Meta has announced the Meta Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headset. It will launch in 2023, starting at US$499 for the 128 GB headset.

Quest 3 will be the first headset to feature a next-generation Snapdragon chipset developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. That next-gen Snapdragon chipset delivers more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2.

It will also feature new Meta Reality technology, which lets you seamlessly blend your physical world with the virtual one. Now you can play a virtual board game on your kitchen table with Demeo, decorate your living room with virtual art courtesy of Painting VR, or dive into a fully immersive world to do things that are simply not possible otherwise.

With a 40 percent slimmer optic profile compared to Quest 2, Quest 3 is a sleeker, more comfortable headset. The Touch Plus controllers have also been redesigned with a more streamlined and ergonomic form factor. Thanks to our advances in tracking technology, we’ve dropped the outer tracking rings so the controllers feel like a more natural extension of your hands and take up less space. It also includes TruTouch haptics that first debuted in Touch Pro.

The Quest 3 is compatible with the Quest 2 catalogue of over 500 virtual reality games, apps, and experiences.

As for the Meta Quest 2, starting from 4 June 2023, the price of Quest 2 will be lowered to US$299.99 USD for the 128GB SKU and US$349.99 USD for the 256GB SKU. In an upcoming software update, they’re also updating the Quest 2 and Quest Pro GPU and CPU. Quest 2 and Pro will see an up-to-26% CPU performance increase with an up-to-19% GPU speed increase for Quest 2 and 11% for Quest Pro.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below: