04 August 2023 , 16:00
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After Meta's announcement of its latest VR headset, we believe pre-orders will open directly after the upcoming Meta Connect event, with the Meta Quest 3 release date coming a week later.
Just before the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase back in June Meta confirmed that its brand new Meta Quest 3 release will land around this fall. With the recent announcement of Meta Connect via a Tweet, which will fall on September 27, 2023, we can narrow down that it's likely that the Meta Quest 3 release will be at some point in the first week of October 2023.
The Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro, were both showcased at Meta Connect events in the fall of 2020 and 2022 respectively. Both of the headset's pre-orders opened directly after they were unveiled at the event with the release dates following one week later. It's likely the Meta Quest 3 release will follow the same pattern meaning Meta Quest 3 pre-orders would start on September 27, 2023, following the Meta Connect 2023 event.
The Meta Quest 3 price and some features have already been confirmed when the device was announced, with the headset coming in at $499.99. The price outside of the US is yet to be clarified, but this converts to approximately £399.24 and AU$763.69, bare in mind regional pricing is rarely a direct conversion meaning it's extremely unlikely that these will be the final prices in said regions due to price fluctuation.
We also know that the Meta Quest 3 features will include improved mixed reality (AR) functionality, improved performance, haptic controllers, hand tracking, higher resolution and a much slimmer headset design. This slimmer headset design will make for a much lighter device leading to a more comfortable experience. But the question beckons, will we be seeing two models?
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Let's talk money
The Meta Quest 2 launched with 2 models, a 64GB edition which cost US$299 / £299 / AU$479 and a 256GB edition which came in at £399 / $399 / AU$639. The 64GB headset was axed a year later and replaced with a 128GB model which came in at the same price point in the UK and US and was AU$509.99 in Australia.
Throughout the whole of its lifespan, the Meta Quest 2 has always had two models (the only difference being the storage capacity) so it feels bizarre that we're not seeing the same with the Meta Quest 3. So far all we know is that a 128GB model will be launching at $499.99.
If Meta does announce a second model of the Meta Quest 3, it may be a 64GB edition which pricing may be difficult considering the 64GB and 128GB editions of the Meta Quest 2 were the same price. The more likely outcome would be a second 256GB model, which would retail for $100 more than the currently announced model as is currently the case with the Meta Quest 2, pricing it at $599.99.
Right now it's unclear whether we will be seeing another model of the Meta Quest 3. It's likely that if one does exist, it will be revealed at Meta Connect along with the rest of the details we're waiting for surrounding the device.