Meta announced Quest 3, a sequel to the bestselling VR headset of all time, on Wednesday.
The device, starting at $499, is more expensive than its predecessor by $200, but it includes a more powerful chip from Qualcomm, better screens and an ability called “passthrough” which is expected to be one of the key features on Apple’s competing Vision Pro headset.
Preorders open on Wednesday and it ships on Oct. 10.
The defining feature of the Quest 3 headset is the ability to quickly see the world outside the headset, which will make the device less isolating and thus more comfortable to use for long periods. When in an app on the Quest 3, double-tapping any part of the headset brings you out of a virtual world and into “passthrough” mode.
Other improvements include “pancake lenses,” a kind of optic first used on Meta’s $1,499 Quest Pro that make images sharper and allows for higher resolution.
The release of Meta’s latest VR headset comes as a battle looms with Apple in virtual reality. Many in the technology industry believe Apple’s entrance could expand the total market and create new winners, similar to how the iPhone jump-started the smartphone market.
So far Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has a head start. Its Quest 2 is by far the bestselling VR headset, with nearly 10 million units sold last year, slightly down from a pandemic peak, according to an industry estimate. Apple’s Vision Pro headset won’t go on sale until next year, and costs significantly more than Meta’s headsets, starting at $3,499.
But despite Meta’s current success in sales, it’s not clear just how many Quest 2 owners use it on a daily or weekly basis, and the killer app or must-have scenario for VR remains elusive. Meta has invested over $21 billion to date in its Reality Labs division, which develops headsets and VR software.
Passthrough
CNBC was able to try out the Quest 3 for about an hourlong demo ahead of its launch Wednesday that included game playing and being walked through a few programs that showed off the company’s hardware.
The hardware has been significantly updated, with a new headband strap and a slimmer headset shape. The headband splits the top strap into two to better distribute weight. The whole headset, though, is a hair heavier than its predecessor at 515 grams. The speakers on the device also have been improved, and provide a quality audio experience.
Meta has also updated the two necessary controllers with better haptic feedback. It uses Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, which is Arm-based and closer in power and energy drain to a mobile processor than a PC processor.
The extra power on the chip is used to power displays at 2,064 x 2,208 resolution per eye, higher than the Quest 2’s 1,832 x 1,920 resolution per eye. The additional pixels will make it easier to read text inside the headset. Users can expect about two hours and 12 minutes of battery life, Meta says.
During the demo, I tried out Samba de Amigo, a $30 game from Sega that is like Dance Dance Revolution or Rock Band with maracas (in real life, the Quest 3 controllers). I enjoyed it, and even sweated a little bit.
The biggest improvement to usability is that the Quest 3 emphasizes passthrough, which means the cameras outside the device can show live video on the displays inside the headset, working somewhat like a transparent pair of glasses that can also show computer windows and other graphics. The Quest 3 can also scan the room around you so apps can warn you when you’re about to bump into your surroundings.
Passthrough, while a core component of mixed-reality experiences which integrate computer graphics with the real world, for now is a nice-to-have usability feature. In practice, it means that users can stop their game or experience inside the Quest 3 without taking the headset off. During the demo, I was able to chat with Meta officials while wearing the headset, a major improvement over the last version.
Meta’s launch of the Quest 3 will be compared to Apple’s more expensive Vision Pro headset. But while Apple packed as much pricey technology into its headset as possible to enable its own passthrough mode it calls “spatial computing,” Meta is seeking to match many of its features, or at least an approximation of them, at a fraction of the price. Meta’s $1,499 Quest Pro is a lower-volume product.
But if there’s one major difference between Meta and Apple at this point, it’s that the former envisions the Quest mainly as a gaming device, while Apple frames its device as a computer. Meta says it’s lined up 500 games and apps for the headset, including a Ghostbusters title, an Assassin’s Creed game, and a Stranger Things experience developed in conjunction with Netflix.
In this photo illustration, iPhone screens display various social media apps on the screens on February 9, 2025 in Bath, England.
Anna Barclay | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said on Friday that it had preliminarily found both TikTok and Meta in breach of its transparency rules.
It accused the U.S. tech giants of breaching their obligation to give researchers “adequate access” to public data under the Digital Services Act (DSA) — the EU’s landmark tech legislation.
“The Commission also preliminarily found Meta, for both Instagram and Facebook, in breach of its obligations to provide users simple mechanisms to notify illegal content, as well as to allow them to effectively challenge content moderation decisions,” it added in a statement.
The Digital Services Act is among a handful of EU legislation designed to keep the power of Big Tech in check. The Commission has also opened numerous investigations under another landmark law known as the Digital Markets Act.
“We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA, and we continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters,” Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said in a statement.
“In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law in the EU,” he added.
A TikTok spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that it “is committed to transparency and values the contribution of researchers” to its platform and social media industry as a whole.
“We have made substantial investments in data sharing and almost 1000 research teams have been given access to data through our Research Tools to date,” the spokesperson said.
“We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension. If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” they added.
The EU says researchers should have access to social media platforms’ data, as this enables the public to scrutinize any potential physical or mental health impacts of the technology.
