Razer hasn’t exactly been all-in when it comes to making VR accessories, although there have been a few bits of VR kit over the years from the RGB-infused gaming hardware giant. This time around Razer says it’s releasing a Quest-branded model of its noise cancelling Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds.
Announced alongside pre-orders for Quest 3, the earbuds for Quest 3 and Quest 2 include a USB-C dongle for a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection in addition to Buetooth 5.2 support.
Image courtesy Meta
Initially released in late 2022, the company’s standard noise cancelling Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds support a wide range of devices, including PS5, PS4, PC, Mac, smartphones, tablets, and handheld gaming devices with Bluetooth audio capability or USB-C / USB-A port. You can already get them in two flavors, branded either for Xbox or PlayStation.
Razer says the earbuds are slated to release sometime later this year. There’s no pricing yet, although the standard Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds cost $150 MSRP. Considering this looks to be more of a brand licensing deal than the “Made for Meta” badging might suggest, you can probably bet on that pricing.
While we haven’t seen a list of supported USB-C headphones for Quest 3, Meta has certified a number of other earbuds, including the very similar wireless Anker Soundcore VR P10 earbuds, and wired USB-C Earbuds for Pixel, Samsung and OnePlus.
Meta announced at Connect 2023 that Xbox Cloud Gaming is heading to Quest in December, meaning you’ll be able to play all of your favorite flatscreen games on offer through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Meta’s full unveiling of Quest 3 yesterday came with a fair bit of news, including specs, price, pre-orders and shipping dates; long story short, you can get Meta’s $500 consumer mixed reality headset starting October 10th, with pre-orders now live.
Sometime in December, Meta says we’ll also get support for Xbox Cloud Gaming on Quest too, which users will be able to use on a virtual screen that can be adjusted and resized.
There’s no specific date yet for when to expect Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Quest platform. On stage, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg only mentioned that it’s “coming to Quest in December,” so it’s possible we’ll see even Quest 2 included in the list of supported hardware in addition to Quest 3 and (presumably) Quest Pro.
As it stands, there are a few standard caveats. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a supported controller (sold separately) is required. Meta says in a blogpost that some streaming limitations may apply as well, including variable server availability and wait times, and geographical restrictions.
Want to know if Quest 3 is worth it? We haven’t gone in for our deep dive review yet, although we got a full hands-on with the headset right before Connect 2023 this week that goes into everything from confort to clarity.
Coming alongside the big Quest 3 info dump today at Connect 2023, Meta revealed that Quest Store games and apps have generated over $2 billion in revenue. While the store is still earning for developers, looking at revenue over time shows that things have cooled off over the last year.
Meta’s Head of Developer Relations Melissa Brown announced the figure on stage, further noting that 100+ new and upgraded titles are coming to the Quest Store before the year’s end, more than half of which will be brand new games and apps.
While $2 billion sounds like an impressive number—it certainly is for the XR industry at large—it pales in comparison to what Meta regularly spends on its Reality Labs division.
Quest 2 next to Quest 3 | Image courtesy Meta
Back in July, the company reported a quarterly loss just south of $4 billion in Q2 2023; Reality Labs’ revenue was down by 39% due to lower Quest 2 sales, making for the worst quarterly performance in the past two years.
With today’s announcement, it’s also clear at what rate content sales have cooled off since Quest 2 was launched in 2020. The company announced at Connect 2022 in October last year that it had topped $1.5 billion in Quest Store revenue, accounting for everything since the first Quest’s launch in 2019, meaning it’s only managed to generate $500 million in the past 12 months, putting a clear end to any kind of take-off ramp that might have appeared to be forming.
Moving forward, this will undoubtedly put more weight on Quest 3 to fill in where Quest 2 left off, as stockholders will no doubt expect the $500 headset to meet or beat its forebear’s relatively meteoric success. Quest 3 pack in much of the functionality of the $1,000 Quest Pro headset, including color passthrough sensors for mixed reality, and has a significantly sleeker profile and more powerful chipset than the now $300 Quest 2.
Will that be enough for first-time VR users to jump in? Enough for Quest 2 users to upgrade? Whatever the case, Meta is undoubtedly subsidizing its XR hardware to make software sales more attractive. And if it doesn’t keep pumping out first-party titles like Asgard’s Wrath 2, they’ll need at least keep those multi-million-dollar success stories coming, like Gorilla Tag’s $26 million in revenue high-swinging success story, or the other 40 Quest games that Meta said had posted revenues over $10 million.
