Untethered and impressive VR with too many expensive – and necessary – accessories.

We’ve talked a lot about virtual reality (VR) in the last year, with content mostly focused on the PlayStation families foray in the market.

Now, VirtualRealities is expanding with the examination of – and of course game reviews for – the Meta Quest 3.

Releasing Oct. 10, 2023, the Quest 3 came out just shy of eight months after the PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2).

With a library of more than 500 games upon launch – mostly due to backwards compatibility – the impressive steps forward in mixed reality gaming thanks to colour passthrough, and even intuitive features such as hand tracking – games and menus can actually be played and interacted with using your hands – it seems like the Quest 3 is the clear winner of the VR wars.

However, like the console wars of yore, the only people saying one is better than the other are fanboys with too much time on their hands. Plus let’s be real, those nerds need to realize there’s more to life than video games.

Yes, Quest 3 is a stellar headset. Anyone who uses it and plays one of the introductory games included can see that it’s an impressive addition to the VR world.

But just like the PSVR2, the Quest 3 is not technologically perfect. Each headset comes with its limitations, just like each has areas where it thrives over the other.

We’ll talk about a few of those things here as we examine the Quest 3.

Let’s start off with the things that set it apart, by talking about mixed reality.

VR is fun because you get to immerse yourself in a game, in ways that were only dreams a few short years ago. But Quest is taking things a step further by adding more depth to the experience. Mixed reality essentially blends your physical space with the virtual world in which you’re playing, allowing you to experience gaming in a different way.

Imagine being able to bowl on a virtual alley in the hallway, fighting off zombies as they break through your windows and doors, or even watch a world come to life in the middle of your living room.

These are just a few of the things you can experience on the Quest 3.

Thanks to the colour passthrough cameras on the front of the headset, you are able to see your space – although it doesn’t look as stellar as it could be – essentially anytime you want. This is absolutely one of the ways the headset has a leg up over the PSVR2 – a headset that only allows you to see your space in a distorted black and white kind of way, and only for the purposes of setup.

Being able to interact with the menus or watch a movie on a virtual screen, while also seeing the rest of your living room, can be pretty cool. However, it’s the gaming blend that really aims to impress.

There are many different experiences that allow for mixed reality capabilities, ranging from action, to sports and even puzzles.

There’s something for everyone in the mixed reality realm, and you should definitely try First Encounters, the included app that sees you fight off aliens who invade your home. It’s truly an experience when your kitchen wall crumbles away to reveal a colourful new planet.

Now let’s talk about the hand tracking.

This feature does what it says; tracking your hand movements and allowing you to interact with menus, type on keyboards, search the internet, and even play games, all with your hands instead of a controller.

This is currently only available in a handful of games, but that is probably because, overall, it’s not very accurate compared to a controller.

Because hand tracking works with the front-facing cameras to pickup the movements of your appendages, even your hand moving slightly out of view can end up spelling disaster – sorta.

More often than not, interacting with the menu will take a few attempts – you should get use to opening the wrong app once or twice per session. That doesn’t even begin to cover using your hands in game. When it works in a game like Hand Physics Lab it’s pretty satisfying, especially knowing you were able to do that with total immersion – minus being able to feel an object.

However, when it doesn’t work, it can be downright frustrating.

Grabbing a block in game can be more of a pain than trying to pickup a coin from the table in real life. Not to mention, movement doesn’t seem to work as well – perhaps again the fault can be the reliance on the camera.

By no means should you avoid these types of games, they’re fun to play – and Hand Physics Lab is free if you have Quest+. But you do need to keep in mind that it’s not going to be perfect.

Now that we’ve covered some of the highlights, let’s talk about its downfalls.

If you’re a graphical snob, this may not be the headset for you. Granted, things don’t look ugly, but they aren’t as crisp as graphics on the PSVR2.

Because this is a standalone headset, all the processing power comes from the built in system. This is already pretty powerful compared to past generations, but it’s nowhere near powerful enough to output the 4K quality that can be achieved from the headset, which needs to be tethered to the PlayStation 5.

