Meta Quest 3 VR

Way back in October 2019 I shared my first impressions of the HTC VIVE, which at the time felt like something of a gamble given the cost because I had no way of knowing if I’d like VR or not. Turns out, I did like it. And with more than a thousand hours now clocked in Steam VR, I decided the time had finally come to upgrade.

But which of the new generation of VR headsets did I want to go for? And was it worth waiting to see if Valve revealed an Index 2? But waiting for Valve is never a good idea and odds are, if the Index 2 ever comes, it will likely be a quality but very expensive piece of kit.

So I opted for the most popular and price friendly option – the Meta Quest 3 – which was nearly half the price I paid for my VIVE back in the day once you factor in accessories like the VIVE pro strap and lighthouse tracking mounts.

What struck me about the Quest 3 upon arrival was how light it felt compared to the VIVE. I’d say it feels about 3 times lighter in hand which also makes it quite a lot easier to wear. The included strap is basic, like the default VIVE strap. However, because of how light the unit is, I’d say the default strap is just fine – if a little fiddly to adjust.

I’m also pleased to say that the default sound quality on the Quest 3 is surprisingly good. The VIVE, on the other hand, really required that pro strap to accommodate the extra weight and for the included earphones.

The face pad on the Quest 3 feels like another improvement. The fit isn’t quite as snug as the VIVE but light bleed is minimal and the material doesn’t result in you starting to sweat after 30 minutes or so of use.

The controllers are f**king tiny, so they’re going to take some getting used to, but they have all the buttons you’d need and also don’t need thanks to the impressive hand tracking built into the Quest 3. Seriously, I thought the finger tracking on the Index controllers was impressive, but this is a massive step up. Being able to type on virtual keyboards and drag virtual screens around using my fingers in VR is kind of nuts.

Speaking of tracking, whereas the VIVE required the use of two lighthouse units for room scale VR, the Quest 3 has entirely internal tracking. No, it doesn’t offer quite the same degree of accuracy as the full 360 degree lighthouse trackers, but it’s good enough that it’s very nice not having to spend a few minutes plugging in the trackers and spinning them up every time I want to play something.

It’s also really nice not having to plug a very long lead from the headset into my PC – a lead you’re always aware of and at risk of tripping on. Because the Quest 3 is entirely self-contained, no PC required. Of course, that’s not how I intend to use it.

And this is where Steam Link comes into play as it allows you to wirelessly connect the Quest 3 with Steam running on your PC and then stream your games directly to the headset. I did try the alternative (free) option – Meta’s own Airlink – but found it more clunky and slow to use. It’s important to note that you will need to have your PC on a wired connection to your router for this to work, which isn’t going to be suitable for everyone.

And I suppose that’s what I like most about the Quest 3 compared to my old VIVE – the ease of use. Because as much as I do like VR, the VIVE could prove tedious to set up and play at times. You’d get the trackers switched on, clear the play area, connect the headset cable and then carefully run it in such a way that you won’t get tangled or trip. You’d then pull on the headset and adjust the strap so the weight wouldn’t strain your neck. But the Quest 3? You just slip it on and press the power button and you’re good to go.

I tested the Quest 3 by running Phasmophobia, Blade & Sorcery and Half Life: Alyx via wireless Steam Link and they all ran smoothly and without issue and looked, quite frankly, much sharper and clean than they did on my wired VIVE. Obviously, the higher resolution lenses of the Quest 3 help a lot, as do my updated prescription lens inserts.

But I expected there to be some degradation in quality when streaming and honestly, I’m not seeing anything, even on the default Steam Link settings. Everything I’ve tried runs smoothly and looks better than it did on my wired VIVE.

There’s no noticeable ‘screen door’ effect like with the VIVE, not unless you really stare hard to see it and this also helps make colours really pop compared to the VIVE. The field of view is also greatly improved. When I went back to the VIVE to compare, it’s shocking how narrow it felt and how washed out everything looked visually.

Passthrough is a fantastic feature and yes, it can be fuzzy depending upon local lighting, but it’s so fast to switch to and makes moving around the real world so much easier. The mixed reality game I tried was also super fun and impressive with how it scanned my local surroundings and incorporated everything into the game.

The big downside to the Quest 3 is the battery life, which only gives you around 2 hours of play depending upon your activity. There are ways to improve the battery life – such as turning off things when you don’t need them – and there are battery packs you can buy to connect and extend your play sessions. But honestly, a few hours in VR at a time is usually enough for me anyway, so taking a break and recharging the headset isn’t really a problem.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my Quest 3 purchase. It’s an upgrade in pretty much every way over the VIVE from a hardware perspective, but also and perhaps more importantly, for ease of use. All we need now is for Valve to finally release a new VR game because Alyx remains the bar and I don’t see anyone else clearing it unless Valve steps up themselves.