{"id":3066,"date":"2023-11-28T22:03:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T22:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vrlowdown.com\/?p=3066"},"modified":"2023-11-30T14:05:02","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T14:05:02","slug":"meta-quest-3-mixed-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vrlowdown.com\/meta-quest-3-mixed-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality: Is It Worth It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I\u2019ve been testing the Meta Quest 3 intensely since it launched, putting in hundreds of hours with the headset. I was particularly keen to try out the mixed reality (MR) capabilities of Quest 3 as this is the first standalone headset with what I would consider to be acceptable mixed reality performance. Meta has been very enthusiastic about mixed reality on Quest 3 and this article is going to share my thoughts on how it stacks up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quest 3 has two front-facing 4MP RGB cameras and a depth sensor enabling you to put your headset on and see a passthrough image of the real world. The cameras are sufficiently good that you can walk around your room and interact with real objects without taking the headset off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixed reality content is generally engaging and the use of depth sensor data to integrate features within your room into the game is an awesome feature. The passthrough image can be a little grainy in lower light conditions, and there is some distortion when you look at objects close up, but overall, it\u2019s a big step up in quality from any other headset I have tried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Mixed Reality On Meta Quest 3 Any Good?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prior to purchasing Meta Quest 3, I had minimal expectations for what mixed reality could offer, but it has been one of the standout highlights of this new headset. Whilst I\u2019ve been a VR enthusiast for years, appreciating the immersive environments that it allows you to experience, I underestimated the appeal of bringing virtual objects into the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having tested dozens of mixed reality games and experiences since the headset was launched, I am now of the opinion that it is mixed reality, rather than virtual reality content that is going to drive mass adoption of headsets over the next few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to play games such as Eleven Table Tennis<\/a><\/strong> in my real world is both surreal and a ton of fun. I can place a virtual table anywhere in my real world and play table tennis against a virtual opponent, while still being able to see all of my real surroundings. This helps to make the experience less isolating from the real world and provides me with more confidence that I am not going to accidentally bump into furniture, or hit a wall with my controller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mixed reality experience feels much more seamless with reality than being cut off from the outside world in VR. Due to the quality of the passthrough cameras, if I need to get a drink or check my phone while playing, I can do this without taking the headset off. I can confidently walk around my house with the Quest 3 on, confident that I am not going to bump into anything, and then resume playing at any time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are multiple games now that integrate your real-world environment into the game. Games like Track Craft make use of the room scanning feature to allow you to drive a car over your real furniture as well as virtual objects, to complete a range of obstacle courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Encounters lets you shoot parts of your real walls and ceiling away to reveal an alien landscape, as you zap alien blobs, in a wonderful introduction to MR that comes bundled with every Quest 3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorites is PianoVision<\/a><\/strong>, which lets you overlay a virtual piano on top of the keys of a real one, allowing you to learn to play the piano with the aid of mixed-reality content that shows you what notes to play and when. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just for fun, I\u2019ve been able to pull up a virtual screen in my kitchen to show me a recipe that I can then prepare while wearing my headset.  I\u2019ve even positioned a virtual screen in front of my treadmill and gone for a quick jog while watching video content on my headset. This isn\u2019t exactly practical or comfortable, but it won\u2019t be long before there are headsets small and comfortable enough to make this a reality. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Drawbacks Of Mixed Reality On Meta Quest 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whilst most people I have spoken to have been really impressed with the mixed reality content on Quest 3, it\u2019s important to have realistic expectations to avoid disappointment. The quality is good enough, but it\u2019s a long way from perfect. The cameras only have a resolution of 4MP and their ability to function in low light is mediocre at best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In dull lighting, the mixed reality cameras produce a grainy image, and visual clarity is markedly impacted. In a well-lit setting, it\u2019s pretty good, but when you look at bright lights, the image becomes overexposed. Color reproduction is mediocre, and there is a small, but noticeable amount of latency between what happens in the real world and what you see on the screens inside your headset. As impressive as it is, it\u2019s a long way from matching human vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read a computer monitor, but due to the limited resolution and contrast, and degree of image distortion, I wouldn\u2019t describe it as being an enjoyable experience. You may struggle to read smaller text, and if you get too close to the screen, you will see quite a lot of distortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gets worse when you try to use a mobile phone. Whilst I can read my phone at arm’s length with reasonable ease, when you bring your phone closer than approximately 50cm to the headset, you will experience huge amounts of distortion and warping of the image, forcing you to hold your phone at a reasonable distance from your headset if you want to see the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will experience the same when you look at anything close up or bring your hands close to your face, which will make your hands look larger than real life and distorted. This is due to the way Quest 3 handles the passthrough image. It uses two external, front-facing cameras to capture the image and after software processing, displays these on the internal screens for you to see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is known as passthrough AR, and it is extremely difficult to get this to perfectly match what you would see with your eyes. Part of this is due to the cameras being positioned in front of where your eyes are, so the image must be adjusted to compensate for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst this might seem like a software problem that can be fixed, it is exceedingly difficult to produce a truly accurate MR passthrough image. One option is to create a headset with true optical passthrough, but this is far beyond the limits of current technology, or to use other hardware and software approaches to improve passthrough AR, and these will inevitably come to headsets over the next few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixed Reality On Meta Quest 3 Video<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’d like to learn more about mixed reality on Meta Quest 3, you can watch the following video that I made reviewing all that it has to offer. I cover what works well, which games are the most fun, and what doesn’t work quite so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n