Zuckerberg throws shade at Apple Vision Pro with Quest 3: "no wires, no battery pack"

Meta wasted no time throwing shade at Apple at the Connect event today. While formally introducing the new Quest 3, Mark Zuckerberg needed to point out that Meta's new headset won't distract you with wires or battery packs.

The Apple Vision Pro, which is in a completely different weight class than even the Quest Pro, relies on a wired battery pack to function. Apple says to expect up to two hours of battery life between charges with the Vision Pro. The headset's $3,500 battery pack must be connected to a power adapter for extended use.

And while the Vision Pro operates with a battery pack and cord, it actually works to use the device without relying on physical controls in either hand.

The Meta's Quest form factor hasn't changed, but Zuckerberg seems to enjoy the comparison to the Apple Vision Pro. The company also used its Connect event to frame the new Quest 3 as the first consumer headset with mixed reality. This is of course a cheap shot at Apple's expensive price tag for the Apple Vision Pro.

Zuck's message is basically that the Vision Pro is your Ferrari and the Quest is your Kia. That still leaves the challenge of convincing potential customers to buy into mixed reality.

One thing that will help the Meta is XBOX Cloud Gaming. While the $500 Meta Quest 3 hits stores on October 10, Microsoft will bring its cloud gaming platform to the headset in December.

For a detailed comparison of Meta Quest 3 and Vision Pro, check out this great specs chart from UploadVR .

It's really weird Meta (Zuck) keeps saying they brought VR mainstream, because it's definitely not mainstream yet with less than 10% ownership.

More

• Mark Zuckerberg casually unveiled Meta Quest 3 just days before Apple unveiled Reality Pro
• Kuo says the "low-cost Vision Pro" may be cancelled, the Vision Pro 2 is planned for 2027
• Vision Pro: I just tried Apple's first spatial computer, and here's what I think
• More thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro, a week after my hands-on demo

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