My Christmas Gift to Myself, a Meta Quest 3.

[Chako]

Well I thought this through for a long time before I pulled the trigger on the Meta Quest 3. I have an Oculist Quest 2 that I used while the COVID pandemic raged on. I never could use the device for very long as I always felt nauseous after a half hour of use. My issues most stem from the lenses and the overall fuzziness of the image. When the Meta 3 came out (I still prefer Oculist personally), I decided to take a wait see approach as I already had the 2, and I just didn't get along with it and was worried to spend so much on a device that I could have the same reaction to. On Facebook right now, there is an advert stating that the unit is now 170 something less right now, and after reading a few online reviews, decided to buy it. It came in last night...

Here are my impressions of the unit after spending a few hours on it,

1. Wow! I can actually use this thing for hours and feel ok with it. So much so that I had to recharge the battery twice last night...something I never had to do before with the Quest 2.
2. Mixed Media is freaking awesome. There was some little game included called Invasion or something like that. It mapped my room and resulted in aliens invading my living space. It is a small game, but amazing in use.
3. I am quite happy with the 3. I think it was money well spent for what it does. I no longer have eye strain and a lot of the other stuff that would cause me to rip off the 2 from my face.

I had to research what "Refreshed Packaging" meant. I thought it was a second hand thing but means they used a smaller box.

20241217_153423A by Chako, on Flickr

  20241217_153452A by Chako, on Flickr

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20241217_153515A by Chako, on Flickr

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20241217_154051A by Chako, on Flickr

So what I didn't like about the 3 so far...for this price, one would think they would include a much better head strap. I bought a fancier much better design online with an extra battery. Still, the elastic head strap is just weak all-around. So far, that is my only complaint. Seeing I had an account prior to this unit, it was simple to transfer that over to the new device. The longest part was waiting for the downloads for each piece I had in that account. So far, I am very pleased with this unit.

[Farmer X]

I had to take to Google to determine what you bought yourself. It appears to be a VR gaming rig. Sounds like you're enjoying it, which is the important thing. I should soon be receiving a Christmas gift to myself. Photos will be posted in the appropriate subforum if FedEx doesn't smurf up.

[Vidar]

Interesting. Wonder if that is usable with 3D CAD applications. Hm.

I got inspired myself so in these AI times I decided to ask Midjourney what "A great gift for myself" would be. The replied pictures were rather worrisome - I don't think the AI got the right Xmas spirit...

1. Ok. Somewhat Xmassy Xmas house decoration thing. It went downhill from there...
2. Not so wholesome Santa moment.
3. A horny lady head for Xmas? No comment.
4. WTS (What the smurf!)

[Chako]

No clue. I brought the headset to work today. I mapped the classroom, and found out I can walk around the virtual desktop/screen.

[Chako]

I just found a pair of pinball games for the VR headset called Pinball FX2 VR, and Star Wars Pinball VR. This could be better than the real thing.

[customod]

 
Great gift, congrats Chako!

Interesting. Wonder if that is usable with 3D CAD applications. Hm.

Using Quest link for pc (either with a cable or over wifi) you can view 3D scenes in VR created at least in Blender rather simply. It's pretty awesome! There are also some apps for design and especially 3D sketching available directly for the headset as well.

[Chako]

Thank you. I could only use the Quest 2 for 30 minutes or so. The headset's blurriness would give me a feeling of nauseousness. The better lens of the 3 makes all the difference. I can wear this for hours at a time and not feel ill. My big issue right now is battery time. I ordered a better head strap with battery but the first shipment got damaged. I should get the second by the 30th of December.

[Chako]

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=47989aa1d312ccbb&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA1073CA1073&q=Pinball+FX2+VR&udm=7&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWwAFG7ranuZ26H8lR7pf_8JVvecp-LzvobrsWeGPHXQ-axxdSRQ6WeCfPFtQfx-uuFXTmdtHwpCMSa3YGhoPuWMsmw0OyD4_bJJg-OhC7seWcqR5pdVA5l6kD89eXrE2rzinV33B8I73M3f_f5ZmsNUBGj0vSktpfNsAGOpMs-c6iND5se5VmJgWG4RXvgqlDnX2EPw&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjW_O-WnruKAxWaFjQIHerePDcQtKgLegQIKRAB&biw=1920&bih=911&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:2ff38f67,vid:ViwQJsk6b8g,st:0

A review of the Pinball FX2 VR.