An upside to what you see when using the Quest 3 can probably be attributed to the pancake lenses it uses. Unlike the PSVR2 which uses Fresnel lenses – which requires you to find a “sweet spot” to have the best clarity – pancake lenses allow for a user to put the headset on and see everything clearly, no fuss required.

This next thing can be classified less as a problem and more as a complaint… the touch controllers feel pretty flimsy

Compared to the PSVR2 sense controllers, the Touch Plus controllers of the Quest 3 feel like a child’s toy made of cheap plastic. They work fairly well – and need only to be picked up to activate – but they feel almost worse than the Wiimote did back the early 2000s.

You almost feel like one errant swing, which just happens to tap lightly against a surface that a controller should not, and it will fall apart.

On the bright side, the controllers do provide haptic feedback, so you can feel in game actions as you play. However, compared to the Sense controllers and the adaptive triggers, these are definitely a letdown.

Touch Plus controllers also take AA batteries, rather than implementing rechargeable ones – although you can purchase a charging dock which includes rechargeable batteries. Also a plus over the PSVR2, you can purchase extra Touch Plus controllers from Meta, if you end up pulling off some moronic stunt.

Now let’s talk about the biggest issue, battery life. Although, if we’re being honest, this is really just a small part of the real problem Meta created – necessitating the purchase of accessories for the best experience.

Like a parent telling you that game time is over, the Quest 3 battery essentially puts a time limit on your play sessions.

Running off the built in battery, this headset can last about two hours. This isn’t terrible for those who may not have their VR legs, however, for many people this is a very short time to be able to play before you’re required to stop.

If you’re up for it, you can extend your play sessions, thanks to the “optional” accessory known as the elite strap with battery. Essentially, this will give you an extra two hours of use, while also coming attached to an upgraded and more comfortable head strap.

As you can see above, the word optional is put between quotation marks. This is because Meta knew what they were doing when they created this system. In fact, it isn’t new to this generation of headset – with the Quest 2 also implementing the same system.

In a twist of the knife move, they made sure you have to spend the $180 – yes with tax you’re looking at more than $200 for this accessory – by not allowing the Quest 2 version to fit on the Quest 3.

Now there are ways to Macgyver yourself a fix that doesn’t cost $180 – a power bank connected via zip tied cable for one – but the problem is the native solution just works so much better.

Not only does this battery work by siphoning power from itself before the headset, it works together when charging the headset, allowing one connection to charge both.

If you also invest ANOTHER $180 on the charging dock, you can get an item that will see both batteries charge faster, in tandem, and as mentioned earlier – it comes with rechargeable batteries for the controllers.

But back to the battery, the elite strap to which the battery is connected also feels so much better when playing.

Rather than having to mess around by pulling some fabric around to get a proper fit, this strap follows a style similar to the PSVR2 with a dial on the back to tighten or loosen. It also removes some of the pressure than is placed on you via the facial interface – something you can also upgrade for $55.

There are other accessories that can improve comfort for those who need it, but those mentioned above – and maybe the $55 active straps and $95 carrying case – are the only ones they expect you to buy.

Now granted, if you have the charging dock – and no pets that can get up to it – you could leave the headset and controllers there indefinitely during times of non-use. The Quest 3 does have built in charging protection so it stops when everything hits 100 per cent, so it could end up being a nice display.

However, for those who need it put away – and if you do have an upgraded strap – the original box won’t do.

Same can be said for the active straps, however, the added immersion by allowing you to not hold the controllers AND improving on the twine that is the standard wrist strap, the active straps can be seen as essential.

While the starting price for the Quest 3 is $649 – for the 128gb model, 512 is an added $200 – most people will see themselves spending well over $1,000 on their headset as it can become very uncomfortable, very fast.

Despite some of the issues this headset brings, it is absolutely worth it to buy.

Being able to play more games and take advantage of the advancements in the VR field, are just a few of the reasons to jump on board with this headset.

If you are trying to decide between the PSVR2 or Quest 3, you need to be the judge of what’s better for you.

Do you want graphics or games, better controllers or mixed reality; your personal needs – and budget – are the determining factor here.

If you can, why not avoid all the drama created by internet babies who get upset when you say something bad about their toys, and just get both?

We promise, you wouldn’t regret the investments.