Why You Can Trust CNET Apple Vision Pro vs. Meta Quest 3: Which Should You Buy?
Meta is no longer the biggest name in face computers, but that doesn't necessarily mean Apple has earned your money yet.
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After years of leaks, speculation and wishful thinking on behalf of those who aren't thrilled about giving Facebook their money, Apple's first step into the VR/AR world has finally been taken. The Vision Pro headset took center stage at Apple's WWDC keynote Monday, promising deep integration with the Apple ecosystem and a serious charge into the world of gaming. In an effort to draw focus from this announcement, Meta's own Mark Zuckerberg took to Instagram a few days ago to tease a new generation of the most popular VR headset currently available, dubbed the Meta Quest 3. The announcement was light on details, but promised two things Meta has become well known for: The Meta Quest 3 will be relatively inexpensive and will be supported by a massive and growing ecosystem.
If both of these headsets were sitting side-by-side on a shelf and you could only choose one, which should you buy? Here's what we know so far, and how to make the best decision for your needs.
Hardware
When it comes to face computers, there are three things that matter more than anything. The headset needs to be comfortable to wear for as many different kinds of people as possible; the battery needs to last long enough to actually enjoy your time in the headset; and it needs to have a processor capable of delivering a smooth overall experience.
Comfort is by far the most important, and in that regard Meta has a lot more experience and has received a lot more feedback than Apple. Renders of the Quest 3 reveal a three-strap design, where the side straps are responsible for holding the headset on your face while the top strap helps distribute the weight. The top strap is split in the back, which means the headset is able to cradle the back of your head or hold a ponytail for those who need it. The pancake lenses allow for a thinner design than the Quest 2, which Meta debuted in the Quest Pro headset late last year, so we have some idea of how this will fit even without having used it. The same can be said for its controllers. Meta's controllers are well known for being lightweight and extremely ergonomic, with an array of third-party accessories to increase the illusion of holding a sword or tennis racket when gaming.
Apple says its expertise in creating displays, speakers and wearables come together in the Vision Pro.
Apple may not have years of public hardware feedback under its belt for this particular product, but there are few who would argue Apple's design team is not up to the job. Apple's AirPod Max headphones, for example, are heavier than most but manage to be comfortable enough to wear all day. So when Apple revealed its design, which includes an Apple Watch-style crown to control occlusion, Zeiss lens inserts for those with a prescription and a two-sided strap with a wide angled pad in the back to hold your head, it was immediately clear the team has done its homework. A third top strap is available, but as Scott Stein points out in his hands-on, is not included in any of Apple's demonstrations so far.
The glass front and aluminum frame of Apple's Vision Pro headset make it possible for the design to be plenty thin, which helps the overall weight. Combine those two, and you've got a headset that will likely be pretty comfortable for many. There are no controllers for the Vision Pro. It relies entirely on eye tracking and hand gestures for its interface, but Apple showed it being used with a wireless PS5 controller for gaming.
Battery life for both headsets is something of an open question. Meta has a history of releasing battery accessories to help the headset last for a few more hours, but the expected life for both the Quest 2 and Quest Pro is two hours, so it's likely the Quest 3 will hover around the same.
Apple's Vision Pro headset currently claims two hours of battery life when connected to the tethered battery, and it's likely there will be battery extenders available either through Apple or third parties. Currently the average VR user spends about an hour in their headsets, but with Meta's new full-color cameras for AR functionality and Apple's focus on FaceTime and other nongaming features, it's likely that number will go up with this generation of headsets.
We already know quite a bit about the processors that drive these two headsets. Qualcomm has been working with Meta to deliver increased performance without sacrificing battery life for a couple of years now, and the XR2 Gen2 promises double the performance of the Quest 2.
Apple has a history of outperforming Qualcomm on phones and tablets with chipsets it manufactures only for Apple products, and the Vision Pro will be powered by both a new Apple M2 processor and a new specialized chip Apple calls the R1, with an enormous amount of computing power for all the cameras in the headset. It's clear the headset will have no trouble competing with the Quest 3 on raw performance. And while having raw power is obviously important in situations like this, the proof will be in the actual use and what developers can get the headset to do.
Ecosystem
The Quest 2 has a raft of excellent games, like Moss 2.
There have been a lot of face computers released in the last 10 years, and most of the companies making them have long abandoned those projects. Having the most capable headset isn't enough. You need to be able to do interesting things with it. It's important to remember just how small this market is compared to the mobile app stores maintained by Apple and Google. Each of those boast well over a million apps serving an entire planet of connected humans. Meta's App Store description claims "thousands" of apps are available for its headsets, but the Quest section of Meta's app store is gearing up to celebrate 500 apps for the Quest 2 later this year. There's a lot of room for competition here.
Meta has been working for years to ensure a healthy assortment of apps and games on its platform, as well as a substantial if potentially ill-advised investment in the metaverse platform Horizon Worlds. A $10 million Creator Fund was announced back in 2021 to help encourage development, and as of this writing a third of the apps in Meta's app store had made over $1 million. The biggest category of app for the Meta Quest 3 will be games, ranging from action titles like Beat Saber and interactive stories like Moss 2 to horror experiences like The Room VR. Education and exploration have a decent foothold here too, allowing users to explore museums and experience parts of the world they may never be able to see for themselves. When someone picks up a Quest 3, there will be no shortage of answers to the question, "What should I do next?"
A list of apps as they would appear inside of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Apple showed off some interesting concepts during its WWDC keynote, where it made the case for developers to make their own cool things for the headset. But that doesn't mean Apple didn't have plenty to show off out of the box. The big focus for Apple is extending all of the apps you know and love from your phone into the world around you. If you want a large display to watch a show or meditation exercise on, you can.
Apple wants this headset to be able to be used for work with access to Apple apps like Notes, Keynote or Safari so it can replace or complement your monitor. For gamers, you can play around 100 Apple Arcade games with a standard gaming controller like you would on a television with an Apple TV, but Apple doesn't seem to have much in the way of immersive gaming like you'd see on other headsets.
Which should you buy?
It's impossible to have this conversation without talking about price. Meta's Quest 3 comes in at $500, which will likely balloon to $600 if you want increased storage and more if you want accessories for improved battery life. And when this headset is available in the fall, it will be filled with tons of things to do and friends to play with, if that's your thing. And between Zuck's teaser last week and its release, you can be sure Meta will have a lot to say about what you can do with the passthrough cameras in AR and hand-tracking modes. It's an impressive upgrade on a headset Stein dubbed the best VR headset for now in his Quest 2 review, and will be available months before the competition.
Apple's Vision Pro is undoubtedly a unique way to experience the Apple ecosystem as it exists today, and it's clear there are a lot of different ways to make the experience personal. It has an elegant look and a ton of features to keep you aware of the world around you when it's needed. There's no denying this is the most advanced headset to exist so far. But as an AR headset delivering something unique, it's clear Apple is hoping developers will help pave the way. And with a $3,499 price tag, Apple needs to do a lot between now and when the Vision Pro launches in 2024 to show what makes it special.