The giants of the tech world seem dead set on making both virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse a daily part of our lives. No matter how many times it fails, they just keep getting back up to insist the next VR headset will be the key to a whole new experience.
I’ve grown to be pretty sceptical about these claims. Yet to actually experience a viable at-home VR experience, Zuckerberg’s yearly claims that he hasn’t wasted money on his huge Meta project are falling on deaf ears here. But finally, he might actually be on to something.
The Meta Quest 3 has now launched, and dare I say, it actually made me like virtual reality. In fact, it made the whole thing seem like a viable venture. But what flaws does it have? We spent some time with the Meta Quest 3 to find out.
Virtual reality kept compact
The Meta Quest 3 is simple in design. It comes with a headset, two controllers (with batteries) and a charger. The headset has two straps, one that goes over the head, and the other goes around the back. These can both be adjusted for a comfortable fit.
While there is clearly some weight to the device (the headset is 515g), it isn’t enough to ruin the experience. I was able to wear the headset for hours at a time without too much inconvenience. It is, however, very front-heavy, with all of the weight sitting within the glasses part.
The two controllers are small but easy to use. All of the buttons are easy to find, even with the headset on. While the headset can be charged back up, the remotes require batteries, but they do last for quite a while.
Blending worlds
Not just a virtual reality headset, the Meta Quest 3 delves deep into the idea of mixed reality. As the name suggests, it blends the virtual with the real, overlaying visuals with a video feed of the world around you.
This can be used in truly unique experiences, like interacting with floating maps on your living room table, or learning how to fix a bike… without completely ruining a real one.
Equally, Meta now allows you to switch out the two controllers for your hands in most experiences. The camera sensors detect where your hands are, allowing you to type on floating keyboards and grab floating objects.
While you can choose to use the headset to learn new skills or experience gaming in a completely unique way, this mixed reality can equally be a tool for more trivial ventures.
Load up a floating Netflix display while washing the dishes, check your emails while brushing your teeth, or if social anxiety is something you have never experienced in your life, wear it to a party and interact with friends while you simultaneously scroll through a VR Twitter (sorry, we mean X).
While the quality of the mixed reality footage has been drastically improved, it is still grainy. This is especially difficult if, like me, the room you’ve set up for virtual reality isn’t exactly the brightest.
Meta loves the idea that this mixed reality experience is how we are going to be doing more things like gaming, working and socialising. While it is vastly improved, it is by no means perfect.
I tried to spend some time working in the metaverse, writing parts of this review, in fact. Sitting down at the desk and drawing out an outline, I could continue to type using the hand recognition features with an array of floating displays.
This is great for a quick Google, or typing a reply to someone, but becomes a nightmare for longer pieces of text. Alternatively, you can connect your computer, using your keyboard and mouse in real-time while utilising a host of displays through the headset. This works fine for a short period of time, but the weight of the headset, and dimmed lights through the camera quickly become annoying.
The VR experience
While improvements to camera quality and processing power have been made, the virtual reality aspects of this headset are more or less the same as what has come before.
I spent time playing games like Pistol Whip and Broken Edge, testing out the virtual experiences of playing piano, painting and even doing a quick workout class and meditation experience.
All of these experiences reminded me of how fun virtual reality can be, taking unique experiences in gaming. In the early days of VR, game libraries were pretty limited, but that’s just not the case anymore.
Scrolling through the market store reveals mixed and virtual reality games that will mess with your senses, kick in an adrenaline rush or completely chill you out. Of course, like any console, there is an equal mess of absolutely terrible gaming experiences, piling together weird graphics and motion sickness for an unbearable cocktail.
Verdict
Is the Meta Quest 3 the perfect virtual reality experience? No. It still feels like we are building up towards a model that can truly capture virtual and mixed realities in all of their different variations.
However, the Meta Quest 3 feels miles ahead of anything else that has come before it. The headset is small and portable, yet comfortable and packs plenty of power, it’s relatively affordable, yet makes use of a market-leading camera and virtual reality technology.
In essence, the Meta Quest 3 is the best virtual reality has to offer right now. Any consumer looking to dip their toes into VR should start here. Year after year, the technology is improving drastically, and Meta is leading that charge.
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