Meta Quest 3
Best bits of the tech specs: The Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 produces twice the GPU processing power of the Quest 2 and the resolution of both eyes is 30% more than the Quest 2, meaning games load faster and will look better! Combining this with the two new RGB cameras with 18 PPD, the pass-through will be a higher resolution as well as being coloured instead of greyscale, allowing for mixed reality gaming like playing Lego games on a flat surface (for example, a table) in your living room!
The new cameras also allow for more accurate room mapping and allowing for games to interact with said room mapping, such as allowing a real-life sofa to become cover in a shooting game.
Ergonomically speaking, the headset’s profile from front-to-back is 40% sleeker, meaning that it will be lighter on the head and much more comfortable to wear (especially for those extended gaming sessions!). The battery also lasts significantly longer, Meta reports an average of 2.4 hours of use for gaming. With both in mind, we can see more games in future that will focus on a longer gameplay format (as opposed to shorter gameplay loops).
The controllers are now free of the tracking ring, meaning they are lighter to hold and will feel that bit more natural to use when interacting with items in-game. In the same department, the hand-tracking is significantly improved, as the quest uses machine-learning, 4 infra-red cameras and the 2 RGB cameras to give you the option to play more games and use apps without controllers!
The Quest 3 has Wi-Fi 6E, meaning players that want to use the Air Link feature to play games from their PC on their home network should find the streaming substantially smoother. Players who have previous iterations of the headset can use the same account and play all the games they currently have as there is full access to the Meta store catalogue of apps, games, and experiences.
Full specifications here.
What does all of this mean for us at KOSG?
It means we can create bigger and bolder games & experiences, but more specifically we can tailor them towards a mixed reality setting and allow for hand tracking interactions in game (for example, being able to open a draw or grab a weapon with your actual hand rather than a controller). We will be able to design our games to take the size and scale of the room into consideration, as well as the objects in the room!
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses
Something we weren’t expecting from the keynote was to be excited for a pair of sunglasses! They’re not quite at the level of Adam Jensen’s shades, but Meta is on their way to replicating the tech from the fictional Sarif Industries from the Deus Ex franchise. These are smart sunglasses, meaning they have Meta AI, a new AI assistant (similar to Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri) that is able to receive commands like livestreaming to Instagram or Facebook using the cameras mounted on the glasses, and switch to streaming from your phone, all with a few simple commands or tapping the glasses!
- Paul