Is the New Meta Quest Pro VR Headset Worth It?
I’m not quite sure who the target audience is supposed to be
Meta has unveiled the highly anticipated Meta Quest Pro VR headset. It’s no secret that Meta has some pretty big ambitions in the virtual reality field and expects to move the entire world into the so-called metaverse eventually. After all, that’s why it spends a huge amount of money on AR and VR development every year.
So, the latest addition is the Quest above Pro model. But some fans remain disappointed. Indeed, for a long time, there have been speculations about the arrival of the successor to the Oculus Quest 2, an entry model into the virtual reality world.
Instead, a high-end headset came with a rather surprising price tag. It is the price that is a major issue. While the base Oculus Quest 2 retails for $399.99, Meta charges $1,499.99 for the Quest Pro in its pre-sale. At the same time, it’s important to mention that this is a price for the US market, which can go up quite a bit here.
After all, the same is the case with the Quest above 2, which is available for around $515. Unfortunately, price is only one obstacle. Not for nothing, you can come across the claim that the new VR headset from Meta is a polished wretch.
At first glance, it may look exceptional and timeless, but in reality, it has several flaws that we definitely wouldn’t want to see in such an expensive product.
Quest Pro specs
But let’s take a look at the headset itself and its specifications. This piece features an LCD with a resolution of 1800×1920 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. There’s also local dimming and quantum dot technology for the best results for enhanced contrast.
The headset also comes with much better optics to ensure greater image sharpness. The chipset itself also plays an extremely important role. In this regard, Meta is betting on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, which promises 50% more performance than the Oculus Quest 2.
Subsequently, we still find 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and ten sensors. The Quest Pro VR headset completely dominates the new eye and facial motion tracking sensors. Meta is hoping for a huge boost from these in the metaverse specifically.
Where each user’s virtual avatars can be much more responsive and bring their likeness closer to reality. For example, raising an eyebrow or winking with such will be written directly into the metaverse.
Where the headset falls short
But now to the essential, or why Quest Pro is often referred to as the aforementioned polished misery. Fans have several reasons for this. Many of them pause, for example, at the displays used. Even though this headset targets more demanding users and is categorized as high-end, it still offers displays using rather outdated LCD panels.
Better results are achieved with the help of local dimming, but more is needed to make the display compete with, for example, OLED or Micro-LED screens. This is something that is expected, especially from Apple.
The company has been working for some time on developing its own AR/VR headset, which should be based on much higher quality OLED/Micro-LED displays with even higher resolution. We can also pause over the chipset itself. Although Meta promises 50% more performance than the Oculus Quest 2, there is a rather fundamental difference.
The two headsets fall into opposite categories. While the Quest Pro is meant to be high-end, the Oculus Quest 2 is instead an entry-level model. In this regard, a fundamental question is in order. Will 50% be enough? The answer will only come from practical testing.
If we add the astronomical price to all this, it is more or less clear that the headset will have a smaller target audience. On the other hand, even though $1500, it is still a high-end product. According to various leaks and speculations, Apple's AR/VR headset is supposed to cost even 2 to 3 thousand dollars. This makes us wonder if the price of the Meta Quest Pro is that high.
Conclusion
Since I have only tried VR headsets and don’t own one, I will ask my colleague Jakub Jančík who has a VR headset (don't forget to follow him so don't miss any interesting content from him), to bring us more on this topic.
From my point of view, in the case of both Meta and Apple, this is a premiere product and will undoubtedly find its buyers. Still, I have yet to make a direct comparison with what the current generation of VR headsets offers. Therefore, I would like to find out.
Whether it’s overpriced tinsel, I’ve only been involved in the VR world on a few projects where we’ve mostly been working on augmented reality, which is something I see a future in.
I haven’t explored VR use purely yet, as I probably won’t be playing games at the client, and as for some 360 videos, to go through like Switzerland was pretty cool. Let’s see what Jakub will add to this topic, whose article is linked below.
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