On my first time use, I was genuinely taken aback by the substantial leap in visual quality I immediately saw, I wasn’t expecting to see such a step up so quickly.
The resolution jumping from 1832 x 1920 to 2064 x 2208 allows users to see clearer. The pancake lenses also help provide better clarity, they’re generally better and clearer lenses, you can see a visual difference in design from the images below.
Additionally they provide a wider field of vision. All of this ultimately improves the visual fidelity much more than I expected.
Figure 1: Comparison of the VR game Red Matter 2 shows the visual upgrade seen from the Quest 2 (left) to the Quest 3 (right). Details in texture and models can be seen to be distinctively different between the two images. I believe looking at this that the model for the Quest 3 has had additions as well as a texture upgrade.
Figure 2: Comparison of the VR game Zenith: The Last City shows a visual upgrade from the Quest 2 (left) to the Quest 3 (right), specifically showing that massive upgrade in the quality of local reflections, refraction quality, ambient occlusion, antialiasing and overall massive improvements and capability for lighting. Lighting controls the mood of a scene, having such detail now possible improves the overall experience drastically.
Figure 3: Comparison of the VR game Golf+, this shows a tremendous leap in visual quality from the Quest 2 (left) to the Quest 3 (right). The overall texture quality for the grass and the trees has been improved, clearly higher detail texture files have been used for the Quest 3 version and the performance is just as good. The shadows cast between tall grass and on the tree leaves add so much to the visual fidelity; the extra details and shadows being caught adds much more to the scene and really shows the difference in capabilities between the Quest 2 and 3.
Regarding the technical specifications for the Quest 3 everything, except the battery, have seen improvements - the resolution, CPU, GPU, and Ram. The battery has the same playtime as the Quest 2, 2-3 hours.
Even though the Quest 3 is 40% smaller in size, it weighs 530 grams more. This is mainly due to the previously mentioned new pancake lenses, allowing the headset to sit closer to your face but the lenses weigh a touch more. Although as it sits closer to your face, you hardly notice the additional weight due to better weight distribution.
Continuing work on existing products for the Quest 2 has become more accessible with the Quest 3. Thanks to its seamless backwards compatibility, I've experienced no issues while developing for the Quest 3, following the same process as I did for the Quest 2.
Reviewing all of this, the Quest 3 is a massive leap in technology. An untethered, standalone headset being capable of such a leap in performance and visual fidelity is stunning, particularly doing so within only one generational jump.
It’s truly next-gen technology, and although the passthrough camera definitely has room to improve in visual quality, the functionality is there. The rapid expansion of this technology is both thrilling and scary. As this headset continues to advance in capabilities, it's bound to put pressure on other companies concentrating on VR hardware. I can’t wait to see where it will push tech to next!