actuate.)

The thing is - the Vision Pro has multiple things going for it - way higher resolution displays, way better quality color cameras, likely better lenses, and likely a way better image processing pipeline with a dedicated reality processor. Also the biggest thing - software. Meta's offering is surprisingly polished in terms of things like ease of setup and just putting the headset on, but it is still just generally buggy - you still get a lot of hitches where the image will freeze momentarily, apps will open to black screens, and other just jarring transitions. I'm sure a lot of things will eventually be worked out (And they work this way because passthrough on the quest 2 was garbage) but it has a long ways to go.

The one thing Apple has done correctly is defaulting to MR. When you put the headset on, it shouldn't be a blank screen and drop you into a virtual environment (Q2/Q Pro did this.) Meta has finally figured this out, and they now default to MR on the Quest 3, and you have to manually flip to full VR. But it is still a VR first headset, and you feel that with the jarring transitions into apps.

Basically - Meta Quest 3 is the Android, to the eventual Vision Pro "iPhone". Yes, it is 7x more expensive, but I think it will really be in a completely different class in terms of experience.

 

[nfl46]

It's funny you mentioned this...I got the Quest 3 and thoroughly impressed and all I could keep thinking about is, wow, the Vision Pro is going to be one hell of a device if I'm loving the Quest 3 like this.

I'm definitely getting the Vision Pro. I'm sold on these devices now.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

It's funny you mentioned this...I got the Quest 3 and thoroughly impressed and all I could keep thinking about is, wow, the Vision Pro is going to be one hell of a device if I'm loving the Quest 3 like this.

I'm definitely getting the Vision Pro. I'm sold on these devices now.

SEE!? I told ya you guys would love XR HMDs. Spatial computing is the next generation of computing as I've been saying for a long time, as you're no longer confined to a single screen and have new input methods never possible before. That's the key thing about VR/AR: Inputs. You have more than just a single keyboard or touch screen, you manipulate your interface with your eyes, hands, and voice, and in VR can do things you couldn't easily do or couldn't do in real life.

 

[Piggie]

I have had a funny thought.......

I wonder if Meta could make more money and gain more market share from the Vision Pro than Apple does

Apple will push the adverts out and show lifestyle concepts to the normal public, so they will spend the money there.
But we know at $3500 normal every-day consumers are not going to buy it.

However, they may well then see the Meta Quest 3, and (to your average consumer) think, well that seems like it does most of the same type of thing, and it's only $499.

Meta could gain a lot of sales due to Apple's promotions

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

This post of a person in Japan using a Quest 3 as a spatial computer while doing the dishes has gone viral

https://twitter.com/x/status/1712104171795886326

Yeah positive word of mouth of the Quest 3 is being spread around and a lot of people are now expressing interest over the Quest 3 over the Vision Pro since it's looking like the Quest 3 can be a servicable spatial computer at 1/7 the price.

Apple might need to announce a price drop of the Vision Pro, slashing the price to $2500, otherwise it's gonna struggle hard.

 

[cpnotebook80]

I got the quest 3 this weekend. It is my first so i was going in blind. I didn't even know there was a new one out until I was seeing all the youtube videos on its reviews. When I received it, I was skeptical but by golly, it was a jaw dropping moment seeing the dashboard floating there hahah. It was like xmas day! I never dabbled into facebook or meta apps much but so far so good from the signing on process.

While, i have nothing to compare it too, so far, i love it. I do not play games so mostly it was for watching my large collection of movies on plex and after using the skyboxVR app, some work related virtual desktop stuff. Who needs a projector or large tv's anymore! I was wanting to get a large screen tv etc or a projector but my place was small but this VR headset does the job just fine. My 4k and 3d content works great. Friends and family are amazed at what you can see through it and do with it.

I am curious on the oled lens down the road as the black levels would indeed maybe improve but watching 360 videos, 4k concerts etc etc from youtube shows how far content is available to enjoy. Apple has a lot of catching up to do but i'm sure in time it will happen. Polished or not growing pains and early adopters will help the process minus that price.

But as for now, i'm still gobsmacked at how far VR and AR has come considering i never got into it till now. Will sell like hotcakes this holiday season with discounts. Can't keep it down considering there is so much already out there to play with.

Waiting for the Neo in the matrix (AR/VR) experience in the white room scenario in 10 years!

 

[jclardy]

I have had a funny thought.......

I wonder if Meta could make more money and gain more market share from the Vision Pro than Apple does

Apple will push the adverts out and show lifestyle concepts to the normal public, so they will spend the money there.
But we know at $3500 normal every-day consumers are not going to buy it.

