Quest 3 - A Fitness Tool
Quest 3
It might seem odd that I’m writing about a VR headset in a fitness blog, but hear me out. I preordered the Quest 3 and took hold of it on release day, October 10th, 2023. I read that the lens are far superior to the prior models and that the pass through was incredible and in color. With the better lens and passthrough capabilities, the Quest 3 is supposed to have better AR implementations. My first and only VR headset prior to the Quest 3 was the Oculus Quest 1. I thought to myself, if the Quest 3 is as good as all these articles and first looks make it out to be, it might finally take VR to where I want it to be. Crystal clear visuals and immersion with no weird motion bending. Able to see beautiful landscapes without the pixels. I can tell you; I was sorely disappointed and at the same time quite impressed.
Meta Quest 3
Visual Clarity
The visuals on the Quest 3 are much better than the Quest 1. I can’t tell you how the comparison between the Quest 3 and Quest 2 since I’ve never owned the Quest 2, but the Quest 3 blows the Quest 2 away in terms of the lens and screens. Yes, you still can see pixels, but they’re not as apparent and the colors are more vibrant than the Quest 1. The text and visuals are crisper and cleaner, but you still can’t easily read small text or make out small details.
Controllers
I prefer the Quest 1 controllers to the Quest 3 controllers. The Quest 3 controllers seem a bit thicker and harder to get a confident grasp of when I’m madly swinging away to Beat Saber. I’ve never worn controller straps. Straps are just another step you have to take to start playing or stop playing and a hassle. I just hope the controllers don’t go flying out of my hands. Another major thing I noticed is the deletion of the controller ring. I used to carry the Quest 1 controllers around by holding the rings, but the Quest 3 controllers don’t have them. This makes carrying them a bit more cumbersome because I’m not a strap person and don’t use them. However, the lack of rings might make them better when playing games like “The Thrill of the Fight - VR Boxing”. I used to whack myself in the face with the Oculus 1 controller rings when trying block punches to my virtual face.
Passthrough
The passthrough on the Quest 1 wasn’t amazing, but it got the job done. It allowed me to see my surroundings in real life when I needed to walk around the house and was too lazy to remove the headset. One thing that bothered me the most about it was not being able to read my phone screen with the VR headset on. I would have to peek out from the bottom of the headset and strain myself to see my phone or credit card number when making purchases in the VR appstore. When I heard that the Quest 3’s passthrough was in color and much better, I was elated. It is and it’s not. Yes, the passthrough is in color. Yes, the passthrough looks better. Yes, I can still navigate myself around the house just like my Quest 1. But, no, I can’t make out what’s on my phone or read my credit card number with passthrough. There’s just not enough resolution. I still have to strain my eyeballs down and try to peek out from the bottom of the headset just like the Quest 1.
Quest 1 vs Quest 3
Practically speaking, the Quest 3 isn’t really any better than the Quest 1. I still can’t do the things I couldn’t do on the Quest 1. Yes, the graphics got better, but they still aren’t good enough to make a meaningful difference. The primary reason why the Quest 3 is better than the Quest 1 is that it’s supported and newer apps and games will not work on the Quest 1. Though I have yet to find a new game that is more fun to play than Beat Saber and The Thrill of the Fight - VR Boxing.
Quest 3 for Fitness
With all of those comparisons out of the way, let’s talk about the VR for fitness and how the Quest 3 can be used to improve physical health and well-being. The first thing I noticed when booting up the Quest 3 was a new feature called Meta Quest Move. Once set up, it’ll track your calories burned and can be synced to Apple’s and Android’s health apps.
Meta Quest Move
You can see that on October 19th, I burned 237 calories from playing about 23 minutes of Beat Saber. VR can be a powerful tool in your home fitness arsenal. I don’t know how accurate that is, but assuming it is, that’s equivalent to running roughly two miles. I definitely prefer playing some Beat Saber over running, and I definitely get out of breath and sweaty after a good Beat Saber round. When I refer to a good round, I mean dancing to the music with your hips and legs while also slicing the blocks in the game. There are also other fitness games and apps that you could use to increase those calory burn counts to help you get and stay in shape.
Even though the Quest 3 isn’t everything I want out of a VR headset, I decided to keep it as it’ll be something I will use to stay fit and healthy this coming winter. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall, I tend to spend more time outdoors kayaking, hiking, and cycling. However, come winter, it’s usually pitch dark by the time I’m done with work. That leaves the gym as the only means of some physical activity after twelve or so hours of sitting in a car, bus, subway, and behind a desk. I used to use my Quest 1 to get in some quick Beat Saber workouts, but there wasn’t really a way to track how many calories I burned at the time. I am reading that the Meta Quest Move is available on the Quest 1 and Quest 2 as well, so if you want to save some money, you might be able to purchase an older used model. Just note that newer games and apps might not be supported on the previous models.
Winter is coming, and I am excited to keep track of my calory burn on the Quest 3 while staying warm indoors. It is a great way to gamify exercise and have fun doing it. I am also looking forward to finding some new games I can stay in shape with that were not playable on my Quest 1 device.
Contact me with any questions you may have about the Quest 3 or suggestions on what I should write next.