If the announcement of the headset had leaked at the beginning of the year, here it is Mark Gurman (Bloomberg) comes to provide some details on this famous project Ventura. Surprisingly, this Meta Quest lite doesn’t look so low-cost as its name might suggest.
A new headset “at the most attractive price in consumer VR”, here’s what Meta said in March this year. According to Gurman, this Meta Quest Lite, which would be sold without controllers, would have the same chip (Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2) which equips the Meta Quest 3, it would have the same sensors and even, get this, lenses Pancakes ! But then, what about the differences? The person concerned responds that the helmet should, to reduce prices, use less noble materials that his big brother, Meta Quest 3, while removing controllers (although allowing users to purchase them separately).
Here is the price of the models offered:
- Quest 3 Lite (64 GB): $199;
- Quest 3 Lite (128 GB): $299;
- Quest 3 Lite (256 GB): $399.
Before getting carried away by the hype, another Chinese analyst assures on the contrary that the Meta Quest Lite would use lenses Fresnel and one passthrough in black and white. The device would be sold without controllers, would carry a chip Snapdragon XR 2 Gen 2with a price between $200 and $300. Who to believe?
If Meta really wants to convince the general publicthe one who still holds the idea that “VR is still too expensive for what it offers”, the firm will have to put its foot down by offering a helmet that is equipped with all possible levers, of those capable of convincing the most refractory. Indeed, the use of lenses pancakes would allow easier entry into VR, in other words without having to remind the user that they must move their head and not their eyes to see clearly, without having to remind them to calculate their IPD (inter-pupillary distance) in order to obtain sufficient lens spacing to avoid image blur. In the same vein, the absence of controllers would open up VR to a wider audiencepromising him, in the manner of Wii, to “do it like a real thing”. Finally, the headset’s ability to do mixed reality should reassure the most hardened technophobesof those who consider the practice of immersive technologies to be potentially anxiety-provoking, addictive and isolating.
If Meta arrives at such a level of quality at a reduced price, there is no doubt that the firm will be master of the house. Scheduled for the middle of next year, the helmet could even seriously pull the rug out from under the feet of Bytedance. Yes, if the company has become known for its aggressive prices, the latest rumor states that the pico 5 would be close to the prices of Meta Quest 3. If this is the case, then the alternative of ByteDance risk of taking lead in the wing, faced with a Meta Quest Litewhich, if it keeps the promises announced by Mark Gurmanwill give to Meta the image of a company offering an experience XR within the reach of the first comer, an argument which at the exit of the pico 4was the responsibility of Bytedance.
If you do not want to wait for Meta Quest 3 liteTHE Meta Quest 3 is available on the website Meta and on Amazon. The model with 128 GB of storage costs 549.99 euros while the one with 512 GBit is sold at 699.99 euros.