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Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along by heading to our main page for all of the latest in Meta’s XR stuff.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today at Connect, the company’s annual XR developer conference, that it’s going to launch a set of mixed reality mini-apps on Quest 3 that you can stick anywhere in your house.
Relying on Quest 3’s room-mapping capabilities, the so-called ‘augments’ are due to launch sometime next year on Meta’s newly fully unveiled mixed reality headset, bringing what the company calls “interactive, spatially aware digital objects that come to life all around you.”
This includes simple objects, like a piece of art you can stick to your real-world wall, or something more involved like a weather app on your desk that alerts you before rain starts—all of it appearing right in place whenever you put on your headset.
Image courtesy Meta
Zuckerberg also noted that these sorts of ‘frames’ can contain things like Facebook videos, Instagram Reels, and other apps, but also portrait-shaped ‘portals’ that act as immediate links to VR games, like fitness app Supernatural.
Meta says it’s also going to launch branded augments like an iHeartRadio music player and Beat Saber trophies—ostensibly all of the sort of stuff that Meta thinks you’d want to hang on your wall as you’re consuming traditional content through the headset.
We’ve seen some similar stuff from Magic Leap before it pivoted to enterprise, and Apple is sure to push many of the same augmented reality widgets with the launch of Apple Vision Pro. It’s going to be interesting to not only see what sort of brand deals the company can reel in, but how it goes toe-to-toe with Apple as it courts the more purely AR side things.
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Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.
Meta announced at its annual developer conference today that Quest 3 is now available for pre-order starting at $500, shipping October 10th. The company also revealed a host of accessories which ought to help knock a few of those pesky paychecks from your bank account.
Here’s the full list of accessories announced today. You can find them all over at Meta’s website, and likely also through online retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
Quest 3 Charging Dock [$130]
Quest 3 Charging Dock | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Be ready to play and stay organized with an all-in-one wireless charging dock for the Meta Quest 3 headset and controllers. Includes rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for your controllers. The charging dock is also compatible with our other accessories including Elite Strap, Elite Strap with Battery, and Active Straps (sold separately).
Quest 3 Elite Strap [$70]
Quest 3 Elite Strap | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Play in comfort with this adjustable, ergonomic head strap that easily adjusts to fit most head sizes with the turn of a dial. This lightweight strap takes pressure off your face and evenly distributes the weight for a more comfortable fit.
Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery [$130]
Quest 3 Elite Battery Strap | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Play in comfort and get up to 2 hours additional VR game playtimewith this adjustable ergonomic head strap that features a built-in, lithium-ion battery. Easily adjusts to fit most head sizes while distributing the weight for a more comfortable fit. Charge your headset and head strap battery simultaneously with a single charging cable. *Battery life may vary based on headset usage, configurations, and settings.
Quest 3 Carrying Case [$70]
Quest 3 Carrying Case | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Take your headset and accessories on the go with style and complete protection. Designed for your Meta Quest 3 headset, Touch Plus controllers, charging cable, adapter, headstrap (standard or Elite) and Active Straps. This genuine Meta Quest accessory ensures a perfect fit, durability, and convenience anywhere you take your gear.
Quest 3 Silicone Facial Interface [$40]:
Quest 3 Silicon Facial Interface | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Wipe away sweat and dirt easily and get right back to your next workout or gaming session. This soft, silicone facial interface provides a cleaner feel and comfortable fit on your face. Get a perfect fit and block out unwanted light from entering your Meta Quest 3.
Quest Active Straps for Touch Plus Controllers [$40]
Quest 3 Touch Plus Active Straps | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Play with confidence and intensity with these premium, adjustable straps that give extra grip and stability for your Meta Quest Touch Plus Controllers. Designed to comfortably fit most hand sizes, Active Straps provide added stability and effortless grip while you play, navigate and gesture in VR.
Quest 3 Facial Interface & Head Strap [$50]:
Created using images courtesy Meta
Product description: Express yourself in bold color and stay comfortable in Meta Quest 3. The fabric facial interface provides breathable cushioning while blocking out unwanted light. Color-matched, flexible head strap fully adjusts to fit most head sizes for added support. Available in Elemental Blue and Blood Orange.
VR Prescription Lenses for Quest 3 [$50]
Quest 3 Prescription Inserts | Image courtesy Meta
Product description: Experience a seamless viewing experience without the hassle of glasses. Lightweight and easy to install, these lenses are custom made by Zenni for your exact prescription. Designed in collaboration with Meta, these prescription lenses provide a perfect fit and high-quality visual experience in your Meta Quest 3.
