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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom of TechJab, and I've been living with this, the MetaQuest 3, for the
00:06best part of a month now, and I wanted to share some sort of longer term impressions
00:09now that there's been a couple more games released, there's been a few more updates.
00:13I've been having a great time with this thing, which makes its flaws just even more frustrating.
00:18So here's the good, the bad, and everything else you need to know before you consider
00:22buying a Quest 3.
00:24I will also put a link to this in the description below, and if you do find this video helpful,
00:28then a cheeky little like and subscribe would be lovely.
00:31Okay let's start with some positive vibes, and after a few weeks with this guy, it's
00:35obvious the Quest 3 is the best all-round VR and MR headset for the money.
00:40If you already have a Quest 1 or 2, then this is mostly a big upgrade, and if you want an
00:45excuse to jump back into VR or try out MR, mixed reality, or just want a pretty good
00:50value PC VR headset that's also great for standalone apps and games, then nothing beats
00:55this.
00:56Flaws and all.
00:57Put this onto your head, and immediately you'll see the higher-res screens and the clearer
01:00pancake lenses make everything so much sharper than the Quest 2, even in games that haven't
01:05had a Quest 3 upgrade.
01:06That is very impressive.
01:08And in fact, things are so clear now that actually low-res textures and blocky geometry
01:13in games are actually more obvious.
01:15It's also much easier to stay in the focus-sweet spot, meaning there's less eyestrain, and
01:20the larger 110-degree field of view, up from 97 last year, means better immersion thanks
01:25to the extra peripheral vision.
01:27Plus, there's two and a half times more graphics power on tap thanks to the latest
01:31Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, and also setting up your play area with the new depth sensor
01:34is much quicker.
01:36Mixed reality games look great with the new colour passthrough, the controllers are smaller
01:40and lighter and now get some great haptic feedback, and just the whole interface is
01:43nice and slick and easy to use.
01:45And as the ecosystem has matured, we now have a pretty decent library of apps and games
01:49which are genuinely fun and less tech-demo-y than they used to be.
01:54So that all sounds great.
01:55But what's the problem?
01:56Well, there's a couple of things which I'll come to, but the first one, the main one I
01:59guess is the price.
02:00The Quest 3's had a pretty serious price hike over the Quest 2, and also to get the
02:04best experience out of this, you need to buy some add-ons, which is going to just add to
02:08the cost as well.
02:09And so it's become less of a fun impulse buy that perhaps you could get away with with
02:14the Quest 2 or the Quest 1.
02:15Now you really have to think, do I need this?
02:18Am I going to spend the same amount of money as a PS5 on a Quest 3?
02:22But I'll come back to all that.
02:23Sticking with the positive stuff, and the second reason to buy one of these is because
02:27it's just so versatile.
02:29Now standalone VR and to some extent MR gaming is still like the bread and butter of the
02:33Quest 3, but the extra clarity, the better graphics performance, and that significantly
02:38improved pass-through actually makes it a pretty compelling dedicated PC VR headset
02:43whether it's wired or wireless.
02:45I've been having a great time replaying Half-Life Alyx, and the virtual desktop is a great way
02:49of working, or playing PC games on a big screen, and of course watching movies on this
02:53virtual big screen is a fantastic experience.
02:56VR workout games are great and actually make exercising more fun, and I could maybe see
03:01myself using this while travelling, but it's the MR, the mixed reality experiences that
03:06are genuinely new here, and also on the whole very impressive.
03:09And this is thanks to the Quest 3's new colour pass-through cameras that just make
03:13all the difference.
03:14Although they're not perfect, sometimes you do get some weird distortion and things
03:18do get much grainier in low light.
03:21You can play virtual board games, you can fight aliens, or somewhat unconvincing zombies
03:25that actually break into your room, or even learn piano, although sadly not at the same
03:29time.
03:30And just being able to move around these virtual objects in your room is really immersive.
03:35You can watch stuff in the headset while maybe doing housework, and the new depth sensor
03:39is also key here as it keeps track of the headset's position so virtual objects stay
03:43in the same place.
03:45Because you can use this as a massive virtual monitor at your desk, or anywhere really.
03:50You can use hand tracking, the controllers, or a physical mouse and keyboard, and I like
03:53the fact you can keep a separate browser window open in the Quest home screen just off to
03:58one side.
03:59Although I do much prefer using the pass-through to virtual desktops though, it's much more
04:03comfortable.
04:04That said, I do still think Xreel's new Air 2 or Air 2 Pro AR glasses are more comfortable
04:09for longer working sessions or watching a movie.
