Meta Quest 3 512GB — Ultimate Mixed Reality Experiences — All-in-One Headset with Controllers, 4K resolution + Infinite Display

I've had an OG "Oculus" 64Gb Quest 2 for 3.5 years now which I used for both native and PCVR gaming and was pretty happy with it. I wanted a Quest 3 but wasn't prepared to pay the £619 RRP. I decided to wait until it was under £500 before taking the plunge. Once the 3S was announced they dropped the price of the 512Gb model (whilst discontinuing the 128Gb and Quest 2) to a very reasonable £469 with Batman Arkham Shadow and 3 months free Quest+ subscription.I was impressed with the jump in hardware quality verses the Quest 2. The pancake lenses and resolution being immediately noticeable, as well as a much snappier overall response from the CPU/GPU. Being a PCVR gamer too I'm used to high end graphics and can honestly say the graphics on the Quest 3 are very impressive for the hardware limitations. Batman Arkham Shadow and Asgard's Wrath 2 for example, look fantastic. Even older titles that looked washed out on Quest 2 look significantly improved, with a lot of them getting "upgrades" for Quest 3. I'd say it's on a par with Xbox 360 graphically. It misses out on the usual GPU intensive additions such as high end textures, shadows/lighting etc. which are to be expected, but still very impressive for mobile hardware.Air Link/Steam Link/Virtual Desktop all work as expected for PCVR gaming and again, the pancake lenses really make everything look so much crisper than the blurry Quest 2 lenses with their tiny sweet spot. These are the positives of the Quest 3.The negatives are mainly to do with what I'd deem as mandatory third party additions:1. Head strap with battery (this is pretty much essential if you want to play for a long time without interruption and proper comfort). If you have to make one extra purchase, this would be top of the list.2. Facial interface (whilst improved vastly over the Quest 2, it's still not comfortable enough and also has no nose guard to block light which breaks immersion).3. Grips (the wrist grips aren't really that good, so proper grips are also required)4. Prescription lenses (not everyone needs glasses, but if you do, these are much better than wearing glasses, even with the built in spacer and they slot in perfectly).I've been using it a full month now and it's been great, it's such an improvement over Quest 2 and feels like Meta are really going in the right direction with VR. I hope this continues and they keep pushing the hardware, because it's certainly putting out some great VR gaming experiences so far, with Metro Awakening (which supports cross-buy) on the horizon (at time of review), for example.UPDATE: The only other negative is Meta's obsession with Horizon Worlds, which imo is very poor, they seem to be pushing this "app" more than the actual "games" the platform was built upon. I uninstalled it (but it appears it's going to be baked into the forthcoming v76 build whether you want it or not!).UPDATE: Six months later and it's definitely still a worthy purchase. If you sideload Quest Games Optimizer, you can immediately improve graphical fidelity, by instantly improving resolution and/or CPU/GPU performance with profiles. A real game changer, with just the resolution increase alone. You can also sideload ports of older games via SideQuest, such as Doom 3, Castle Wolfenstein, Quake 3 etc. so even more options for gaming.Due to the extra cost of third party peripherals, I would give it 4.5 stars overall (Updated April 2025)

The Meta Quest 3 is an incredible VR headset. The 512GB storage is generous, easily accommodating multiple large games without worry. Its display resolution is genuinely impressive, with sharp visuals and stunning clarity, enhancing immersion significantly. Controllers feel precise and responsive, and the mixed reality experiences are next-level—absolutely seamless integration into your environment. The headset is comfortable for extended use, although it does become slightly heavy over time. Nonetheless, this is by far the most impressive standalone headset available—highly recommended for gamers and VR enthusiasts alike!

I have to say, this has been an amazing experience. The amount of games and the possibilities with this headset are just insane—it’s honestly worth every penny. Whether I’m jumping into fast-paced action games, exploring huge open worlds, or just hanging out in VR, it always feels immersive and exciting.The only small downside is the battery life. If you’re just playing for short sessions, it’s totally fine, but for longer playtimes, you’ll definitely notice the battery draining faster than you’d like. That’s why I highly recommend getting a 5m link cable. It not only lets you keep playing without worrying about battery life, but it also makes PC VR games look even better. It just takes the experience to another level and makes long gaming sessions way smoother.Honestly, this product does not disappoint. If you’re even considering getting into VR, I’d say go for it—there’s so much to experience, and having the right setup makes it even better. Highly recommend!

I've upgraded from a Quest 2 to a Quest 3. Quest 3 has better lenses/gpu/cpu so much better image quality and performance. Indeed, vs. the Quest Pro, I believe the only loss is eye tracking and the 3 is better specified than the pro in many respects. So, bang for buck, the '3' wins over all currently available standalone headsets.I currently use the stock head strap on the 3, which is much more comfortable than Quest 2. The only disadvantage vs. Quest 2, apart from the large price premium, is slightly lower battery life. But (a) I prefer playing VR in 30-60 minute bursts and (b) there are workarounds with third party headstraps/batteries if needed.As an Oculus Quest product, you have access to a huge number of games and experiences in the Quest Store, some of which (not many, yet) have already been enhanced to take advantage of the Quest 3's improved graphics power. I played through Red Matter 2 on Quest 2, which at the time was the 'reference' title for what could be graphically achieved on a standalone VR headset and was blown away. But with the Quest 3 enhancements it's even more stunning.At present, there are not too many titles that take advantage of the Quest 3's graphics or mixed reality capabilities. These will come, I'm sure. In the meantime, existing titles will look sharper on the 3 purely because of the improved lenses and processing power.I bought the 512Gb version because I had run out of space on my 64Gb Quest 2. You would think 128gb would be enough for a '3' but bear in mind that when games incorporate Quest 3 graphics enhancements they will require more installation space. You can offload games you're not currently playing to reinstall on your device later but reinstallation takes time, quite a lot depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of the game.Finally, and I think this only applies until 26th Jan 2024, getting the triple-A new title 'Asgard's Wrath 2' free with the headset, is great. It is an amazing game that has blown me away with its scale and quality.So, in conclusion, a fantastic VR experience. It's quite a price hike vs. the '2', especially now the '2' has been reduced. If you want the best, most future-proof headset which will run all current and future (next 2-3 years minimum) games then get the '3'. For a first-time, toe in the water experience maybe the '2' at its new low price is worth considering. The 3 came out around 3 years after the 2, so assuming the same release cycle getting the '2' now, enjoying it and then getting the '4' in 3 years is an option!