VR is something of an odd property in gaming. With a bucketload of potential, it still has yet to take hold with the masses. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth covering, and with that in mind, our editor Matt has decided to report in on his first six months with the Meta Quest 3. He will be tackling this over three parts, focusing on the hardware, the software and the games, giving the system the full once-over. Welcome to part one, and stay tuned for parts two and three over the coming weeks.
Six Months in Virtual Reality - Part One: The Hardware - Meta Quest 3
VR just hasn’t quite reached critical mass with gamers as yet, but that hasn’t stopped new and improved hardware from reaching our homes as devs and manufacturers continue to push the boundaries for what the technology can do. The latest big VR unit for homes is the Meta Quest 3 (and it’s lower-specced and cheaper baby brother, the Meta Quest 3s.) In VR terms, I think it is fair to say that the Quest hardware has probably been the most successful and has had the most penetration in the market, and that trend seems to be continuing with the Quest 3. With this in mind, I grabbed a Quest 3 during last black Friday sales and decided to put it to the test over a six-month period. After all, it is very easy to wow someone when they first get their shiny new toy, but longevity, well, that is something else entirely.
First, I should give some of my history with VR so you know where I am coming from. I entered the space, like many did, with the original PSVR. As a piece of hardware, I wasn’t a massive fan. It was clunky to use, a pain to set up and not very comfortable, but I saw great potential, and when the right game came along, it was a ton of fun. From there, I upgraded to the Meta Quest 2, a much better unit that had significantly better software support, a more comfortable design and the absolute blessing of being wireless. I ended up spending a lot of time with my Quest 2, mainly with fitness apps, and it turned out to be a great investment in the end. So I felt like it was a no-brainer to jump in with the Quest 3.
The first thing I noticed with the hardware is the much sleeker design when compared to the Quest 2. The Quest 2 was quite the boxy-looking unit where whereas the 3 has nice rounded edges and a smaller size overall. This has also translated into comfort, with the Quest 3 being lighter and more comfortable. With the addition of the Elite head strap (a must purchase frankly), the Quest 3 is the best VR headset I have placed on my noggin. The weight feels distributed evenly and not pushing on my nose, there is plenty of room to wear glasses if required. The padding around the headset is irritation-free while being of high quality, so my head never felt like it was being scratched, pressured or abused. It is clear that the designers took what was already a pretty good headset and improved almost every area of comfort.
I also liked the redesign of the controllers. They are smaller, more ergonomic and lighter than the Quest 2 controllers. That may not seem like much, but when you are 20 minutes into a VR workout, these changes are certainly noticeable. I found that battery life for the controllers was pretty on par with the Quest 2, which is perfectly fine because it was already impressive. You won’t have to reach for the old AAs very often, a grand thing if you ask me. I also liked the grips they used this time around. They feel slightly more textured and more secure in my hand, once again, something that is important for those doing high activity gaming and sweaty palms become a factor.
Battery life isn’t only something that needs to be considered with the controllers; the headset itself, being wireless, is also something that needs to be taken into account. It is here that I have some concerns. Actual game time with the headset is pretty good, with about 2-3 hours per charge. That may not seem like much, but it is very rare to spend long sessions in VR, so I never found it an issue. No, my problem comes from battery drain. Even when it is off, I found my VR headset drained battery fairly quickly, so after a couple of days, it would be completely empty. This becomes a bummer when you carve out some VR time, go to your previously fully charged Quest 3 and find out it is dead. It is an impediment to getting into a game quickly, friction that shouldn’t be there and in this busy day-and-age, that friction gets frustrating. This battery drain is my biggest issue with the headset, and it really means that users have to get into the habit of leaving it on charge all the time.
The other issue I have with the Quest 3 is the previously mentioned Elite headstrap. The fact that this is an additional purchase feels egregious and money-hungry. The pack-in strap is just not good enough, so buying the Elite strap becomes a must, and at about $100 AUD, it feels excessively priced. I can totally get the price point for the Elite Strap with the addon battery, that is, after all, adding a significant bit of tech to the proceedings, but the basic Elite Strap is just moulded plastic with some adjustable straps. This is classic big tech accessory tactics in play, the sort of thing that companies like Apple have been doing for years, and frankly, it doesn’t sit well with me.
The Elite strap situation and battery drain aside, I am quite happy with the Quest 3 as a piece of hardware. It ticks all the most important boxes, with comfort, adjustability, and weight all massively improved over the previous version. I have thoroughly enjoyed using the Quest 3 from a hardware perspective, and I have to congratulate the design team for putting together this well-designed bit of gear.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Six Months in Virtual Reality, where Matt will look at the UI and non-gaming software elements of the Meta Quest 3.
