The Mamasaur Reviews: Meta Quest 3

Upgrading to the Meta Quest 3 ISN’T cheap…but is it worth it to improve your exercise routine?

One of the really nice perks of being married to a wildly talented, sexy, nerdy, video game animator is that we consistently keep our consoles current. We’ve had the Meta Quest 2 since 2020, but with the Meta Quest 3 release this month, we got the upgrade. I got to try it tonight for my exercise routine; now, I’m going to tell you if the Meta Quest 3 is worth it.

(Spoiler alert: It absolutely is. You can jump to a short review and link to it here!)

Virtual Reality
Real Results

I’ve previously written about my experiences with VR. My husband proposed to me using VR. We even announced our Orson pregnancy using VR! With the help of Supernatural VR (my all-time favorite fitness app), I lost 75 pounds (Read about it here)! The immersive element that it offers can’t be rivaled. Especially when it comes to exercise.

When it comes to exercise, finding something you can stick with and be consistent in is the first challenge. VR fitness made that incredibly easy for me. Gamifying your exercise routine, especially if you’re at all competitive, incentivized consistency.

Moving to music or getting out aggression in boxing. Even simulated free-climbing (which, surprisingly, is more challenging than it sounds). There are countless ways to improve your health and fitness, ranging from mild meditation and mindfulness apps to sweaty, heart-pounding, HIIT-style workout games.

Ripping the Band-aid off of actually starting a consistent routine is the next hurdle. Especially when you factor in the price tag. But let my results speak their testimony: your health is worth investing in. Throwing down some cash to drop down in weight or make some healthy lifestyle gains is an investment worth making.

And the Meta Quest 3 exercise upgrade makes it even easier.

Meta Quest 3
Upgraded Exercise

Upgrading to the Meta Quest 3 instantly brought exceptional perks to my exercise experience. Enhanced visual clarity, a noticeably more comfortable fit, and sleek, re-engineered controllers that make ALL the difference.

Prepping for a Supernatural session feels far more seamless and intuitive. The sensors and cameras automatically set up a safe boundary for you. Truth be told, though, I find the boundaries tend to be restrictively conservative and necessitate expansion before play. But the Meta Quest 3, as a default, facilitates a safe space for exercise.

The mixed reality passthrough mode that the Meta Quest 3 offers allows a quick peek at your environment to double-check for safety throughout your exercise routine. When Nathan had me try on the headset, I was writing a list in my notebook. With the headset on, in the mixed reality passthrough, I was able to continue writing my list without issue!

And speaking of Sugar Daddy Nathan, he was more than happy to write his own tech-savvy guest review to be featured right here. Link to follow to up your exercise game with your very own Meta Quest 3.

Papasaur’s
Meta Quest 3 Review

“So how does the Meta Quest 3 differ from the Meta Quest 2?

Let’s start with the screen.

Not only has the resolution been bumped up by 30% but the Quest 3 is using a new kind of pancake lens. 

This brings us to size.

Because the pancake lenses are considerably smaller it allowed Meta to shrink the Quest 3 by 40%. This doesn’t translate to a lighter headset, oddly enough. The headset does feel closer to the face though which makes it balance a bit better and less likely for you to knock into as you’re punching at things in Supernatural.

It’s even easier to avoid bumping the headset now that the controllers have lost their “halo”. Gone is the tracking ring, leaving a much slimmer, lighter, and more comfortable controller in its place. I was worried that this might affect tracking, especially in faster moving exercise apps, but so far I haven’t noticed any downside.

As we did with the Quest 2, we swapped out the default cloth strap for the elite strap. It’s a little pricey, but the comfort is really worth the upgrade.

The biggest addition to the Meta Quest 3 is the upgraded mixed reality tech.

There’s now a built in depth sensor as well as full color pass through. While it’s not enough to convince you that you’re looking at reality, it’s finally to the point that you won’t feel the need to take the headset off to navigate your house or even take a glance at your phone. There’s not a lot of MR apps out there right now to take advantage of it, but the ones I’ve tried definitely show potential.

Probably the best part of the better sensors is the fact that you no longer have to draw out a boundary. Simply look around and watch as the Meta Quest 3 does the scanning and layout for you. If you’re in a smaller area for exercise, you may want to take the option to draw your own boundary as the Meta Quest 3 does tend to play it a little safe.

So is the Meta Quest 3 worth it for exercise apps, specifically Supernatural?

Ultimately that depends. There’s no question that the Quest 3 is an upgrade in every way. It’s thinner, sharper, and twice as powerful. It’s also more expensive. If you’re just wanting to jump into VR for cheap or dip your toe into Supernatural, grabbing a Quest 2 will do the trick. If you don’t mind spending a bit more though, the Meta Quest 3 will definitely be better (especially for exercise) and last you for longer.

I certainly have no regrets with the upgrade and look forward to seeing where the platform goes.

This isn’t part of the hardware review, but it should be noted that Supernatural just got a significant price drop. It’s now just $99 a year or $9.99 a month, nearly half of what it used to be. I felt like it was worth the price before, but it’s even easier to recommend now.”