Meta says the Oculus Quest 3 will launch “next year”

The Oculus Quest 3 has been confirmed for 2023 if comments from Meta’s CFO Dave Wehner are to be believed.

According to Wehner in the Company’s Q3 earnings call, it’ll be released “next year” – which isn’t long for people who are looking to get their hands on Meta’s next consumer-focused VR headset.

While Meta’s latest headset (the Meta Quest Pro) only launched on October 25, people are already chomping at the bit for news about its next headset: the Oculus Quest 3. The Quest Pro is a major improvement over Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 – with better specs and new features like face tracking and color passthrough – but it also comes at a price that most consumers won’t be able to afford ($1,500 / £1,500 / AU$2,450).

Couple that with our opinion that it isn’t the best VR headset out there – it’s designed to be a mixed reality device that blends real and virtual worlds together instead – and there will be a lot of people that the Quest Pro isn’t suited for.

In the Q3 Earning call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also discussed his company’s next-generation consumer VR headset – however neither elaborated on its specs nor even its official name. That said, Meta has previously said that its non-Pro Quest headset line (the Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Quest 3, etc) is its consumer-focused line. So much like how we expect the next iPhone to be the iPhone 15 and the next PlayStation to be the PS6, Meta’s next consumer VR headset will almost certainly be the Quest 3 even if it’s being cagey about that on this earnings call.

Additionally, these remarks come only a couple of weeks after Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the Quest 3 is in development. He also revealed that it’ll be a heck of a lot cheaper than the Quest Pro too, with Zuckerberg saying that the Quest 3 will be in the “price range of $300, $400, or $500.”

Until Meta officially confirms the release date or price we’ll have to take everything it says with a pinch of salt – production delays or increased costs could see either of its Quest 3 promises change. But even so, these comments should make anyone looking to upgrade their VR setup or get a headset for the first time think carefully about their decision.

If you see some great Black Friday Oculus Quest 2 deals in November, then think about picking it up, but if you’re able to hold out for another 12 months (give or take), then you could nab Meta’s new improved VR headset instead.

While we wait for the Oculus Quest 3 to launch – whenever that happens to be – why don’t you pass the time by trying out one of the best VR games out there?