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Razer is also making wireless earbuds for Quest 3, named ‘Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed Earbuds for Meta Quest 3’.
Additionally, the company is still hawking its $80 Quest Link Cable, which has been confirmed to work with Quest 3.
Like Quest 2, Quest 3 can also optionally swap out their standard Touch controllers for Quest Touch Pro Controllers, priced at an eye-watering $300. This includes more accurate inside-out tracking that doesn’t require line of sight, as with all other Touch controllers from generations past.
Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.
At Meta Connect 2023 today, among the avalanche of news we learned Quest 3 is shipping October 10th, accessories are raining from the sky, and there will be “another 50+ titles” coming by year’s end.
Meta says over 100 new and upgraded titles are coming to Quest 3 by year’s end, with over half of them brand new.
Many of those 100+ apps and games are getting some form of “MR features” too, Meta says, which ought to help fill out what so far seems to be a fairly shallow pool of mixed reality content currently. Mixed reality games announced today include multiplayer tabletop battle game BAM! from I-Illusions, a mixed reality mode for Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord,Lego Bricktales and Meta’s First Encounters tutorial app for Quest 3 (we’ll be filling out this list as we learn more). Meta also showed MR modes for Stranger Things VR and Less Mills Body Combat.
Demeo Mixed Reality mode | Image courtesy Meta
While full-color passthrough allows for mixed reality games, Quest 3 is thankfully also backwards compatible with Quest 2’s entire library of over 500+ VR games and apps.
Granted, individual developers will need to push Quest 3-specific updates that overhaul things like texture quality and render resolution to get the most out of the Meta’s latest and greatest.
Its higher-resolution, independent displays and second-gen Snapdragon XR2 (see the full specs here) will also boost Quest 2 content out of the gate though, making what’s there a little sharper and clear, and a little less resource intensive too.
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Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.
At Connect 2023 today, Meta released the long-awaited info drop for Quest 3, its first mixed reality headset for consumers, which includes specs, price, online pre-orders, launch date and more. Here’s the main bits:
Quest 3 is officially now available for pre-order, with shipping slated to start on October 10th, 2023. In the US, you’ll be able to find Quest 3 online through Meta as well as its official partners, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.
The mixed reality headset is being offered in two variants, a 128GB version for $500, and a 512GB version for $650. Here are those prices in GBP, EUR, and JPY:
£479.99 GBP (128GB), £619.99 GBP (512GB)
€549.99 EUR (128GB), €699.99 EUR (512GB)
¥74,800 JPY (128GB), ¥96,800 JPY (512GB)
Image courtesy Meta
Meta announced it’s bundling both variants of Quest 3 with Quest-exclusive sequel Asgard’s Wrath 2, valued at $60. On top of Asgard’s Wrath 2, which is due out sometime this winter, the 512GB version includes a six-month subscription to the PS Plus-style game service Meta Quest+, valued at $108.
Following the release of Quest Pro last year, which initially sold for $1,500 but was later reduced to $1,000, Quest 3 is the company’s first mixed reality headset created specifically with consumers in mind. It includes color passthrough sensors which allow the user to see the outside world, which is not only useful for switching between VR mode and checking out your surroundings, but also for playing AR games using your physically environment as a backdrop.
There are a ton more announcement on the way, so make sure to follow along with us for all of the latest XR news to come from Connect 2023.
Quest 3 Specs
Resolution
2,064 × 2,208 (4.5MP) per-eye, LCD (2x)
Refresh Rate
90Hz, 120Hz (experimental)
Optics
Pancake non-Fresnel
Field-of-view (claimed)
110ºH × 96ºV
Optical Adjustments
Continuous IPD, stepped eye-relief (built in)
IPD Adjustment Range
53–75mm
Processor
Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
RAM
8GB
Storage
128GB, 512GB
Connectors
USB-C, contact pads for optional dock charging
Weight
515g
Battery Life
1.5-3 hours
Headset Tracking
Inside-out (no external beacons)
Controller Tracking
Headset-tracked (headset line-of-sight needed)
Expression Tracking
none
Eye Tracking
none
On-board cameras
6x external (18ppd RGB sensors 2x)
Input
Touch Plus (AA battery 1x), hand-tracking, voice
Audio
In-headstrap speakers, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone
Yes
Pass-through view
Yes (color)
MSRP
$500 (128GB), $650 (512GB)
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Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.
