Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shows off the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset and Oculus Touch controllers during the Oculus Connect 3 event in San Jose, California, US, on Thursday, October 6, 2016.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his opinion on Apple's new mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, in a video posted to Instagram where he called Meta's Quest 3 headset “the best value” and “the best product, period.”
While it's clear that Zuckerberg will be promoting his company's product, his decision to post a video about the differences between the Quest 3 and Vision Pro shows the growing competition between Apple and Meta. Both companies are trying to sell consumers on the benefit of mixed reality headsets that overlay digital content over the real world or provide immersive virtual reality experiences. The Meta took a low-cost approach while Apple focused on sharper displays, more powerful processors, and higher-quality materials.
In the video posted Tuesday, Zuckerberg said he thinks the Quest headset is “much more comfortable,” its immersive content library is deeper, its field of view is wider, its hand tracking is more accurate, and its screen is brighter compared to a monitor. Vision Pro. However, he noted that Apple's display has a higher resolution and its eye tracking is “really beautiful.”
“There seemed to be a lot of people who assumed the Vision Pro would be higher quality because it's from Apple and costs $3,000 more, but honestly, I'm very surprised that the Quest is so much better for the vast majority of things people use these headphones for,” Zuckerberg said. With this difference in price.
Apple officially launched its Vision Pro glasses in the US on February 2. The $3,500 headphone is the first new product category the company has launched since 2018. Apple watch In 2015. At an event to celebrate the launch in New York, Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC's Jim Cramer that the headset is “tomorrow's technology today.”
Meta introduced the Quest 3 headset in September, and the devices began shipping the following month. Pricing for the Quest 3 starts at $500, which is $200 more expensive than the Meta's previous headset. The defining feature of Meta's new headset is its “pass-through” mode, which is the ability to quickly see the world outside the headset. Apple's headphone provides similar functionality.
In the video, Zuckerberg said he knows some “fans” get upset when people wonder if Apple will dominate a new category, but he said he thinks the open meta model for its headphones will win.
“The future has not been written yet,” he added.
Apple did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
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