Why 73% of users prefer Quest 3 over Vision Pro even if FREE

If you could have only one VR headset for free, but you weren’t allowed to sell it or buy or borrow another VR headset, would you prefer Quest 3 or Vision Pro?  That’s the question I asked Quest users and 73% said they would prefer the Quest 3.

Commentators rolled their eyes over Mark Zuckerberg’s review of the Vision Pro where he said that he expected Quest 3 to be a better value than Vision Pro but was surprised to find that Quest 3 was a better VR headset, period, regardless of price.  CTO Andrew Bosworth later said pretty much the same thing.  Mark’s unsolicited opinion was self-serving and only drew criticism.  But believe it or not, majority of Quest owners would agree with his conclusion, if not necessarily for the same reasons.

Poll: Free Quest 3 vs Free Vision Pro

I polled a Quest user group about which headset they would prefer if they could have either Quest 3 or Vision Pro for free.  Obviously if you already had a Quest 3 you would prefer a free Vision Pro, or if you had neither one, you would choose the Vision Pro and sell it.  But to determine which VR headset people actually prefer regardless of price, I specified that you could not sell it, or buy or borrow another VR headset.  As of the time of this post, 73% of Quest users said they would prefer the Quest 3, while 16% preferred Vision Pro.  Here is a link to the poll:

I posted this poll in a Quest user group so this is not intended to be generalized to all VR users.  However, this does show that a significant majority of Quest owners agree with what Mark Zuckerberg claimed — that in fact, the Quest 3 is the better VR headset regardless of price.

Vision Pro’s advantages over Quest

I’ve tried Vision Pro and it does have several advantages over Quest 3:

• Higher display resolution: the Vision Pro’s display is much more detailed with 23.5 million pixels across two screens, compared with 9.1 million pixels for Quest 3.  The difference is noticeable, although the Quest 3’s display is also pretty good and screendoor effect isn’t really an issue.
• Better passthrough camera: the Vision Pro’s passthrough camera is also more detailed.  It’s still looks like a video feed, but one with much more detail, better dynamic range, and better colors.  However, one disadvantage is that the passthrough is noticeable motion blur in indoor lighting conditions.
• Eye tracking: the Vision Pro has very accurate eye tracking.  You can look at anything and be able to click on it with very good precision.  Vision Pro also uses eye tracking for foveated rendering, which is more efficient.  Mark Zuckerberg has said that they’re bringing back eye tracking to the Quest in the future.
• Smoother user interface: Quest 3’s user interface is pretty good but Vision Pro’s user interface is more elegant and I can navigate it more easily, with my hands resting on my lap just making pinching gestures.
• Better virtual monitor: you can use the Vision Pro as a virtual monitor for supported Macbooks.  While Quest 3 can also be used as a virtual monitor, the experience isn’t as seamless as Vision Pro.  Nonetheless, in my opinion, this isn’t a huge advantage because a physical monitor is still much more comfortable to use over long periods even if it’s smaller than the Vision Pro’s large virtual screen.
• Much longer battery life (over 2 hours vs around 1 hour for Quest 3).  Vision Pro’s battery pack lasts much longer than Quest 3’s built-in battery.  On the other hand, there are man third party battery accessories for Quest 3.
• Better build quality: Quest 3’s build quality is not bad, but is more consumer-grade, Vision Pro looks and feels like a premium product with its glass and aluminum frame.
• Spatial videos: Vision Pro can capture “spatial videos” (3D videos), and can show them with a 3D shadow box effect.  Quest 3 added spatial video support and in fact, it can also take 3D photos and videos but you have to install Sidequest to unlock this 3D capture capability.

Why Quest is better than Vision Pro

Notwithstanding the Vision Pro’s advantages over the Quest 3, the Quest 3 has advantages that are more important for users.

1. Apps.  What good is a VR headset without apps?  The Vision Pro has the advantage of being able to use iPhone and iPad apps but the Quest has far more VR apps, and in many cases, the apps are better than their counterparts for Vision Pro.  For example, PianoVision and Piano: Flowing Tiles are both mixed reality piano learning apps, but PianoVision offers a much better learning experience and more accurate tracking compared to the simpler game-like mechanics of Piano: Flowing Tiles.  Of course, Vision Pro has just been released and we can expect Vision Pro to have more apps and better apps in the future.  Nonetheless, with the Quest’s much larger user base, developers have a much stronger incentive to build apps for Quest.  It’s also to create apps for the Quest and release them through App Lab or Sidequest.  Moreover, Meta appears to be much more active in creating VR apps such as the smash hit Asgard’s Wrath 2.
2. Controller.  Vision Pro has no controllers and instead relies solely on hand tracking.  While hand tracking works well for some apps, there are many apps where a controller would simply be better.  For example, games where you wield guns or swords.  Is it possible for Apple to create controllers for Vision Pro?  They could but Apple wants to emphasize Vision Pro as a virtual monitor like those shown in the movie Minority Report and has gone to great lengths to avoid calling it a VR headset, so it appears that they don’t have plans to make any controllers for Vision Pro.
3. PC VR.  You can use Quest 3 to play PC VR games with or without wires.  This lets you play games with much better graphics and deeper gameplay, such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.  And recently, Praydog released a mod that allows you to play over 90% of Unreal Engine games in VR on Quest.  To be fair though, two developers have announced that they are working on utilities to enable Vision Pro to use PC VR.  We’ll see.
4. Wireless.  Vision Pro has a cable from the headset to its battery pack, whereas Quest 3 is totally wireless, which makes it feel more immersive.
5. Accessories.   Quest 3 is becoming one of the most popular VR headsets, behind only its predecessor, the Quest 2 (which sold 18 million to date).  Because of its popularity, there are many third party accessories for it such as headstraps with hot swappable batteries and adapters for its controllers to simulate tennis rackets, golf clubs, gun stocks, and more.
6. Comfort.  Many users have complained that the Vision Pro is too heavy to wear for longer than an hour.  That’s also true for Quest 3 but third party accessories such as the BoboVR M3 make the Quest 3 comfortable enough to wear for several hours (I’ve used it for more than 4 hours continuously with no discomfort).

What about the display and passthrough camera?  Although Vision Pro does have a more detailed display and passthrough, Quest 3’s display and passthrough camera are more than adequate and they don’t detract from the user experience.

Conclusion

If you’re choosing between Vision Pro and Quest 3, the key issue is how you plan to use your VR headset.  If your primary use for a VR headset is a virtual monitor, the Vision Pro’s higher resolution display and passthrough camera make it a better (albeit much more expensive) mixed reality headset especially if you have a compatible Mac.  However, for any other use, including games or exercise for example, the Quest 3’s wide selection of apps (both standalone and PCVR), controllers, and wider third party support make it a better VR headset regardless of price.

• Vision Pro is available direct from Apple.
• Quest 3 is available from Amazon or direct from Meta (get $30 store credit if you use my link).

How about you?  Which headset would you prefer if you could have one and only one of them?  Let me know in the comments!