[Vidar]

That might be the only way to get a pinball machine in the living room here.. Seriously, that looks good!

[Chako]

Same here.

I also tried Virtual Desktop...and wow!

I can now play STEAM VR with no teether on the Quest 3. So far no issues.

EarthQuest is amazing. VR Google Earth/Maps is crazy flying around.

[Vidar]

VR Google Earth/Maps is crazy flying around.

Oh no, now you given me expensive ideas! Smurf it. Now I have to be nice all next year and write to Santa. (Poor guy got kidnapped by Finland in the 90s so I guess I need to find his new address).

[customod]

Oh no, now you given me expensive ideas! Smurf it. Now I have to be nice all next year and write to Santa. (Poor guy got kidnapped by Finland in the 90s so I guess I need to find his new address).

You can come visit him at Korvatunturi near Rovaniemi,  Finland in the Lapland area 😊 🎅 Then you can come back the next year to visit via VR.

[Vidar]

Yes, I've been to Rovaniemi many times - also the Xmas village. Nice by the way!

I can see how Santa like it better there than at some Norwegian postal office who though he was a major hassle every year before Xmas. Then again, nobody anticipated Santa would move down south.

In general Norway has a bad history of Santa and marketing. The ultimate low point was giving Santa some reindeer back in the 1930s, and then taking real reindeer and a Santa on a big marketing tour all over the US. It was very memorable for sure as it entered folklore and the concept is well established. But the marketing intent, to sell more reindeer meat, backfired spectacularly - nobody wanted to eat Rudolf! 

[Chako]

There are a couple of not so great things about the Quest 3, but like the Quest 2, I am fixing the issues one at a time.

1. I bought a dedicated back pack to safely carry the unit around and to protect it. I had a solid aluminum Mastercraft tool case that I used for the Quest 2. it did the job but was heavy and bulky to carry it around. The backpack should offer just as good protection in a much easier to carry formfactor.

2. I bought another silicone face shield for when I share the device with friends, etc. This led to several issues. This caused excessive sweating for one. The other issue being the lenses would fog up.

3. I bought a cooling fan mask replacement to fix issues stated above. This works great but does dry my eyes out if constantly in use. I have learned to turn it on if the fogging shows up and then turn it off once it goes. Works a treat.

4. I bought silicone handgrip covers that have a strap that wraps around your hand. No more worries of accidentally dropping the controllers now.

5. My biggest issues is with the headband and battery length. The headband is an elastic affair that isn't all that secure in practice. I ordered a better headband with included power battery. I bought the official battery and pro headband combo for the Quest 2. This time around, the batteries are hot swappable. I made sure to buy a second battery. I find with the Quest 3, I can wear the device for longer than a half hour due to the increased resolution and lens qualities. Time flies by when you are wearing it and having to take it off to recharge the battery is a real issue with the Quest 3. The first one I ordered made it to my city but got damaged somehow and I had to order a second, which just arrived today.

Here is the cooling facemask.
20241224_162510A by Chako, on Flickr

The fan unit clips into place above the device. The included replacement facemask has air tunnels that channel the air into the enclosure.
20241224_162556A by Chako, on Flickr

There are 2 speeds.
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This should fix the 2 things that bother me the most about the quest 3...headband and battery power. For the price of this, one would think they would have included a much better headband than the elastic monstrosity that is included with the unit. Thankfully there are extras that can replace this...for a price. The ones with an included battery are the best however. This one allows you to hot swap batteries. This will add to the already built in battery time wise.
20241224_162657A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is the not so great included headband with the OEM face shield replaced with the air cooling one.
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Here are the controllers with their silicone grips
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Charging the 2 batteries.
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Which fits in the back of the new headband. This model not only gives a much better ratcheting fit for both the back and top, but also features the almost a necessity extra batteries that fit on the back of the unit.
20241224_162522A by Chako, on Flickr

20241224_162548A by Chako, on Flickr

With that, almost done with the upgrades. I still have a silicone front protector that will protect the face of the unit but also the 3 front glass pieces from scratches, etc. A set of lens protectors that fit on the inside that will protect my glasses and the inside lenses from coming into contact. Thus far, not much of an issue, but my glasses to get smudged something fierce after wearing the Quest 3 as my glasses come into contact with the inside rubber. I hope this will fix the issue. Worst case scenario, I might have to get my eyes checked out at an optometrist (I am overdue) and get special lenses custom made so that I can get away from wearing my glasses. I will try the cheaper route first.