However, they may well then see the Meta Quest 3, and (to your average consumer) think, well that seems like it does most of the same type of thing, and it's only $499.

Meta could gain a lot of sales due to Apple's promotions

I'd almost count on it...the Vision Pro will essentially be the cutting edge of AR hardware, available to consumers. So app's built for the platform are what will push AR as a whole forward, and when those uses cases are expanded upon, then they will be ported to cheaper headsets.

I just tried working in VR today for about an hour, and it wasn't too bad with the Q3. My main complaints are primarily software - Meta Workrooms gives you zero screen customization options, which is wild for an app built around working in VR. You literally can't resize/move/change curvature of your virtual displays. So I'll probably try virtual desktop next. I'd say the Q3 is the lower limit for what display quality is acceptable for working in VR.

 

[kkee]

I disagree though. I think Vision Pro will gain more from Q3 popularity as people will be exposed and familiar with VR/AR/MR but looking for a better experience in Vision Pro. Admittedly the price is still a hindrance for a lot of people, but that is on Apple to make a cheaper model in the future. Still, there will be a huge increase of interest in Vision Pro especially for those who are more into the spatial computing to gaming side of Q3. People who are still on fence and have cash to spend, will be more likely to buy Vision Pro now.

 

[deebinem]

You have more than just a single keyboard or touch screen, you manipulate your interface with your eyes, hands, and voice, and in VR can do things you couldn't easily do or couldn't do in real life.

As someone who never did fully get to the ability of typing without sneaking peaks, I'm wondering how VP will accommodate someone like me? Maybe I should spend this time practicing no looks... 😫

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

As someone who never did fully get to the ability of typing without sneaking peaks, I'm wondering how VP will accommodate someone like me? Maybe I should spend this time practicing no looks... 😫

Never did keyboarding class huh? Damn

Well you can type on a real keyboard if you wish as the headset accommodates them just like Quest 2 and 3 do, but you can also use voice dictation as well as type on a virtual keyboard.

Quest 2 and 3 have a keyboard passthrough mode in VR where your real keyboard is displayed in virtual reality so you can still see it for those look typers. Maybe visionOS will have something similar (though that's probably not necessary since the headset is designed primarily for AR not VR.

Still, I recommend you learn keyboarding. It's a really useful skill that employers like. I was fortunate that my grade school had a mandatory keyboarding class as I don't gotta look and write super fast that people on Discord beg me to slow down the messages lol

 

[deebinem]

Never did keyboarding class huh? Damn

Well you can type on a real keyboard if you wish as the headset accommodates them just like Quest 2 and 3 do, but you can also use voice dictation as well as type on a virtual keyboard.

Quest 2 and 3 have a keyboard passthrough mode in VR where your real keyboard is displayed in virtual reality so you can still see it for those look typers. Maybe visionOS will have something similar (though that's probably not necessary since the headset is designed primarily for AR not VR.

Still, I recommend you learn keyboarding. It's a really useful skill that employers like. I was fortunate that my grade school had a mandatory keyboarding class as I don't gotta look and write super fast that people on Discord beg me to slow down the messages lol

Oh trust me, I've been typing since I was in middle school (edit like early 90's 😫), I just don't spend every waking hour on a keyboard to keep those fingers working perfectly without sneaking a peak here and there. I can get by if I don't mind my WPM dropping to like 30... =)

Oh and just saw this on the Meta promo page. LOL

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Oh and just saw this on the Meta promo page. LOL
View attachment 2297317

Lol
Lmao

(God I need to get off this damn headset. Valve hurry up on the Deckard and Apple hurry up on the consumer model Vision.)

 

[GrindedDown]

I'd almost count on it...the Vision Pro will essentially be the cutting edge of AR hardware, available to consumers. So app's built for the platform are what will push AR as a whole forward, and when those uses cases are expanded upon, then they will be ported to cheaper headsets.

I just tried working in VR today for about an hour, and it wasn't too bad with the Q3. My main complaints are primarily software - Meta Workrooms gives you zero screen customization options, which is wild for an app built around working in VR. You literally can't resize/move/change curvature of your virtual displays. So I'll probably try virtual desktop next. I'd say the Q3 is the lower limit for what display quality is acceptable for working in VR.

Check out Immersed if you are looking for a bit more customization for workspace. I think it works pretty well.

 

[GrindedDown]

I bought a Quest 3, mainly to play around with VR/AR development, and so far in using it, it has me more hyped for the Vision Pro.

