Breakdown
- More Quest 3 Lite leaks have appeared on social media, suggesting a budget-friendly option for Quest 2 users wanting to upgrade
- The Quest 3 Lite will reportedly use the same lenses and resolution as the Quest 2, but offer better controllers and a better chipset
- There's no confirmed price for the Quest 3 Lite yet, but it will likely be a great upgrade and allow players to access Quest 3-exclusive games
The Meta Quest 3 significantly improved upon the extremely popular Quest 2, which sold over 20 million units since its launch. However, due to the cost and the availability of many games on its predecessor, the Meta Quest 3 hasn't been as popular.
It's easy to see why. Although the Meta Quest 3 is arguably one of the best VR headsets on the market, most people aren't willing to spend a lot of money on an upgrade they may deem unnecessary. However, the upcoming Quest 3 Lite could make upgrading easier with a lower price and improved internal hardware over the Quest 2.
Leaks about the Quest 3 Lite have been circulating for months, with one recent Quest 3 Lite render looking terrible. However, the most recent leak seems promising. User Lunayian on Twitter claims to have "seen multiple devkits and spoken to several people familiar with the device," providing a roundup of what is likely to be the Quest 3 Lite, or Quest 3s, as some might call it.
According to the leak, the Quest 3 Lite will, unfortunately, use the same Quest 2 Fresnel lenses, while maintaining a resolution of 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye and a fast-switch LCD panel. Considering the Quest 3's use of pancake lenses is the best upgrade over the Quest 2, it's disappointing that the Quest 3 Lite sacrifices some of that comfort.
However, the biggest feature is that the Quest 3 Lite uses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, much like the standard Quest 3. This means it will be able to play Quest 3-exclusive games that require higher performance, so you may want to grab one before the Batman Arkham Shadows release date—if the headset releases before then, of course.
Some rumors suggest that the Quest 3 Lite won't come with any controllers, much like the Apple Vision Pro. However, the recent leak indicates that it will be bundled with the Meta Quest Touch Plus controllers, the same ones that come with the original Quest 3.
While the price and the headset itself have yet to be announced, we imagine this will be a substantial enough upgrade for Quest 2 users. Most importantly, it will provide access to any Quest 3-exclusive games that you'd miss if you stuck with the Quest 2 headset. Considering Beat Saber is even ditching the original Quest model, it won't be long until the Quest 2 shares a similar fate.
We're excited to see the Quest 3 Lite finally announced, especially as it would likely be a more popular device. Hopefully, these leaks are accurate, as it would be disappointing to see the Quest 3 Lite focus on mixed reality use instead of gaming.