04:12Even if they're not so versatile.
04:14But essentially we're talking about a pair of sunglasses versus a headset.
04:17And you do kind of have to wonder, how many convincing, high quality MR experiences are
04:22we going to get considering only the just launched Quest 3 has this full colour pass-through?
04:27You know, it's a very small market that will actually own one of these for developers to
04:31get on board and create applications and games for.
04:34Perhaps as the Apple Vision Pro comes out early next year that we will see more developers
04:38jump on board and create these really convincing MR experiences.
04:42But for now, there just isn't a whole lot to really sink your teeth into.
04:46But let's talk about the graphics.
04:47Because together with the new cameras and sensors, inside we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon
04:52XR2 Gen 2 chip.
04:54Which provides that 2.5x boost in graphics performance over the Quest 2.
04:58But the thing is, only a handful of games have actually taken advantage of the extra
05:02power so far.
05:03Ranging from a basic resolution and frame rate bump, up to 90 or the experimental 120Hz,
05:09which still makes a massive difference, all the way up to a full graphics overhaul like
05:12we get in Red Matter 2.
05:14And together with the clearer optics, the higher resolution textures and the better
05:17lighting and effects, it all adds up to make a big visual difference to the games.
05:21It's good to see you, thanks for coming out.
05:23So while I've been trying out plenty of the updated titles and there are more incoming,
05:27it's still hard to say just how many games will take full advantage of that extra power.
05:32Dungeons of Eternity's Quest 3 enhanced graphics mode does look better and has nicer
05:36lighting, but it's not exactly night and day and I can't wait for the Walking Dead
05:40Saints and Sinners graphics update, as right now, the clearer image on the Quest 3 makes
05:44it look pretty bad.
05:46Next up, games.
05:47And this is going to be the main reason, for me at least, that unlike most VR headsets
05:51that just start gathering dust after a couple of weeks and sit in my drawer, that it's
05:55going to make me keep coming back to this.
05:56And so far, while it's only been a month, I've actually played this most days.
06:01It's so bizarre that we've got a 7th guest game.
06:03I remember when I played the original a million years ago, it scared the hell out of me.
06:07And now I'm in it, which is even scarier.
06:11Definitely quite immersive, even if it's not like the highest quality.
06:15I just forget that I can move around, crouch, look around.
06:19I haven't got a cable behind my back, which obviously is a huge benefit compared to most
06:23other headsets.
06:24And I've been loving hand-to-hand combat in Blade and Sorcery Nomad and also the co-op
06:28in Dungeons of Eternity.
06:30Cool.
06:32Espire 2 with its MR mode is a good stealthy Metal Gear style fun.
06:36And the brand new Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord is kind of fun-ish.
06:42I've played all three.
06:43I expect you to die.
06:44Escape room puzzlers.
06:45I love them all.
06:46I've been struggling my way through Resident Evil 4, and I can't wait to get my hands
06:49on Asgard's Wrath 2 and also Assassin's Creed Nexus.
06:53And it is worth remembering you can get a refund on any purchase, so long as it's
06:57within 14 days and you've played less than 2 hours.
07:00Just be aware that a lot of people have been complaining that the mic on the Quest 3 is
07:04pretty awful.
07:05So, for multiplayer, you'll probably want a Bluetooth or USB-C alternative.
07:08Great job!
07:09Now, from a design point of view, I definitely appreciate how much more compact the new Quest
07:143 is.
07:15Surprisingly, it does actually weigh a little bit more than the Quest 2, but they've improved
07:19the weight distribution, so it actually feels like it's less droopy on the sort of less
07:23front heavy on the front of your face, which I do appreciate, although it is still heavier
07:28than I would like, and I find after about 15 minutes, I do start to kind of feel it
07:32on my head a little bit.
07:33Definitely more suited to short bursts of use, especially with a battery, which we'll
07:36come to in a second.
07:37But one thing I do appreciate is the IPD adjustment is much simpler, and you can adjust the lens
07:42distance if you wear glasses, and you can also tilt the headset so it sits comfortably
07:46on your face.
07:47But I still find this facial interface a little bit cheap feeling, not particularly premium,
07:52and you will definitely want to switch this out to something that's easier to clean
07:55if you are going to use this for longer gaming Beat Saber sessions, or if you're going to
07:58work out in this and get all sweaty.
08:01Plus there is quite a bit of light visible around my nose, which isn't great for darker
08:04scenes watching movies.
08:06Then there's the head strap.
