Mark Zuckerberg has finally tested the Apple Vision Pro. And while he seems pretty impressed by Cupertino’s first showing, specifically its high-quality display, he thinks that Meta’s Quest [3] is not just better value, but a better product.
The chief of Meta, the company behind Facebook, has taken to his official Instagram handle to post an almost three and a half minute long video review of Apple’s maiden mixed reality headset that’s got the whole industry talking. Interestingly, his take is both open and objective— and for the most part, believable.
Like for instance, he talks about how the Vision Pro’s weight and wired battery could amount to a less than ideal user experience for most users. He is quick to mention that the Quest 3 weighs 120 grams less and is fully untethered. The Vision Pro’s display may have a higher resolution (and is actually one of the big reasons to buy it) but it also has motion blur while moving and the Quest 3 offers a wider field of view.
Then there’s of course the elephant in the room. The price. Zuckerberg quips about how the Vision Pro costs nearly seven times more than the Quest 3. Starting at USD3,500, it goes without saying that, that makes it out of reach for a lot of people, those that Zuckerberg is probably looking to sway in Meta’s direction with the video.
He also talks about controllers, or the lack thereof in Apple’s headset, and how they might be better in some cases. Similarly, eye tracking, which the Vision Pro also has, is a feature he intends to bring back in future generations (the Quest Pro has it, the Quest 3 does not).
Obviously he talks about content where Meta clearly has the early head start, since it’s been doing this for years now while Apple is only getting started. Particularly in games, the Quest 3 feels almost unbeatable at this point but the Vision Pro’s screen is undoubtedly more desirable when it comes to content consumption.
There’s a twinkle in his eyes when Zuckerberg says, “I don’t just think that Quest is the better value, I think Quest is the better product, period.” As it should with the amount of time and effort that has gone behind building the whole platform. But what remains to be seen is for how long and with Apple officially entering the race, where does Meta take the Quest from here in order to stay relevant, competitive and most importantly, innovative.
As we said, the whole industry seems fixated on Apple’s new “spatial computer” these days. Just a few days ago, OpenAI’s Sam Altman tweeted out that the Vision Pro was the “second most impressive tech since the iPhone.” Elon Musk has spoken positively about it, too, while Nothing’s Carl Pei plans to review one himself once the noise starts to settle down.
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