00:00Two years ago, I compared the Apple Vision Pro versus the MetaQuest 3, and let's just say you
00:05guys had some opinions. Look, I know these are my hands, but they don't quite look like my hands.
00:10This is so weird. This is incredible. Fast forward to now, and these are both very different headsets
00:17thanks to some pretty significant software updates, but I have to say this up front. One of
00:21these is still the easier recommendation, but it might not be for the reasons that you think.
00:26So if you're trying to decide which VR headset is best in 2026, you've come to the right video.
00:31Now, in case you missed my original Apple Vision Pro versus MetaQuest comparison,
00:36here's where I landed two years ago. The Vision Pro had and still has a stunning display,
00:41hand controls feel magical, and overall, it has that Apple polish that you'd expect from something
00:45that cost $3,500. The Quest 3 wasn't as refined at the time, but with actual physical controllers,
00:53a wider field of view, and a larger app catalog, it delivered on value. Ultimately, though,
00:59the Vision Pro won me over for entertainment and productivity, but the Quest 3 was definitely
01:04the way to play VR games. But since then, a lot has changed.
01:09I'm going to start things off with productivity because that's one of the main reasons I got into
01:15VR headsets in the first place. When I don't have access to a giant monitor like this, I can pop
01:21one of these headsets on, and I can quickly get a similar, if not larger, virtual monitor
01:27just like that. I can make this full screen, which is even larger. It's way taller, way wider. It's
01:35also curved. And Meta has definitely taken cues from the Vision Pro. I used to have to use a third
01:41party app before called Immersed to get that customization that I wanted, but now the native
01:46Meta desktop app is actually pretty good. The Quest 3 has also improved keyboard tracking,
01:53so the headset automatically detects and tracks my keyboard, creating a dynamic pass-through window
01:59when I'm typing, which makes working in VR feel way less disconnected than it used to.
02:03And it's this experience that made me want to buy my Quest 3 in the first place.
02:08The Vision Pro also makes some really good upgrades. When I first tested it out,
02:12I was surprised by how underbaked the virtual display feature felt with my MacBook. But thanks
02:18to Vision OS 2, Apple revamped the experience. Another really big difference is just how much
02:25sharper this is, especially with finer text. And more importantly, it's a lot smoother.
02:33One of the biggest issues I had when I originally tested this out two years ago is, as you may
02:38have
02:38noticed, audio is playing out of my MacBook and could not actually be fed through my Vision Pro.
02:46Luckily now, we have the option to play it through the Vision Pro.
02:51One of these is still the easier recommendation because you've come to the right video.
02:56And let me tell you, that makes a huge difference. And while the Vision Pro still limits me to the
03:01one
03:01display, we have a couple really cool options. Now, before we were stuck, I believe, with just the
03:06standard view, which is your typical 16 by 9 display. But when it came to video editing,
03:11I found it a little bit limiting. So now we have wide, which is what equivalent to a 21 by
03:189.
03:19But now we also have ultra wide and check this out. That is absolutely massive. But here's the other
03:26really cool thing that makes the Vision Pro so powerful. As you can see off to the side here,
03:31I have a Safari window open. If I look over here, I'm still using the same mouse and keyboard
03:42on browsing within the Vision OS apps. And then I look back at my Mac, my mouse seamlessly switches
03:50over back here. And to me, that's a big part of that Apple magic. And it really might justify that
03:56premium price tag for some people.
03:58Now, let's switch gears and talk about entertainment. And I won't waste your time.
04:02It's hardly a debate here.
04:04The Apple Vision Pro, it goes all out. It continues to be the best way to watch movies and TV
04:11shows.
04:12Apple has now added pretty much every major streaming service that you'd want,
04:16including YouTube. Finally.
04:18Woo!
04:18Oh yeah, keep looking away. Keep looking at which it is. Keep looking at Canon.
04:23Amazon Prime was once exclusive to the Quest 3, has now made its way to the Vision Pro.
04:32Not only am I getting sharper content with better audio, I'm also getting the virtual environments.
04:38And when you combine that all together, you really can't beat this experience.
04:42I will say though, the Quest 3 has caught up a little bit. Notably, Disney Plus got ported
04:48over, but it's buggier and has no 3D content because of Apple's exclusivity deal.
04:53This isn't the direction the Quest 3 should be headed. And honestly, it feels like we're
04:57being punished for wanting to watch content here.
04:59So when it comes to watching your favorite shows and movies in VR, the Vision Pro continues
05:03to be where it's at.
05:04But where the Quest 3 undeniably redeems itself is still with gaming.
05:10Tell me these batteries are dead.
05:14Get out of there.
05:16Meta is continuing to cement the Quest 3 as one of the best gaming-first headsets with a massive
05:22catalog.
05:22Two years ago when I first made this video, Walkabout Mini Golf was my favorite game to
05:26play, and it continues to be.
05:38That's pretty cool.
05:40The Vision Pro does get more games, and thanks to Apple Arcade, some really nice choices in
05:46here.
05:47But the thing is, a lot of them aren't really VR games.
05:49They're mostly just ported over from the iPad.
05:52That said, hand controls on here are super impressive.
05:56And the fact that I can get this precise with my controls, like I'm literally playing with
06:03Legos right now in VR.
06:06For actual VR games, though, the Vision Pro did recently introduce PlayStation VR to
06:10Scent's controller support.
06:12But if I'm being honest, I'm not interested in spending another $250 to get that experience
06:17or half the price of the Quest 3, which includes controllers out of the box.
06:23As accurate as these hand-tracking movements are, the fact that I'm not getting any feedback
06:29with motion controllers just makes this feel a lot less immersive compared to the Quest 3.
06:36And let's not forget that one of the best parts of playing your games is playing it with
06:40others.
06:40More people, including my own friends and family, have a MetaQuest because of their affordability.
06:46And as much as Apple is trying to say that this device brings us together, it's hard to
06:50make that argument when we can buy 10 of these for the price of one Vision Pro.
06:54Both of these VR headsets have made big upgrades, and here are my new takeaways.
06:59I think the Vision Pro is much more well-rounded now.
07:03Watching content is unmatched, the virtual display is much better, and its support for gaming
07:08is at least passable.
07:10But the Quest 3 is still the headset that I would recommend for most people.
07:14Sure, price is a big factor.
07:16But Meta is also clearly listening to what people like about using the Vision Pro and
07:21mimicking a lot of those features while still being much more affordable.
07:25The fact that a $500 headset can go toe-to-toe with Apple's spatial computer might be the real
07:30story here.
07:30But let me know if you're using either of these or if your VR hobby is just collecting dust.
07:35Make sure you stay subscribed for more videos and follow me to see what other cool tech I'm
07:39reviewing.
07:39And until the next one, I'll catch you later.
07:58I'll catch you later.
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