The Meta Quest, previously known as the Oculus Quest, is a Virtual Reality(VR) headset, that was and still is revolutionary due to its capability to run games and apps on its own without the external help of a computer like previous headsets. Of course, the Oculus Quest 1 is far outdated, and outperformed by the Quest 2 and Quest 3.
The Quest 1 was made as a runner up to the Oculus Go, an earlier, less advanced headset. The Oculus Quest received praise for its price and convenience, and for having improved graphical fidelity and tracking over Oculus Go, but was panned for its front-heavy build and downgraded graphics quality over PC-based VR games. At launch, it also faced criticism for being limited to software available on the Oculus Store, and not having backwards compatibility with Oculus Go software.
The later introduction of Oculus Link led to reappraisals of the Quest, with critics praising the device's increased flexibility, and indicating that devices like the Quest would likely supplant the PC-only Rift headsets moving forward. A successor, the Oculus Quest 2, was released in 2020
<The Oculus Quest 2>
(Meta Quest 2)
Quest 2
The Quest 2 is an updated version of the original Oculus Quest with a lighter weight, updated internal specifications, a display with a higher per-eye resolution and refresh rate, and updated Oculus Touch controllers with improved battery life. As with its predecessor, the Quest 2 can run as either a standalone headset with an internal, Android-based operating system, or with Oculus Rift-compatible VR software running on a personal computer. The release of this headset popularized Oculus(now Meta) as a company, and their headsets became mainstream, especially as a christmas gift, many(including myself) got an Oculus Quest 2.
The Quest 2 received mostly positive reviews as an incremental update to the Quest, with critics noting its improved display and weight. Some of its changes faced criticism, including its stock head strap, reduced interpupillary distance (IPD) options, and a new requirement for users to log in with a Facebook account to use the headset and Oculus services. The Quest 2 was succeeded by the Meta Quest 3 in 2023, but remained in production as a lower-cost model until September 2024, when it was replaced at the same price point by the Meta Quest 3s.
<The Meta Quest 3>
Quest 3
The Meta Quest 3 is the current and most advanced Quest headset, offering new Augmented/Mixed reality features, which ustilized its cameras and depths sensors to let you play or watch things through the Headset whilst being able to see your real life sorroundings, for example, you could add a virtual door to one of your walls that could allow (NOT REAL) creatures to walk into your room, and interact with it. This new technology brought a new chznge to the world of vr headsets.
another one of the major changes with this headset was the phenomenal graphics capability, its images appearing far better than the Quest 2, this headset was also less front-heavy due do the way the weight is centered on your head. The controllers were also given new trackers, htis was because the tracking rings on the Quest 2 would break easily.
Later, an API was added for inside-out body tracking, which uses computer vision and the headset's side cameras to track upper body and arm motions. This can be combined with the "generative legs" API (which uses a machine learning model to estimate the motion of the user's legs) to provide a degree of full-body motion tracking without additional sensors. A depth API was also added to improve the quality of mixed reality rendering.
<The Meta Quest 3s>
Quest 3s
The Quest 3s is intended as an entry-level model complementing 2023's Meta Quest 3, and succeeded the Quest 2 at its price point; it shares most of its hardware and mixed reality capabilities with the Quest 3, but with lower-resolution displays and optics inherited from the Quest 2. It is essentially a cheaper, less advanced version of the Quest 3, made to replace the Quest 2. While not as notable as the Quest 3, it still serves as a great entryway for new users looking to get into vr due to it's high quality and low price.
