It was the taste of the few mixed-reality demos that really made me crave more of those interactions.
But too often apps and experiences were VR or bust.
Explore immersive games, apps, and experiences like never before.
Primarily, it was the default headstrap that I hated.
Additionally, it felt a little harder to tighten and loosen than the previous one.
I would recommend trying a third-party headband to save a few bucks over the Elite Strap though.
The Quest 3 headset is slimmer, but didnt feel any less bulky while wearing it.
Theres nothing fashionable about the look of the Quest 3 while its on someones face.
Make no mistake, seeing your room is way better.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The experience is night and day different.
I could hold my phone up and navigate through it, too.
The color passthrough is very helpful, but its not perfect.
Discover Meta Quest 3: the ultimate VR headset with cutting-edge performance, stunning visuals, and an all-in-one design. Explore immersive games, apps, and experiences like never before.
Jumping into a completely virtual world was more familiar.
I wanted the mixed reality experience the whole time.
First Encounters is a killer game demo for mixed reality.
Tyler / How-To Geek
A spaceship breaks through the ceiling and lands somewhere in the room.
Then littleKoosh ballsfollowed, breaking through the walls.
The game’s objective is to zap as many of them as possible in the allotted time.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
This game worked great, but it was short.
After playing it a couple of times, its appeal dwindled.
The second, You gotta see this, app is Piano Vision.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
It’s certainly a futuristic app.
It took work, but it was fun, nevertheless.
“Smash Drums” makes drumming incredibly satisfying, whether in virtual or mixed reality, by the way.
When the MR experiences to try dried up, I went through dozens of casual VR games.
Most had already been available for the Quest 2 and now simply look better on the new headset.
Fruit Ninja and Walkabout Mini Golf?
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Yup, the cartoon-like animations are smoother and more visually appealing on the Quest 3.
Maybe unsurprisingly, the better graphics make riding the rails more convincing and even more realistic.
Games are still VR’s main draw and will probably be for at least the next few years.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
My kids only saw the Quest 3 as a game console and nothing more.
Although there are plenty of fine apps available, Supernatural continues to be the go-to workout experience.
The better graphics on the Quest 3 level up the breathtaking nature environments.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Productivity in VR: Does Quest 3 Do Spatial Computing?
I used Metas Remote Desktop app, which installed pretty quickly on my M2 MacBook Air.
It was possible, but it took a little too much effort.
Similarly for the Meta Quest TV app.
Once I clicked a video, I was swept away to an all-encompassing 360- or 180-video.
The three windows I was able to open could only slide horizontally next to each other.
I couldnt stack them vertically or do anything fancy.
I doubt Ill be doing much more writing inside the Quest 3 any time soon.
While the resolution was passable for text, it wasnt worth the hassle.
Using the Quest 3 in a completely standalone manner was great, but that didnt mean it ran forever.
I would get somewhere in the ballpark of two hours' worth of use per charge.
I rarely wanted it on my face at any one time for longer than that.
The price jumps to$649.99 if you want 512GB of storage.
Using the Quest 3 with a remote desktop to bring my laptop into a personal digital space was intriguing.
More than anything, I realize how important the mixed reality component is or will be to VR headsets.
But developers will have to find clever ways to build apps that fit into the spaces where people live.
Pinching and dragging to scroll or trying to move a cursor and pinch to click a target was tough.
Should You Buy the Meta Quest 3?
In hindsight, the Quest 2 was a headset made exclusively for enthusiasts.
It was a modern VR headset for people ahead of the curve.
Its much more polished and well-rounded than the $300 Quest 2.