The hardware on the Quest 3 is fine, especially for the $500 price point. The passthrough works well enough that I can work in VR, doing iOS development (The main issue I had with past headsets was passthrough not being able to see/read phone displays, without taking off the headset.) Virtual displays in the Quest 3 look about like using a pre-retina monitor (Think 1080P monitor at 27".) Software is the place where Apple will take the cake. Hand tracking has improved a ton on the meta side, but gestures are still finicky, and "tapping" on virtual displays always takes multiple attempts before it takes your input (Even though it shows your hand going through the button, it just doesn't actuate.)

The thing is - the Vision Pro has multiple things going for it - way higher resolution displays, way better quality color cameras, likely better lenses, and likely a way better image processing pipeline with a dedicated reality processor. Also the biggest thing - software. Meta's offering is surprisingly polished in terms of things like ease of setup and just putting the headset on, but it is still just generally buggy - you still get a lot of hitches where the image will freeze momentarily, apps will open to black screens, and other just jarring transitions. I'm sure a lot of things will eventually be worked out (And they work this way because passthrough on the quest 2 was garbage) but it has a long ways to go.

The one thing Apple has done correctly is defaulting to MR. When you put the headset on, it shouldn't be a blank screen and drop you into a virtual environment (Q2/Q Pro did this.) Meta has finally figured this out, and they now default to MR on the Quest 3, and you have to manually flip to full VR. But it is still a VR first headset, and you feel that with the jarring transitions into apps.

Basically - Meta Quest 3 is the Android, to the eventual Vision Pro "iPhone". Yes, it is 7x more expensive, but I think it will really be in a completely different class in terms of experience.

I have to admit, my excitement for vision pro has increased significantly because of the quest 3. I bought quest 2 and enjoyed it for games, but reading and productivity were subpar in it. Quest 3 is a big improvement with higher resolution and larger sweet spot for viewing. There are some small gripes though and the biggest one is software. This is where Apple will beat out Quest 3 hands down. Just by the nature of having iPad and iPhone apps available will make vision pro significantly more useful.

Having said that, quest 3 is a pretty incredible tool as is and there is enough software and productivity prowess that makes is usable. The cost is good for it, but it has made me more curious to try vision pro.

 

[kkee]

I have to admit, my excitement for vision pro has increased significantly because of the quest 3. I bought quest 2 and enjoyed it for games, but reading and productivity were subpar in it. Quest 3 is a big improvement with higher resolution and larger sweet spot for viewing. There are some small gripes though and the biggest one is software. This is where Apple will beat out Quest 3 hands down. Just by the nature of having iPad and iPhone apps available will make vision pro significantly more useful.

Having said that, quest 3 is a pretty incredible tool as is and there is enough software and productivity prowess that makes is usable. The cost is good for it, but it has made me more curious to try vision pro.

I have Q2 but I skip Q3 since Apple announced VP. I have tried Q3 and while it is heaps better than Q2 in handling spatial and AR passthrough, it is not as smooth and high definition as VP (as per current demo version for dev on store). Q3 still makes me slightly seasick after a while which VP didn't (perhaps the almost zero latency is due to VP powerful chip more than frame rates). Q3 trying the hand gesture is cute though, nice try but unpolished. Can't wait for you to try VP, the hand gesture is something else. It is just so natural.

 

[GrindedDown]

I have Q2 but I skip Q3 since Apple announced VP. I have tried Q3 and while it is heaps better than Q2 in handling spatial and AR passthrough, it is not as smooth and high definition as VP (as per current demo version for dev on store). Q3 still makes me slightly seasick after a while which VP didn't (perhaps the almost zero latency is due to VP powerful chip more than frame rates). Q3 trying the hand gesture is cute though, nice try but unpolished. Can't wait for you to try VP, the hand gesture is something else. It is just so natural.

I’m very much looking forward to that experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.

 

[Jensend]

The one thing Apple has done correctly is defaulting to MR. When you put the headset on, it shouldn't be a blank screen and drop you into a virtual environment (Q2/Q Pro did this.) Meta has finally figured this out, and they now default to MR on the Quest 3, and you have to manually flip to full VR.

I don't think this is some insight that Apple had and Meta didn't. There is no "finally figuring it out", it's just that the passthrough wasn't good enough before. And it wouldn't have made much sense to focus on better passthrough quality earlier, because the screens and optics weren't good enough quality to make many AR apps worthwhile.
I'm actually typing this message on a Valve Index with passthrough enabled, but the quality is so bad that there is no way that I would make it the default setting. It does give a glimpse of what good passthrough would feel like.

I have had a funny thought.......

I wonder if Meta could make more money and gain more market share from the Vision Pro than Apple does

Apple will push the adverts out and show lifestyle concepts to the normal public, so they will spend the money there.
But we know at $3500 normal every-day consumers are not going to buy it.

