Meta might be working on a budget-friendly headset for the masses. Nothing’s written in stone just yet, but a freshly leaked image just hit the web, adding fervor to the rumour mill. As far as naming is concerned, it might take a page from Nintendo’s handbook and be called the Meta Quest 3 Lite, though it looks like Meta Quest 3S is the frontrunner. Either way, the leaked headset render suggests a stripped-down version of the Meta Quest 3.
Arriving courtesy of Lunayian on X, the still was grabbed from a now-deleted Reddit post. The redditor claims they were shown these graphics in a “Meta User Research” Zoom meeting. In terms of design, it looks eerily similar to the original, except, the front has a slightly different camera configuration.
The Zuck and Apple are leaning towards mixed-reality applications, so it makes sense that there would be camera’s everywhere. It consists of two sets of three cameras in a triangular-shaped design, situated on either side of the headset. The new look reminds me of the Maelstrom in Cyberpunk 2077, sort of.
Interestingly, there was an earlier image leak that revealed a Meta Quest 3 render sans any cameras. Which if real, could mean there might be two budget Quest 3’s in the works. One being the 3S intended for mixed reality, and the other a Lite version for those interested solely in VR. Hmm, food for thought.
Specs
Nevertheless, the Quest 3S PowerPoint presentation suggests a 1832×1920 per-eye pixel resolution. This mirrors the native resolution of its predecessor, the Meta Quest 2. It may well feature the very same flat panel Fresnel lenses featured on the Quest 2, given Pancake lenses admittedly cost more to produce for their superiority.
All speculation of course, but based on the decidedly thicker appearance we might be on the right track. For example, Meta Quest 3’s Pancake lens design offers a 40% slimmer optical profile when compared to the Quest 2. It also allows for a larger display resolution of 2064×2208 pixels-per-eye. Plus a 110° wider FOV, and a 120Hz experimental refresh rate.
That said, there’s no way of telling if the marketing material is indeed real. And like any tech leak, it could be outdated. So, it’s best to take the above information with a tiny grain of salt. We’ll possibly have to wait for the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase in June, for any concrete confirmation. Rest assured, we’ll keep our eyes peeled until then.
