After trying Apple's Vision Pro, Mark Zuckerberg says Quest 3 'is the better product, period.'

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprising statement in a video :

He claimed that his company's new mixed reality headset, the Quest 3, is superior to Apple's first spatial computer, the Vision Pro.

"I had the chance to try the Vision Pro, and I have to say it's an impressive product. Apple has done a great job of creating an immersive and intuitive experience. But I think the Quest 3 is the better product, period," Zuckerberg said.

Opinions are flying about Apple's Vision Pro.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has joined the debate, given the stakes. In a video posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Zuckerberg gives his official verdict on the Vision Pro compared to his company's latest Quest 3 headset: "I don't just think Quest has the best value, I think Quest is the best product, period."

While being filmed by the Quest 3's video system in his living room, Mark Zuckerberg highlights the compromises Apple made to integrate the most sophisticated display possible into a wearable device in an acceptable form factor. He explains that the Quest 3 weighs 120 grams less, making it more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. He also claims that the Quest 3 allows for greater freedom of movement thanks to the absence of a wired battery and a wider field of view than the Vision Pro.

He believes that the option of physical hand controllers and hand tracking for input is better on the Quest, although he says he is a fan of eye tracking for certain use cases and hints that it will be coming back in future Meta headsets after making its debut on the Quest Pro. He claims that the Quest has a better library of "immersive" content than Apple, which is technically true for now, even though he admits that the Vision Pro is a better entertainment device. And then there's the fact that the Quest 3 is, as Zuckerberg puts it, "seven times cheaper."

Mark Zuckerberg's words

I finally tried Apple's Vision Pro and I have to say that before that, I thought Quest would be the best product for most people because it's really good and seven times cheaper. But after using it, I don't just think Quest is the best value for money, I think Quest is the best product, period. And you know, different companies have made different design decisions for their headsets, they have different strengths, but overall, Quest is better for the vast majority of things people use with mixed reality.

Right now, my friend Kenny is capturing this high-resolution mixed reality video on Quest. We're here in my living room and you can see his browsing windows and everything he's running.

So yes, Quest 3 allows for high-quality passthrough with large screens, just like Vision Pro, but we've also designed it to be perfect for a lot of other things, like getting around, playing games, hanging out with friends, exercising, and more. I think Quest is much more comfortable; you know, we designed it to weigh 120g less which makes a big difference on your face. Plus, there are no wires to get in your way when you're moving around. Our field of view is wider and I found our display to be brighter.

I also noticed that Apple's headset has this motion blur when you move around, while on the Quest it's much sharper. Apple's display has a higher resolution and it's very nice, but I was surprised by the number of compromises they had to make on the quality of the device, comfort, ergonomics and other aspects of the display and artifacts to get there. Quest supports precision controllers which are great for gaming. Both headsets support hand tracking, but I found ours to be a bit more accurate.

Apple's eye tracking is really nice, we actually had these sensors in Quest Pro, we removed them for Quest 3 but we're going to reintroduce them in the future. It's a nice interface, but it's not perfect for everything, especially for typing or complex tasks. You'll need things like a keyboard, controllers or eventually a neural interface.

Quest's library of immersive content is much deeper you know, we've been working with studios to create VR and mixed reality games and other content for a long time now and if you want to watch YouTube or play Xbox on a big screen wherever you go, that's only available on Quest right now.

When I look around, I feel like there are a lot of people who assume Vision Pro is better quality because it's Apple and it costs $3,000 more. But honestly, I'm quite surprised that Quest is so much better for the vast majority of things people use these headsets for with this price difference. I know some fanboys get upset whenever someone dares to ask if Apple is going to be the leader in a new category, but the reality is that every generation of computing has an open model and a closed model. Yes, on mobile, Apple's closed model is the leader, but that's not always the case if you go back to the PC era, Microsoft's open model was the winner. And in this new generation, Meta will be the open model and I really want to make sure that the open model wins again, the future is not yet written.

So I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been building with us for over ten years, whether it's for Quest or for the Rayband Meta glasses, which are doing much better than I expected. As the old saying goes, the best way to predict the future is to invent it, so see you soon.

Two Products, Two Philosophies?

The Vision Pro, released on February 2, 2024, is Apple's first device to integrate digital content with the real world, thanks to an ultra-high-resolution display system, a custom-designed Apple chip, and a fully three-dimensional user interface. The Quest 3, on the other hand, is the latest in Meta's line of VR headsets, offering a variety of games and mixed reality experiences. The Quest 3 stands out with its two RGB color cameras, 4K+ resolution, and immersive 3D audio.

The two products position themselves as direct competitors in the augmented reality market, which is expected to reach $72 billion by 2024, according to research firm IDC. Analysts expect the Vision Pro and Quest 3 to engage in a fierce battle to win over consumers and developers, relying on their respective strengths.

"The Vision Pro has the advantage of being the first to offer spatial computing, which radically changes the way users interact with their favorite applications. It also benefits from Apple's ecosystem and reputation, which are factors of trust and loyalty. The Quest 3, on the other hand, relies on its more affordable price, technical performance, and compatibility with the metaverse, which is Meta's vision for the future of the web," explains Thomas Moreau, augmented reality expert and founder of the French start-up Lumeen.

Zuckerberg, who changed the name of his company from Facebook to Meta, has reaffirmed his ambition to create the metaverse, a shared virtual universe where users can connect, work, play, and learn. He said the Quest 3 is the ideal headset for accessing the metaverse, thanks to its ability to merge virtual and physical spaces.

"The metaverse is the next frontier of computing, and we want everyone to be able to participate. That's why we designed the Quest 3 to be accessible, powerful, and versatile. With the Quest 3, you can completely transform your living space with mixed reality, immerse yourself in stunning graphics, and enjoy a catalog of hundreds of captivating applications," he said.

Apple's Vision Pro is priced at $3,499 for the 256GB model; but there are two other configurations offered: $3,699 (512GB) and $3,899 (1TB). The entry price of the Meta Quest 3 is $499.99, which is 7 times less than the entry price of the Vision Pro.

Conclusion

At the end of the video, Zuckerberg thanks his team who has been building VR headsets for a very long time - a message that seems to contain an atmosphere of tranquility.

It is true that Meta has a considerable lead and will be the undisputed leader in headset sales for some time. It can even be argued, as Zuckerberg does, that today, the Quest 3 is a better headset for most people than the Vision Pro.

But what Zuckerberg doesn't say in his video is that Apple has obvious advantages in terms of hardware and developer ecosystem, the latter taking time to build up with a new product category like this. Meta may be breathing a sigh of relief. But this is a game of endurance. And the headset war is only just beginning...