However, they may well then see the Meta Quest 3, and (to your average consumer) think, well that seems like it does most of the same type of thing, and it's only $499.

Meta could gain a lot of sales due to Apple's promotions

Maybe Meta could actually make a $1500 headset that isn't as full of compromises as the Quest Pro was.

 

[Piggie]

Maybe Meta could actually make a $1500 headset that isn't as full of compromises as the Quest Pro was.

Indeed.
Personally I feel Meta / Other companies are REALLY happy with the cost of the Vision Pro right now.
(And who knows how much Apple will price a cheaper "consumer" version.... £1999 ?)

If Meta can build a Quest 3, which to be honest is getting overall a VERY positive reaction in the media for the improvements over the Quest 2 for $499.
(Is it as good as a Vison Pro, no of course not, but its one Seventh the price)

We should all understand that with almost any product, the higher up you go price wise, the smaller the difference becomes.
EG. A $300 item will be vasty better than a $100 item. that $200 buys you a LOT of improvements.
But a $500 item will only be very marginally better than a $300 item for the same $200 difference.

Meta has loads of very advanced prototypes and tech in it's R&D labs, and it's a case of predicating what the market is going to want and deem important in perhaps a couple of years time, to bring the cost of the tech down and into a device for the consumer.
Unless Apple pulls a total shocker and plucks something cheap out the air (which I'd suggest won't happen)
Meta (and others) have a lot of money to play with here.

As said, if you can make a Quest 3 with all it can do for $499, then just how much would is cost to improve the pass-thru camera's, improve the screen, and add back in eye tracking for example?
I'd guess it won't add $1000 to the build costs.

In my opinion, the price of of the Vision Pro right now does not matter and it's not the model anyone else really needs to compete with as it's going to have such a small target audience for devs and the public to own.
It's the price of the cheaper model which they have to consider.

As I said, if we go with something like $1999 for the Apple Vision (not Pro) which may not be as good (who knows)
That still gives others a nice zone to work in to build something comparable.

Honestly, putting the "Apple Fan boys/girls" to one side, it's still an almost impossible sell to normal people.
Getting them to spend $499 would be challenging, let alone $1499 or $1999

It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out over the next 5 - 10 years and if consumers feel it's something they wish to own. Right now. Other than Games/Entertainment/Exercise? which puts you into a new world that you can't experience without a headset, I feel is a very hard sell.
There are only so many people who want floating computer screens in front of them as opposed to looking at their monitor/laptop screen.

Apple has a major advantage with their M series chips, and sadly (as I like competition) the power of Snapdragon and/or other CPU/GPU brands may be the piece of the puzzle which is the hardest to solve for other companies right now.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I just can’t get that excited about VisionPro due to the price

 

[itsboi]

I just can’t get that excited about VisionPro due to the price

Yeah I was all in the hype the day it was announced, but saying 4 THOUSAND out loud knocked some sense into me. I disregarded the sales tax. I might just wait for a refresh and hope for better comfort + battery life. By the time I get in, there should be some cool apps.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

It will be interesting to see how many units Meta is selling of this model.

 

[Bodhitree]

I just can’t get that excited about VisionPro due to the price

I have much the same reaction… it’s an ultra-luxury item for the wealthy, for now. I could dip into my savings to buy one, but I don’t see the point.

 

[Piggie]

I'd love one, as long as it's a stand alone computer and not tied to other Apple devices.
Could end up being the best AR and VR headset out there, but it desperately needs devs to create the software, and this is the worry.
How many millions are you as a dev going to devote to Vision Pro software development in the forceable future?
Apple really needs to throw money at the devs, but then they probably won't at the VR devs.

 

[cpnotebook80]

The quest 3 is my first foray into ar/vr and loving it. Mostly for the movie watching experience and great dev community that put out some good apps to take advantage of the hardware. Also immersed and Remote Desktop work well and I have no headaches or seasick issues since getting it. It feels so different dipping toes into the meta ecosystem being in the apple one for decades. Meta has made strides in their App Store etc and there is room for improvement.
I use Plex to stream my 4K movies each night on my imax like screen. Don’t need a large screen tv or projector😉

 

[dante_mr]

My Quest 3 is coming this week! Can't wait to try it out.

Not a fan of the Quest 2 and Meta's software (or lack thereof to be honest). But I do enjoy using the 2 for a few games and I've recently been trying to get into watching videos on the Quest.

Though the display quality is disappointing (which is why I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Quest 3 💪).

Should hold me over til the Vision releases.