The Commission said in its preliminary findings that Facebook, Instagram and TikTok “may have put in place burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data. This often leaves them with partial or unreliable data, impacting their ability to conduct research, such as whether users, including minors, are exposed to illegal or harmful content.”
The tech companies are now invited by the Commission to examine its findings and reply in writing.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are upheld, it has the power to issue a non-compliance decision which could carry with it a fine of up to 6% of the total worldwide annual turnover — a hefty amount for Meta and TikTok owner ByteDance.
Meta also faced a 200 million euros ($228.4 million) fine under the Digital Markets Act in April, as the Commission flexed its new competition powers for the first time. The fine was related to how users consented to data collection.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s transfer of data to China also resulted in it being handed a 530 million euros fine by the protection authority in Ireland earlier this year.
— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an announcement regarding his administration’s policies against cartels and human trafficking, from the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 23, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
China on Thursday concluded its “Fourth Plenum,” a meeting aimed at setting out the country’s development agenda for the next five years. Beijing will focus on domestic consumption, self-reliance in technology as well as the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
In the U.S. economy and markets — generally considered the exemplar of free-market capitalism — the government’s handprints have started becoming visible, if you squint a little.
Trump, who terminated trade negotiations with Canada over an ad, pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, the White House said Thursday. Zhao was convicted in April 2024 for enabling money laundering at Binance.
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the Trump family’s crypto venture has been helped by “a partnership with an under-the-radar trading platform quietly administered by Binance.”
Even corporate earnings had the mark of the White House.
But it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the U.S. government’s 10% stake in the company, acquired in August. The company’s stock has seen a massive surge since that acquisition, with President Donald Trump saying the government has made $30 billion to $40 billion on its stake. The transaction, however, complicates Intel’s accounting practices for its income, the company suggested in a press release.
Trump’s proclivity for acquiring stakes in U.S. companies and his other dealings that seem to blur the personal with the professional raise the question: are we seeing a four-year U.S. economic plan — with a twist — unfold?
What you need to know today
Trump terminates trade talks with Canada. The U.S. president appeared to take umbrage with an ad, aired by Ontario provincial government, featuring Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump also accused Canada of attempting to influence the U.S. Supreme Court’s case regarding tariffs.
[PRO] Time to consider dividend stocks, CIO says. As interest rates come down, in accordance with market expectations, such stocks should get a boost, according to Kevin Simpson, founder and chief investment officer at Capital Wealth Planning.
And finally…
A shopper looks at produce at a grocery store in West Milton, Ohio, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an announcement regarding his administration’s policies against cartels and human trafficking, from the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 23, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
China on Thursday concluded its “Fourth Plenum,” a meeting aimed at setting out the country’s development agenda for the next five years. Beijing will focus on domestic consumption, self-reliance in technology as well as the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
In the U.S. economy and markets — generally considered the exemplar of free-market capitalism — the government’s fingerprints have started becoming visible, if you squint a little.
For instance, Intel reported third-quarter revenue that surpassed analysts’ expectations, helping the stock jump 7.7% in extended trading. Intel said demand for its processors appears to be recovering.
But it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the U.S. government’s 10% stake in the company, acquired in August. The company’s stock has seen a massive surge since that acquisition, with President Donald Trump saying the government has made $30 billion to $40 billion on its stake. The transaction, however, complicates Intel’s accounting practices for its income, the company suggested in a press release.
Trump, meanwhile, pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, the White House said Thursday. Zhao was convicted in April 2024 for enabling money laundering at Binance.
When asked why Trump pardoned Zhao, the president said, “A lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything. And so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the Trump family’s crypto venture has been helped by “a partnership with an under-the-radar trading platform quietly administered by Binance.”
Trump’s proclivity for acquiring stakes in U.S. companies and his other dealings raise the question: are we seeing a four-year U.S. economic plan — with a twist — unfold?
What you need to know today
Intel beats revenue expectations. Third-quarter sales came in at $13.65 billion, higher than the $13.14 billion from an LSEG consensus estimate. Intel added that demand for its chips outstripped supply.
China to encourage consumption over the next five years. Top government leaders emphasized the need to “vigorously boost consumption” in the domestic economy, a readout of China’s “Fourth Plenum” meeting said, according to a CNBC translation.
[PRO] Time to consider dividend stocks, CIO says. As interest rates come down, in accordance with market expectations, such stocks should get a boost, according to Kevin Simpson, founder and chief investment officer at Capital Wealth Planning.
And finally…
Russian President Vladimir Putin observes the Russia-Belarus joint military exercises, codenamed Zapad-2025 (West-2025), at the Mulino training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia September 16, 2025.
Just days after a “very productive” phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Trump changed tack on Wednesday, voicing his frustration with Moscow. “We canceled the meeting with President Putin. It just, it didn’t feel right to meet,” he said Wednesday.
Trump’s comments on Putin were not highlighted by pro-Kremlin state media outlets such as TASS, Radio Sputnik and RIA Novosti on Thursday, with barely a mention of the criticism or the canceled meeting.
