Although they are basically VR headsets, they are very different from each other. Meta’s Quest 3 will be a polished product that’s supposed to fix the problems of previous generations, add new features, and help bring VR to the masses.

The Apple Reality Pro is a much more premium product, and at a price of $3,499 it will surely be out of reach for most. Since this is a first-generation product, Apple is looking to test the waters and mature the market and its supply chains.

The Meta Quest 3 is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 SoC and runs on Android. Apple used multiple chipsets to power the Vision Pro. The main chip is an Apple M2 chip, while an Apple Silicon R1 chip controls the sensors.

The Quest 3 is aimed at VR enthusiasts and gamers, while Apple’s Vision Pro is a more work-focused device that seeks to combine a iPhoneA MacBookAnd one AppleTV in one.

The Vision Pro is said to come with a couple of 1.41-inch micro-OLED displays offering a combined 4K resolution. At 5000 nits, these screens will be exceptionally bright. The Quest 3 will use a single LCD panel as its display, presumably offering a 120Hz refresh rate and 4128 x 2208 pixel resolution. The Quest 3’s peak brightness might be just 100 nits, making it much weaker than Apple’s offering.

Both headsets are wireless, meaning they can function as standalone devices, unlike the PS VR2, which requires the PS5 for all of its computing power. Meta and Apple have yet to reveal the details and specs of their respective headsets, so we’ll have to wait some time to come to a conclusion based on the head-to-head comparison.

Design

Apple/Meta

The design of Meta Quest 3 appears to be an iterative update over its predecessor. You’ve got a head-mountable helmet with a range of sensors, including external cameras and a depth sensor on the front. Although the company claims the Quest 3 is significantly thinner than the Quest 2, it’s still a piece of plastic. It can offer color passthrough, which means it can do mixed reality.

It comes with a few Bluetooth-enabled controllers and also supports finger and hand gestures.

The Apple Vision Pro, on the other hand, looks like a high-end pair of ski goggles. Its design language is similar to other Apple products, is made of aluminum and has a 3D screen on the front that can display the user’s eyes, making the headset transparent. This is a unique feature that not only makes the headset more premium, but also provides an immersive VR experience.

Unlike most other headsets, you don’t need any external controllers to interact with the Apple Vision Pro. Instead, it relies on fingers and hand gestures to navigate menus, pinch and zoom images, and more. The headset supports a magic keyboard and a magic trackpad for productivity.

Another critical difference between the two headsets is in their design. The Apple Vision Pro has an external smartphone-sized battery attached to the headset using a wired connection. When using the headset, the battery remains dangling although it has a wire long enough to keep the battery in your jeans pocket.

Quest 3, conversely, has an in-headset battery offering a true wireless experience – no prizes for guessing that we’re a fan of that design. However, at this point we don’t have any details on the battery capacity of either headset.

Apps and games

When it comes to supported software, apps and games, it will be yet another version of Android vs iOS. A custom Android operating system will power the Quest 3, and thanks to previous generations of headsets, Meta has a solid library of apps and games available for the next headset.

The Apple Vision Pro, on the other hand, is powered by visionOS, based on the iOS framework. This operating system will get a library of apps similar to those available on iPad and iPhone. That said, since it’s built using iOS frameworks, you can expect a ton of apps by the time the headset starts shipping. Additionally, many brands are expected to introduce VR-enabled apps to support Vision Pro.

Apple Vision Pro vs Meta Quest 3: Which should you buy?

Apple/Meta

Your decision to choose one of these devices will depend on your end use. The Quest 3 is a more consumer-focused headset at an affordable price and intended for casual use, including gaming and media consumption. It will have a plastic construction and cannot compete with the superior design and looks of the Vision Pro.

Moreover, it is a standalone device with no software or hardware limitations. Since Meta does not manufacture other computing or entertainment devices, you can choose the Meta Oculus Quest 3 when available and enjoy its content.

The Vision Pro is Apple’s stepping stone to virtual reality. It can be considered as a customer-oriented experimental device. Since it’s priced at $3,499, it’s more expensive than any other VR headset, and if pre-launch reports are anything to go by, even Apple is already working on the second-gen device and isn’t betting on it. Vision Pro sales figures.

This is a very premium device in terms of design and build and will be another addition to Apple’s walled-in ecosystem. Although the Vision Pro headset is a standalone device, it may require another Apple device to unlock its full potential.

Last but not least, Quest 3 already has a robust app and game ecosystem, which continues to grow. However, Apple will have to build an ecosystem of VR-enabled apps from scratch, which could take some time.

So if you’re looking to buy a VR headset this holiday season, Quest 3 should be your top pick. Even if you want to buy an Apple VR headset, we’d suggest waiting for the second-gen headset to launch, as it should be a much more refined product and lighter on the pocket too.

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