Surprise surprise! Zuckerberg says Quest 3 is better than Apple Vision Pro (and I agree)

I’ve just watched a video of Mark Zuckerberg discussing why he thinks the Meta Quest 3 is better than the Apple Vision Pro. Despite the fact he’s obviously approaching the comparison with unparalleled levels of bias, he makes plenty of valid points.

Disclaimer: I’ve yet to try out the Apple Vision Pro, but I have thoroughly reviewed and tested the Meta Quest 3, and I completely agree with Mr. Zuckerberg (can I call him Mark?) on practically every level.

• Read more: Everything you need to know about the Apple Vision Pro

The not-so-subtle blue whale in the room is, of course, the Vision Pro’s astronomical $3500 starting price tag. It costs precisely seven times as much as the $500 Meta Quest 3. And you won’t find a single person delusional enough to truly believe that it’s seven times as good.

Quite honestly, I wouldn’t even say it’s twice as good. Even taking into account the standard Apple tax (paying a premium for the design, build, prestige and honour of toting something with the brand’s iconic fruit logo), the RRP of the Vision Pro is approaching insanity. 

“But Esat and Mark,” you cry, “The Vision Pro is an amalgamation of millions of dollars of research and development. It’s the most powerful standalone headset in the world. It has all those cameras and sensors. It has fake eyes on the outside! Anyway, it’s clearly aimed at developers, that’s why it’s so expensive.”

Is Vision Pro more…enjoyable?

I have a few responses to those points. For starters, yes, the Vision Pro has a higher resolution screen, and a higher resolution passthrough feature. Those are the two features, in fact, that really appeal to me. The Quest 3 is almost perfect, but its passthrough resolution needs to be higher for a more comfortable, and more immersive experience.

There’s no denying that the whole floating app window functionality is definitely more enjoyable on Apple’s headset, thanks to the extra resolution on offer. But the Quest 3’s experience is perfectly useable, and still enjoyable (with a wider field of view, I might ass). And this is where I remind you of the price difference once again.

As for the Apple Vision Pro being aimed at developers? I disagree. At the time of writing, the Vision Pro is extremely prominent on Apple’s consumer homepage, resting just beneath the banners for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15. Not only that, but nothing about the reveal and launch has been particularly developer/business-focused. In contrast, something like the HTC Vive XR Business Edition is clearly not aimed at people who want to blast virtual aliens to smithereens. Which brings me to my next point.

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The Quest 3’s long-established app store is brimming with all manner of games, experiences, and productivity/entertainment apps. Hell, I even wrote my entire Quest 3 review in VR, using an app called Immersed (also available on the Vision Pro). Given Apple’s superstar status, it’s disappointing to see just how scarce the selection of killer apps is. If anything, you could argue that the Vision Pro was released too early, as I’d have expected to see at least one killer game/app at launch.

Quest wins on flexibility

It doesn’t stop there either. The Quest 3 also let’s you pin a floating app window (although, granted not as many or in as sophisticated a fashion as the Vision Pro). And it doesn’t have the ability to display fake eyes on an external screen. But it does practically everything the Vision Pro does, and it even excels its pricier rival with app sideloading, and physical controllers. I’m not knocking Apple’s eye tracking, to be clear. It’s another feature I’d love to see in the Meta Quest 4. But proper hand tracking and physical controllers are far more useful, providing more flexibility and options to boot.

You could treat yourself to multiple Quest 3 units, give them to your best friends, and have way more fun virtually running around with them in VRChat, than you would sitting in a coffee shop feeling smug about wearing three and a half grand’s worth of (objectively beautiful) tech on your face. Throw in the fact that many people have found the front-heavy design of the Vision Pro to be very uncomfortable, and that multi-thousand-dollar asking price becomes even more of a tough (if not impossible) sell.

Ultimately, you can spend your money however you like. If I had the spare cash, of course I’d be delighted to snap up the Vision Pro. It’s a stunning bit of kit, packed with the latest tech, and has the potential to be an incredible productivity and entertainment machine. For now though, it’s absolutely not worth maxing out your credit card on.

• Read more: Meta Quest 3 review

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.