I was on the fence about VR games and headsets for a long time, due to things like the cost, comfort level of them, and available library. I’ve owned a Meta Quest 3 headset for about two weeks now, however, and oddly enough it feels like this device is changing my thoughts about it with its capabilities and games.
I suppose it helps that I started out with certain staples. After getting adjusted, which this time only took a brief tightening of the bands on the head and a small dial on the front, I was ready. There was no grabbing headphones, getting things adjusted for five minutes to make sure it fit my head properly for that session, or more involved tweaking to ensure it accommodated my poor vision. Right away, I was jumping into Rec Room and Beat Saber, two VR games I’d enjoyed toying around with before, but never really spent substantial amounts of time with. But this time, it took.
With Rec Room, I was able to play through multiple paintball, disc golf, dodgeball, bowling, and laser tag matches without needing to take breaks due to the weight of the helmet or effects of playing a VR game for so long. It tracked my movements more competently, so my bowling and paddleball skills were better represented. With Beat Saber, it was so much easier to deal with walls and offer the degree of motion the game needs to succeed.
It also helped that now I’m coming into VR wholeheartedly about five years after various learning curves and experimentations. There are still plenty of “experiences” out there. Slices of particular sorts of gameplay. Moments where you go on brief adventures. But there are so many more games that go beyond brief novelties that are played for a few minutes or hours, then abandoned unless you want to show someone “how cool VR is.” Tentacularis a little of that, but with a story to back it up. Cosmonious High added more of a story to tie school-like “experiences” together.
More importantly, we have the more major games that are substantial. I’ve been able to play through some of them. Asgard’s Wrath 2feels more like a true God of War or Tomb Raider-like than a combat experience simulator, based on my first few hours with it. Assassin’s Creed Nexus VRactually captures what people like about console entries and handles the whole Animus experience well. Not to mention both of them welcome everyone in with accessibility options to accommodate varying skill and comfort levels, so everyone can get through the games and do so without feeling queasy.
But I think what I like best about the Meta Quest 3 headset and what it means for VR games and experiences is the mixed reality opportunities. I always use the main menu in MR mode, so I can see what’s around me. I loved playing Lego Bricktales in VR that way, because it was like I was actually building in my living room and I could have a familiar sitcom or show on in the background while I played around with virtual blocks. I feel more free to play any games, either standing or sitting, because I’m in a small space and know that the passthrough will let me know if things are getting a bit close in Beat Saber or Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party. Seeing others in my feed and using all of the apps is so much easier than it was in the past.
The only downside is knowing how connected the Quest 3 is to Meta and Facebook, and the kinds of data that could be connected. We know there’s biometric tracking with this headset. Not to mention it’s tied to a social media account, which is in turn tied to the accounts of other people users know and interact with. When I used mixed reality, could other people be seeing that? How much of my data is being taken? I try not to think about it, much in the same way I attempt to block out how much my cell phone could be taking in every day.
Still, it’s like for the first time I’m genuinely excited about what VR games can do and be after spending a few weeks with the Meta Quest 3. It’s the first headset I’ve been excited about, partially because I can wear it for over an hour without feeling like it’s too cumbersome or the experiences are too draining on my eyes.
The Meta Quest 3 is available now. People get Asgard’s Wrath 2 free with it if they buy the headset by February 27, 2024, and the game arrives on December 15, 2023.
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