Well this one is a bit of a surprise. Meta, of all companies, has just confirmed we’ll soon be getting an Xbox VR headset, but don’t get too excited, as it’s simply a rebranded Meta Quest 3, celebrating the partnership of the two businesses.
Our lack of initial enthusiasm isn’t a comment on the Meta Quest 3 because we adore it and consider it among the best VR headsets that money can buy right now. However, the news that both Asus and Lenovo will be making their own VR/MR devices using the just announced Meta Horizon OS platform meant we were hoping for a little more from Microsoft and the Xbox team.
Alas, then, there is no dedicated Xbox VR headset coming. However, based on the digital mockup above, we may be getting a black and green Meta Quest 3 sometime in the future, which we’re sure is a color combo at least some gamers will prefer.
These are, of course, the iconic colors that have represented the Xbox brand since its first public appearance back in 2001. However, in an alternative universe, we might have seen the giant chrome X land on our entertainment systems instead.
The general Meta Horizon OS announcement mostly focused on mixed reality, and while gaming is part of this, it’s more focused on productivity. This is why, perhaps, it isn’t the right time for Xbox and Microsoft to be planning a new, adventurous product launch. Either that or it’s just a quick way of Microsoft getting some competition for the Sony PlayStation VR2 headset while it works on its own dedicated device.
The new Quest 3 headset is being released to celebrate the partnership between the home console giant and Meta following the release of the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta on Quest 3 earlier this year.
There is no further information provided on the headset such as whether it will be limited to the 128GB or 512GB model or indeed be limited in its general availability. We are, however, excited to see what the final design looks like.
In the meantime, check out the best Meta Quest 3 games that you need to play if you already own a headset.