Resolution Games revealed its popular tabletop dungeon-crawling RPG Demeo now features hand-tracking support on Quest 2 and Quest Pro with its latest mixed reality update. It also includes a few new features to its previously released MR mode that are aiming to appeal to both future owners of Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
Ahead of Demeo’s confirmed launch-day release on Quest 3 sometime this Fall, Resolution Games announced it’s now pushing out the game’s Mixed Reality 2.0 update, which is available starting today on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
Added to Demeo last Fall, the game’s mixed reality mode lets players take the gameboard out of the virtual world and into their living rooms. Now, in the game’s Mixed Reality 2.0 update, players can put down their controllers and use their hands to pick up miniatures, play cards, and roll the die.
The update also adds two new MR features: co-location to optimize local mixed reality multiplayer, and decorations (including candles and posters) that can be placed to set the mood.
Notably, the studio says the original Quest won’t be receiving the Mixed Reality 2.0 update, but instead is getting a separate final update, bringing ongoing support for the game on Quest 1 to a close. Cross-play support for Quest 1 has also been discontinued.
Demeo Battles, the game’s upcoming PvP mode, is set to feature a similar MR mode on Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest Pro when it launches later this year, Resolution Games says.
At the moment, Resolution Games says it’s currently focusing half the studio’s workload on the creation of MR projects. The studio tells Road to VR it has “multiple mixed reality titles actively in development across a number of devices for 2024 and beyond, including several with dedicated controller-free play.”
Additionally, the studio confirmed Demeo is in active development for Apple Vision Pro for “fully virtual as well as mixed reality gameplay,” with a flatscreen version planned for release on Mac.
Meta Quest 3, the company’s upcoming $500 standalone mixed reality headset, is probably going to get a big info dump at Connect 2023 later this month. It appears an ecommerce site in Europe has leaked some of the available accessories and prices.
As first reported by MIXED, Netherlands-based online vendor UnboundXR.eu listed a number of Quest 3 accessories and prices ahead of their official availability:
Meta Quest 3 Silicone Face Interface (Black) for €49.99
Meta Quest 3 Carrying Case for €79.99
Meta Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery for €149.99
Meta Quest 3 Charging Dock for €149.99
Listings for everything but the Quest 3 carrying case have since been removed from the site.
Notably, those prices include value added tax (VAT), which in the Netherlands is 21%. It’s not clear exactly how that will look in US pricing, however when comparing previous accessory prices in the EU, US prices may look something like this:
Meta Quest 3 Silicone Face Interface (Black) for $39.99
Meta Quest 3 Carrying Case for $59.99
Meta Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery for $119.99
Meta Quest 3 Charging Dock for $119.99
Granted, that’s only some healthy specualtion, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
If Quest 3 is anything like Quest 2 in terms of accessories though, there are sure to be many more to choose from, including prescription lenses, left and right replacement controllers, and a version Elite Strap without the built-in external battery.
Speaking of Elite Straps, if you were hoping to save a buck by reusing a Quest 2 Elite Strap (if it isn’t already shattered to pieces), a leak posted by X user ‘VR Panda’ potentially reveals that the Quest 3 attachment point is notably smaller than Quest 2’s, meaning you’ll need to buy a new Elite headstrap for Quest 3.
Whatever the case, we’re sure to learn more soon at Connect 2023, which takes place September 27th – 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park, California headquarters.
Meta released a Quest software update via its public test channel (PTC), which lets users opt-in to try new features before they’re pushed out to everyone. Among the v57 PTC update is a feature that’s been notably missing from Meta avatars: legs.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised at Connect 2022 that its avatars would eventually be getting legs, putting an end to the platform’s characteristic floating torsos at some point in the not-too-distant future. At the time, Zuckerberg showed off his on-stage avatar jumping and kicking, although it was revealed later this was actually created using some fairly common external motion capture tech.
In short, Quest can’t track legs yet, which means the v57 PTC update is packing a pretty standard implementation of inverse kinematics (IK), resulting in the sort of body positioning guesswork you see in apps like VR Chat. Still, nice to see a full body in Quest Home for once, right?
X (formerly Twitter) user Lunayian shows off the new avatar legs after installing the v57 PTC update.
YouTuber and tech analyst Brad Lynch also tried out the new legs, showing off some of the limitations currently. Notably, you won’t see your avatar’s legs when looking down directly at them—they’re only viewable via the mirror, and ostensibly by other users—and the IK system still doesn’t account for crouching.