08:07It's not the best, and I do still have to find myself adjusting it around my ears and
08:10my head every time I put it on, and it just kind of feels like a temporary solution.
08:15Like it's enough to not have the headset fall off your head, but it just doesn't stick in
08:19the same place well enough.
08:20It doesn't feel particularly comfortable, it sort of sits on my ears.
08:23I don't love it.
08:24Also remember, as much as these headsets have improved over the last few years, not everyone
08:29can use VR, and a lot of people do feel a bit nauseous using these.
08:32It very much depends on your physiology and also the game or app you're using.
08:36I do find myself in some games feeling a little bit queasy.
08:40That said, there are usually in-game options to lessen the effect if you are sensitive.
08:45Then we have the controllers, which are also much improved.
08:48They're lighter, without the usual tracking ring, and there's new haptic feedback.
08:52It's not quite PS5 DualSense level, but it still helps get around that uncanny feeling
08:56of touching objects in VR.
08:58And thanks to a recent update, tracking's been improved as well, although you can always
09:02buy the Pro controllers if you want the absolute best tracking.
09:06So the controllers are great.
09:07What's not so great, in my experience, is the battery life, which actually also seems
09:11to be like a step down even over the Quest 2.
09:14I'm getting between an hour and an hour and a half in mixed reality, and at best maybe
09:18two, two and a half hours in less demanding apps and games.
09:22It really doesn't last very long, which actually isn't the end of the world deal-breaker you
09:26may think it is, because to be honest, I mostly use this for like half an hour, 45 minutes,
09:30as I say, these sort of quick short bursts, because at that point, I'm starting to feel
09:33maybe a little bit nauseous or the weight is sort of getting to my face.
09:36So I've never really had an issue where I'm like, I want to be in this for two and a half
09:39hours and had a battery issue, but it's always in the back of your mind.
09:43And I do have to sort of plug this in at the end of every session just for that sort of
09:46peace of mind.
09:47Now you can add the Elite Strap with battery, which also seems to have some reliability
09:51issues or a third party battery head strap, but then that's just an extra cost.
09:56And the funny thing is, Meta knows that its users aren't that impressed with the battery
09:59because they've actually added a sort of reduced graphics mode, which improves the situation
10:04a bit.
10:05But if you're buying a new headset, partly for the better graphics, probably not going
10:08to want to turn them down.
10:09Well, this is fun.
10:11Anyway, let's talk about the price, because on the one hand, compared to Meta's own Quest
10:15Pro and also some other PC VR headsets, the Quest 3 feels like an absolute bargain.
10:20And it's also like 15% of the price of Apple's Vision Pro headset, although no doubt that
10:25will be higher end.
10:26But then as I say, the 60% price rise over the Quest 2 to the 3 just takes it away from
10:31that kind of fun impulse purchase to a full fat console or low to mid level laptop price.
10:37The 512 gigabyte model is over 600 pounds.
10:40And if you go with the Elite head strap with the battery, the carry case and the charging
10:44dock, you're up to a grand and that's before you've bought any games.
10:47And that is a real issue because you're not going to get developers create new games and
10:51apps and invest in high quality games if there isn't a user base of this, if not enough people
10:56buy it.
10:57So from a hardware and a technical perspective, I absolutely love this thing, although it
11:00could be a little bit lighter and I don't love the head strap.
11:02But I think the quality of the lenses, the MR experience mostly is very impressive.
11:07But I just don't know how many people would actually want to spend this kind of money
11:10for that experience.
11:12But if you know you love the Quest or for new users, if you feel like you're going to
11:15throw yourself into everything this has to offer and maybe don't mind modding it a little
11:18bit despite the more expensive price tag, it's hard to argue this isn't the best overall
11:22VR headset.
11:24Alternatively, see if you can get yourself a good deal on the Quest 2.
11:27Tons of these are going on eBay now as people are upgrading.
11:29Also you've got the Pico 4.
11:30It's a good alternative to the Quest 2, although I'm more excited about the Pico 5.
11:35And of course, I am very excited to see what Apple will do with the Vision Pro headset,
11:38although for three and a half thousand dollars that is very much a pro niche device to start
11:43with at least.
11:44But what do you think?
11:45Would you be tempted to buy a Quest 3?
11:46Have you already bought one?
11:47And if so, let me know what you think of it in the comments below.
11:49I'll also leave a link in the description if you do want to check this out.
11:52And if you've got any questions, drop a comment as well.
11:55Thank you so much for watching guys and I will see you next time right here on The Tech
11:59Chat.