VR is a fast-growing space that continues to surprise with new innovations and technologies each year. Many major companies have attempted to jump into the market with a VR headset of their own, including Valve with the Valve Index and PlayStation with the PlayStation VR2. But whether you are looking for a headset that is excellent for PC gaming or one that is relatively cheap, the Meta Quest lineup has always been a very reliable option for many.
With so many headsets released over the years, it can be tricky to outline just when every Meta Quest headset was released. Luckily, we’ve outlined the release date of each Meta Quest, as well as information on what each headset brought to the market.
How Many Meta Quest Headsets Have There Been?
In total, there have been five different Meta Quest headsets released. The first headset was released in 2019, with the latest release arriving in 2024. This list includes the Oculus Quest, which was released before Oculus VR became Reality Labs.
Oculus Quest – May 21, 2019
Released on May 21, 2019, the Oculus Quest was the first entry-level standalone VR headset in the Quest lineup. Both eyes had a Pentile OLED display, offering a per-eye resolution of 1440 x 1600 and a 72Hz refresh rate. The Quest made many improvements from the Oculus Rift, utilizing Oculus Insight as an inside-out tracking system to keep track of your play area. The headset utilized modified Android source code as its OS.
Meta Quest 2 – October 13, 2020
Oculus Quest 2, later rebranded as Meta Quest 2, was a solid upgrade from its predecessor. The Quest 2 brought an improved refresh rate of 120Hz, swapping out the old OLED panel for an LCD panel with a per-eye resolution of 1832 x 1920. This headset also brought new third-gen Oculus Touch controllers, which provided a dramatic increase in battery life and a new design.
Meta Quest Pro – October 25, 2022
Meta Quest Pro was Meta’s first attempt at crafted a high-end mixed reality headset. Meta packed in many high-tech features like eye-tracking and face tracking, as well as local dimming for improved contrast. Quest Pro also brought the Touch Pro controller, which provided numerous upgrades to the existing Oculus Touch controllers for Quest 2. As of 2024, the Quest Pro was discontinued by Meta after poor sales and a failure to capture the expected adoption rate.
Meta Quest Pro VR Headset
5
Meta Quest 3 – October 10, 2023
The Meta Quest 3 marked a huge jump in both quality and performance from the Quest 2 when it first released on October 10, 2023. This headset was much thinner than its predecessor, despite featuring a 30% increase in per-eye resolution for much sharper visuals. Meta Quest 3 also brought new custom-designed pancake lenses over, which paved the way for many of the headset’s improvements. Mixed Reality also became a real focus, allowing games to blend both virtual and in-person surroundings into one.
Meta Quest 3
2
Outstanding standalone VR headset running on a powerful Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip that is comfortable on head with excellent optical performance and well-tracked controllers.
Meta Quest 3S – October 15, 2024
The latest model in the Quest lineup, Meta Quest 3S, brought many of the Quest 3’s best features at a new lower price. The Quest 3S is thicker than the Quest 3, largely due to the use of Fresnel lenses, which are larger than the pancake lenses used in the Quest 3. To cut costs, the Quest 3S has lower resolution displays, sticking with the original per-eye resolution of the Quest 2 but with Quest 3 performance. Compared to the $499 asking price for Meta Quest 3, the Quest 3S sat as a solid entry-level option at $299.
Meta Quest 3S
1
Outstanding entry-level standalone/PC VR headset with major performance chops, handy full color passthrough, and more.
When Is The Next Meta Quest Coming Out?
With the recent release of Meta Quest 3S, we expect the Meta Quest 4 to release sometime in October 2026 based on previous releases. This would match the gap between Meta Quest 2 & 3, providing Meta with time to develop a headset that offers significant upgrades.
