Meta Platforms Inc. finally announced the launch of its long-awaited mass-market mixed reality headset, the $499 Meta Quest 3, during the company’s virtual Meta Connect event today.

The new device will allow users to enjoy both virtual reality experiences, with complete immersion in virtual worlds, and mixed reality, which blends the physical world with computer-generated images overlaid on it.

“When you put on Quest 3, you see the physical room around you, only now it is a canvas that you can bring your digital objects into the world,” said Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg (pictured). “With Quest 3 it understands your space so that you can play with the world around you. The limits of your physical space are going to expand, so you can be part of a larger world.”

The new headset builds on the features of the Quest 2, doubling the graphical processing power and featuring a new Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. It contains a 4K+ resolution display inside that’s capable of providing 25 pixels per degree and 1,218 pixels per inch.

Meta used a next-gen pancake lens optical design stack design to give it a 40% slimmer profile than the Meta Quest 2 and boost its sharpness by over 25% with a reduction in visual artifacts. This also means that it can be more easily fitted over a user’s prescription glasses. For those who do not want to wear their glasses with the Quest 3, there is also a line of VR lenses that can be fitted into the headset as well.

For entertainment and gaming, the Quest 3 uses two cameras and a depth sensor, which means that the first time people put on the headset, they immediately see the world around them. The headset then scans their environment to learn about their world and where it’s safe for them to walk – no more setting up a “safe zone.” Objects that are blended with the real world in games or media can be locked with walls or tables so that they stay in the same place in mixed reality mode.

“The Quest 3 is a significant upgrade from the Quest 2,” said Aneesh Kulkarni, chief technology officer of enterprise VR training solution company Strivr. “The slimmer profile is mainly due to the use of pancake lenses. A brand-new depth sensor and upgraded camera array allow for a full color video passthrough that uses 10 times more pixels to represent the physical space. All of these advancements are significant steps in the evolution of higher fidelity, more comfort, and better ease of use, which is extremely important when we think about adoption and the use of headsets in more use cases and for longer periods of time.”

Meta is partnering with Microsoft Corp. to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Quest 3 this December, which will bring a large library of games into the headset. This will allow users to play all of these titles on a giant 2D screen while sitting on their couch, from their bed or even lounging outside in the shade.

For workplace and productivity, Microsoft 365 will be coming to the Quest 3 by the end of the year, enabling users to get work done in apps such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. And Windows 365 will shortly thereafter be offering a secure way to stream Windows to the Quest, which will allow users to access their personal apps, content and settings.

The Meta Quest 3 has a fairly competitive price tag starting at $499 for a 128-gigabyte version, which aims it squarely at the consumer market. Pre-orders are available now and it will ship on Oct. 10. Customers can also opt for a version with 512 gigabytes of storage capacity for $649.99.

Meta’s launch comes three months after Apple Inc. unveiled its extremely powerful and expensive Vision Pro mixed reality headset that CEO Tim Cook described as a “spatial computer.” The Vision Pro is expected to have a staggering price tag of almost $3,500 but has not yet launched.

“For Meta, the launch of the Meta Quest 3 is still a market share play, as it seeks to continue to dominate the consumer market,” Rolf Illenberger, chief executive of enterprise VR platform VRDirect, told SiliconANGLE. “Meta has several years up on Apple in a hypothetical battle of VR/AR devices and Apple’s first-gen Vision Pro was built with developers, not consumers, in mind. The preexisting consumer-focused infrastructure on the Meta Quest 3, combined with a nine-figure marketing campaign, will still leave it as the established player in the space for the near future.”

Businesses will also get something out of the Quest 3 with the upcoming rollout of Meta Quest for Business next month. With this service, companies will be able to manage fleets of devices at the app, user and device levels to improve security and issue software upgrades, patches and handle other information technology team orchestration. The solution comes with enterprise-grade administration and customer service for support.

New Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses

In partnership with EssilorLuxottica, Meta announced the launch of the new generation of its of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses today. They have improved audio and cameras that the company designed from the ground up. Meta also improved the core features and included artificial intelligence.

The new smart glasses provide improved audio with all-new custom designed speakers along the backpiece of the frame near the ears that can produce extended bass at higher volume and improved directional audio. Meta claims that this provides reduced audio leakage for better calls and when listening to music and podcasts, even in noisy environments.

The glasses also feature five microphone arrays positioned around the frame to support immersive audio recording. Users will be able to capture sounds exactly as they experience them and play them back in full lifelike surround sound.

This will come in handy for the brand-new hands-free livestreaming feature that allows users to stream from their glasses to Facebook or Instagram. They can even see comments in their preview, or tap and hold on the side of their glasses to hear the last comment out loud in order to engage with their community. Or they can double tap to switch between their phone camera and their glasses.

The livestreaming feature is supported by a new ultrawide 12-megapixel camera that can provide high-resolution photos and 1080p video up to 60 seconds.

The glasses are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 platform for photo and video processing. They also come with a redesigned charging case, which can provide them up to eight additional recharges for a total of up to 36 hours of use.

For the first time, Meta has also integrated an AI assistant into the glasses with Meta AI, an advanced conversational assistant, that users can speak up and talk to. Using Meta AI users can speak out loud by saying “Hey Meta,” and get information such as world news and what to do and control features on their glasses.

For example, if they want to snap a photo of what they’re seeing and send it to a friend they could quickly say: “Hey Meta, take a picture and send that to my friend, Duncan.” The glasses would then take a picture and send the photo to that friend.

Since smart glasses are a perfect way for an AI that can see as well as hear, starting next year Meta will push out a free update that will allow the AI to understand what users are looking at in context. It will allow users to use the Meta AI assistant and ask questions about what they’re looking at, such as “What is this landmark?” or ask it to translate a sign.

Images: Meta