According to data mined by X user NyaVR, the v57 PTC update also includes the ability to enable and disable the avatar mirror, a new Horizon Worlds Portal in home, an Airplane Mode, and an Extended Battery Mode.
The comes alongside a wider push to attract more users to Horizon Worlds, as Meta recently took its first steps of endingQuest-exclusivity for the social VR app with the launch of a closed beta on Android mobile devices. It’s also set to arrive on standard PC browsers too at some point.
Additionally, Meta seems to also be investing more in first-party content for Horizon Worlds, having released Super Rumblelate last month, a hero shooter which feels more in line with the sort of sticky content that ought to attract and bring users back more regularly.
We’re sure to learn more about Quest software features and Horizon Worlds stuff at the company’s annual Connect developer conference, which takes place September 27th.
Meta’s upcoming Quest 3 headset is slated for a Fall 2023 launch, possibly even at the company’s Connect developer conference coming September 27th. It seems Meta has suffered yet another unauthorized pre-launch unboxing of their hardware, echoing the Quest Pro leak from last year.
The video in question was posted to Reddit today, and subsequently captured and reposted in full by X (formerly Twitter) user ‘VR Panda. Alex From CHN’ before it was deleted by the original Reddit poster.
In the video, we get a brief (if not anticlimactic) glimpse at what appears to be the Quest 3 headset and Touch controllers. There’s not much else to say here: it definitely looks like Quest 3, floppy headstrap and all.
Meta announced Quest 3 back in June, just days prior to the reveal of Apple Vision Pro. Meta’s upcoming mixed reality headset is launching this fall for the starting price of $500, bringing with it much of the color passthrough functionality of the pricier Quest Pro, which sells for double the price.
At the time, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the company’s next standalone headset “[t]he first mainstream headset with high-res color mixed reality,” also touting it for its slimmer and lighter profile.
The headset, which integrates pancake optics instead of the Quest 2’s Fresnel lenses, is said to be “40% thinner” than Quest 2 when measuring without the foam facial interface.
Unboxing leak notwithstanding, we’re sure to learn more about Meta’s launch strategy at Connect in late September, and what games the company will highlight to make best use of the headset’s mixed reality capabilities.
Apple is going all-in with hand-tracking for its upcoming Vision Pro, but can hand-tracking really replace proper VR controllers? Meta, Apple’s main competitor in the space, isn’t going so far as to make that particular claim, however the company says Quest’s recent hand-tracking improvements are now “almost as responsive as controllers” thanks to its recent v56 software update.
First announced in late July, the company’s Hands 2.2 tracking improvements are introducing what Meta says is better hand responsiveness and a few new experimental features that we’ll probably see in Quest 3.
Now rolling out to Quest headsets, Meta says users should notice hand-tracking latency reduced “up to 40%” in regular use, and “up to 75%” during fast movement. Meta says those dramatic gains in fast movement latency are thanks to the introduction of a new Fast Motion Mode (FMM) for more frenetic games, like fitness and rhythm games that require you to punch incoming objects.
Here’s a look at controllers relative to the new Hands 2.2 release:
v56 is also rolling out to Quest Pro, which includes two new experimental features: simultaneous hands and controllers (Multimodal) tracking, and controller-driven hand pose (Capsense Hands).
Multimodal tracking is said to unlock a number of mixed input style, including Hand+controller gameplay, instant transitions between hands and controllers, and improved social presence when using one controller. It’s only available on Quest Pro for experimentation, although Meta plans to add support for additional devices later.
On the other hand, Capsense Hands lets developers show a natural hand model visualization on top of, or instead of, a user’s controller. Check out both in action in the video below:
“Hand Tracking gives your app’s users the ability to engage with their VR or mixed reality environment in a way that is natural and intuitive,” Meta says in a developer blogpost. “These interactions deepen the immersive experience and help people feel more connected to what’s going on around them in-headset. Hands can also provide a faster on ramp for users new to VR. By integrating Hand Tracking in your existing apps, you can give your users more flexibility to tailor their experience and find what works best for them—and thanks to Hands 2.2, you can feel confident knowing your app’s users will enjoy a great experience regardless of whether they play with hands or controllers.”
Meta says we should hear more about its hand-tracking upgrades in the near future, as the company is hosting its annual Meta Connect developer conference on September 27th, which ought to include an info dump (and likely release date) for its upcoming Quest 3 headset, which is bringing much of the functionality of Quest Pro to the consumer price point of $500.
