The battle for dominance in the emerging VR/AR headset market is heating up between tech giants Meta and Apple, with Mark Zuckerberg claiming his Meta Quest is “the better product, period” when compared to the Apple Vision Pro.
The Verge reports that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently compared his company’s latest offering, the Quest 3 headset, to Apple’s new Vision Pro headset in an Instagram video post. Zuckerberg highlighted several advantages he believes the Quest 3 has over Apple’s headset, including being lighter, having a wider field of view, and offering both hand tracking and controllers as input options.
“I don’t just think that Quest is the better value, I think Quest is the better product, period,” Zuckerberg stated. He praised Meta’s experience developing VR headsets over many years, and pointed out the Quest 3’s much lower price point at around $1500 versus the Vision Pro’s $3000.
However, some key benefits of Apple’s Vision Pro, such as its stunning display and sleek design, went unmentioned. Apple is also expected to leverage its massive iOS developer ecosystem to build up Vision Pro’s content library over time. The video, appearing to be shot in a living room, gives off a vibe of desperation from the Facebook boss, whose own employees hate using the Metaverse he pinned his company’s future on.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer and founder of Facebook Inc., demonstrates an Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A customer with an Apple Vision Pro mixed reality (XR) headset at the company’s store in Palo Alto, California, US, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Apple Inc.’s first major new product in nine years arrives on Friday as the Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed-reality headset, goes on sale in the US. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The Vision Pro does have some quirks Apple will aim to improve, like the need to visit an Apple store to reset a forgotten passcode. But it offers unique capabilities too, like Thunderbolt and Lightning connectivity. Big updates to expand the Vision Pro’s functionality will likely be synced with iPhone software releases. So it may take some time, perhaps up to four generations according to some analysts, for the Vision Pro to truly reach its potential.
For now, Meta’s Quest 3 remains the more mainstream, affordable option, but Apple’s entry is a strong contender in this marathon battle for control of the emerging mixed reality market. The tech giants take contrasting approaches, but with their vast resources, Meta’s early lead and Apple’s late start may not be decisive factors.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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