After three years of VR exclusivity, Meta released the successor to the Meta Quest 2 in 2023. The Meta Quest 3 was pretty much what we expected, with a few exceptions, one of which was a $200 price increase from the Quest 2’s $299.
However, rumors suggest that the Meta Quest 3s (which may also be called the Meta Quest 3 Lite) will likely launch for $199 or $299 in the second half of 2024. From what we know, it looks like the Meta Quest 3s will be powered by the same powerful Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset as the Meta Quest 3, but will cut costs by removing some other features.
So what exactly can we expect from this headset? It’s essentially a more affordable Meta Quest 3 designed to speed up adoption in the mass market.
Meta Quest 3s: Price and availability
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
Some rumors are suggesting the Meta Quest 3s will launch in late 2024 for a jaw-dropping $199. That would make it the cheapest Meta Quest headset ever, undercutting the Quest 2’s launch price of $299.
But more credible rumors suggest the headset will launch for closer to $299, meaning Meta won’t have to make as many concessions on the hardware side, which would allow for a better mixed reality experience than the Quest 2 without increasing the price.
Meta Quest 3 is scheduled to be unveiled at the annual Meta Connect conference in September 2024.
The name hasn’t been decided yet either: The Meta Quest Pro was originally going to be called the Meta Quest 2 Pro, but Meta launched it without that product number to indicate that it’s part of its own product line.
It’s possible that Meta will do this and call it Meta Quest Lite, but a leak from March said that Meta would call it Meta Quest 3s, and every leak since has called it Quest 3s.
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Design
(Image courtesy of u/LuffySanKira on Reddit)
Old renders by XRCarlos on X make the Meta Quest Lite look like a spinoff of the Oculus Go, and recent leaks back up a similar design language.
The Meta Quest 3 Lite will likely retain the interchangeable headset straps from the Quest 2 and Quest 3, and will also ship with a simple fabric strap. The size of the headset will be close to the Quest 2, as it reportedly uses the same type of lens as the Quest 2, called a Fresnel (pronounced fruh-nel) lens.
The Quest 3 Lite will use the same lens as the Quest 2, but will have a full-color pass-through camera.
Despite using the older lenses, rumor has it that the Meta Quest 3s will actually be 40% lighter than the Quest 2. I don’t know if that’s true, but since the Quest 3 is heavier than the Quest 2, I think this is a good thing.
All leaks indicate that the Meta Quest 3 will have the same lens adjustment system as the Quest 2. This is certainly not ideal: IPD adjustment on the Quest 2 has always been a big issue with its three-preset system. If it were the same, users would be able to choose between 58mm, 63mm, and 68mm presets to suit their eye spacing.
(Image courtesy of VR Panda on X)
So far, all 2024 leaks indicate that Meta will be using a six-camera layout on the front of the Meta Quest 3. Essentially, the camera layout looks identical to the iPhone Pro on the left and right halves of the front of the headset. We don’t yet know which cameras Meta is using in its headset, but we’re told the Quest 3’s depth sensor has been omitted to save on costs.
Regardless of the camera configuration, as UploadVR also points out, the Meta Quest 3 is expected to use a full-color pass-through camera.
Paul Furgale, director of XR technical engineering at Meta Reality Labs, shared his thoughts on the matter in a recent blog post: “We’re confident that pass-through and MR will become standard features for all future headsets starting with Quest 3,” Furgale said.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said during an Instagram AMA in March that the mixed reality… platform capabilities will be the same for the next few generations of headsets.
Both comments more than suggest that color pass-through will become a standard feature going forward, regardless of the headset’s cost.
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Control
(Image courtesy of @Lunayian)
Based on previous leaks, it appears that the Meta Quest 3s will ship with similar or identical controllers as the Quest 3, meaning no controller tracking rings and a smaller overall profile. The Meta Quest 3’s Touch controllers shipped with enhanced haptic feedback, but it remains to be seen if the Quest 3s’ controllers will ship with the same level of haptic feedback.
On top of that, there are rumors that Meta may offer a controller-less version at a lower price.
Rumor has it that Meta will ship the Meta Quest 3 without a controller, to align with Apple’s approach of controlling mixed reality content with just your hands. The hand tracking on the Meta Quest is very good, and the company has been working to make it as easy to use as Apple’s own implementation.
But it’s surprising to see Meta pushing hand tracking as the primary input method, since there aren’t many great games for Quest that support it, though things are improving every month. Plus, the Quest 3 likely won’t have eye tracking or other assistive technology like Apple Vision Pro has, so the hands-only option might be a bit frustrating.
However, if this does happen, there’s a good chance that the Meta Quest 3 will work with existing Quest controllers, so there’s always the possibility that you’ll be able to buy the controllers separately.
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Specifications
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
The Meta Quest 3s is said to use the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset as the Meta Quest 3, but with some changes. Namely, the Meta Quest 3s is said to use a binned version of the XR2 Gen 2 chipset that did not meet performance expectations during the manufacturing process.
This gives both Meta and Qualcomm a good way to offload “broken” chipsets, and gives consumers more power out of the XR2 Gen 1 than they get with the Quest 2.
Other specs, like the type of display or camera resolution, have yet to be announced. If the headset sells at a lower price point, it will no doubt use an LCD with a Fresnel lens and have less RAM and storage space than the Meta Quest 3.
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Wishlist
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Meta hasn’t launched a product at this price point yet, so it’s hard to know what to expect or what to look forward to. However, there are some features we definitely don’t want Meta to cut, so let’s start there.
Proper IPD adjustment
One of the biggest issues with the Meta Quest 2 is the limited range of IPD presets. I would like to see the Meta get an IPD slider like the original Oculus Quest had, or even a wheel like the Quest 3. IPD adjustment is very important for user comfort, and I would like to see the Meta not mess this up.
Comfortable head strap
One of the biggest issues with the Meta over most Quest generations so far is the inclusion of a simple cloth head strap, which is easy to clean and great for keeping costs down, but isn’t very comfortable, especially if you’re wearing the headset for long periods of time.
Hopefully the rumors of a built-in halo-style head strap are true and that the Meta will use it to take some of the weight off the user’s face, making them more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
Color Pass-Through
While I don’t expect the Meta Quest 3s’ passthrough quality to match that of the Quest 3, it’s nice to see it in color at least. The black and white passthrough on the Quest 2 was terrible and will be a major hindrance to the Meta Quest 3s’ future efforts to become a mixed reality headset.
