Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his company’s Quest headsets in a spicy series of posts on Threads last week. Since Apple launched its first headset, the comparisons to Meta’s line-up have unsurprisingly run rampant. According to his Threads posts, Zuckerberg doesn’t think there’s much competition.
Is the Quest 3 better than the Vision Pro or is Zuck’s take on these two headsets biased? Here’s a look at what he had to say on Threads – and whether or not his claims are fair.
Zuckerberg’s spicy take on the Apple Vision Pro
Mark Zuckerberg took to Threads on Saturday to challenge claims that the Apple Vision Pro is superior to Meta’s Quest headsets. One user, @benedictevans, called Meta out, saying, “Apple is selling pretty much the device Meta wants to reach in 3-5 years.”
Zuckerberg was quick to respond – and he came out swinging. He replied: “I don’t think we’re saying the devices are the same. We’re saying Quest is better. If our devices weigh as much as theirs in 3-5 years, or have the motion blur theirs has, or the lack of precision inputs, etc, then that means we’ll have regressed significantly. Yes, their resolution is higher, but they paid for that with many other product tradeoffs that make their device worse in most ways. That’s not what we aspire to.”
Not everyone seems to agree with Zuckerberg, though. Multiple users replied to his post calling the Quest a “toy.” In his replies, Zuckerberg focused on the weight and motion blur on the Vision Pro and emphasized that its higher resolution isn’t actually that big of an advantage. He also commented, “I think the narrative that these headsets are only for games is out of date.”
It’s no surprise that Zuckerberg would come to the defense of his company’s line of headsets. The question is, is he right? Is the Quest 3 better than the Vision Pro?
Is the Quest 3 better than the Vision Pro? Maybe Zuck is right.
This isn’t the first time Zuck has taken shots at the Apple Vision Pro. Last month he took to Instagram to review it and, unsurprisingly, came to the conclusion that his company’s headsets are better for most people. In his Instagram video, Zuckerberg said, “I don’t just think the Quest is the better value. I think the Quest is the better product period.”
It’s easy to write off claims like that as Zuckerberg simply tooting his own horn. However, he might have some fair points. While it’s currently true that the Apple Vision Pro has more processing power than the Quest headsets, that doesn’t necessarily make it the better product since many other things factor into the user experience.
There are several things going for the Quest 3 including a reasonable price, a large library of games and apps, and a lower overall weight. Even based on price alone, it would be fair to say that the Quest 3 is the better buy for most people. That’s not all Zuckerberg is saying, though. In his Threads posts, he pointed out the high weight and motion blur on the Vision Pro, insisting that his company would never aspire to have issues like that on their headsets which, therefore, are better.
This claim misses the point of @benedictevans’s original Threads post. Zuckerberg is trying to insist that the Quest headsets are better than the Vision Pro without addressing the difference in performance capabilities. He calls out motion blur on the Vision Pro multiple times while insisting its higher resolution isn’t a big deal. As for the weight, that’s something Apple can reduce. After all, the original Quest headsets were heavier than the Quest 3.
Ultimately, this is comparing a first-generation device and a third-generation device. Of course, Meta doesn’t plan to copy the weight and motion blur issues on the Vision Pro. But it’s hard to believe that Zuckerberg wouldn’t like to see a similarly sleek design and powerful chips on his company’s headsets.
It will be interesting to see what the next-generation Apple and Meta headsets look like – and how similar they end up. Meanwhile, check out our comparison of the Meta Quest 3 vs. Apple Vision Pro.
