The most effective XR headset you should buy in the present day
The Meta Quest 3 options cutting-edge pancake lenses, a robust Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, 1000’s of video games, and the power to simply join it wirelessly to a Home windows PC for work or play. Plus, with streaming companies like Xbox Sport Move, GeForce Now, Netflix, and tons of others, it is an leisure powerhouse like no different. It is also obtained a large quantity of third get together accent assist so you’ll be able to customise it to your liking.
Critical potential
Samsung Venture Moohan may be months away nevertheless it’s obtained an enormous quantity of potential due to top-of-the-line {hardware} that seemingly options high-resolution OLED screens, top-notch cameras, an excellent modern design with magnetically-removable gentle blockers, and the ability of Android XR to again all of it up. It is unproven and the worth is unknown, however we count on to see extra later this yr.
Samsung Venture Moohan made waves when Samsung introduced it alongside Android XR, a new and thrilling model of Android constructed particularly for XR units like AR glasses, VR headsets, and blended actuality headsets. It is an upcoming blended actuality headset that can mix the digital and actual worlds into video games and productiveness, similar to the Meta Quest 3.
Venture Moohan, because it’s presently recognized, will obtain a closing product identify someday later this yr earlier than the anticipated launch. Samsung confirmed off the {hardware} for the primary time publicly at Samsung Unpacked 2025 throughout the Galaxy S25 unveiling.
Samsung Venture Moohan is alleged to sport higher-end {hardware} than the Meta Quest 3 and guarantees to be the very best VR {hardware} up to now, merging high quality {hardware} with a extra reasonably priced price ticket than the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. However does that imply it will likely be a greater headset? Let’s discover out.
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Whereas each Samsung Venture Moohan and the Meta Quest 3 are blended actuality headsets, they every look and match fairly in a different way. The Meta Quest 3 is designed principally to suit price restraints so it may be underneath $500. That features delivery with a comparatively uncomfortable fabric strap in your head and an all-plastic design.
Samsung Venture Moohan has a much more premium feel and look, and whereas some components are plastic to maintain weight down, it appears much more like a Meta Quest Professional than a Meta Quest 3. This contains inflexible aspect straps with a wheel on the again for rapidly adjusting measurement, a big, plush pad for the again of your head, and one other massive plush pad in your brow.
In contrast to the Meta Quest 3, Venture Moohan does not put any weight in your face in any respect. The rubber gentle blockers are magnetically detachable — Samsung hasn’t even proven off these components of the headset but — so you will really feel no stress in your face whereas sporting the headset for lengthy durations of time.
You’ll be able to swap out the Meta Quest 3’s face pad, head strap, and extra, guaranteeing it suits you completely.
The Meta Quest 3’s default fabric strap distributes weight in your face and across the sides and again of your head. Some folks, like me, discover this to be uncomfortable and find yourself shopping for a third-party head strap together with a number of different Meta Quest 3 equipment to make it extra comfy to put on.
Whereas this appears like a destructive at first, Meta’s “modular” design of the Quest 3 means you’ll be able to take all of the essential components off — the top strap, the face pad, and so on — and change them with ones you discover extra comfy.
Once I work whereas sporting a Quest 3, I have a tendency to make use of a Kiwi Design H4 Enhance head strap and I take the face pad off utterly so the headset’s weight is not resting on my face. In any other case, once I’m gaming with a Quest 3, I maintain the face pad on to supply most immersion.
It is not clear but if Venture Moohan shall be a modular headset. One of many greatest issues with the Meta Quest Professional was that its head strap and battery could not be simply eliminated, so that you had so as to add issues to the headset as a substitute of simply changing them with one thing extra comfy. We’re hoping Samsung discovered from Meta’s design mistake on its Professional headset.
Venture Moohan has automated IPD adjustment, giving it a bonus over another VR headset in the marketplace.
Samsung Venture Moohan has automated IPD adjustment due to its eye monitoring capabilities which ensures that every consumer has the precise proper eye distance calibration the second they put the headset on. That is an enormous benefit for Samsung over each different VR headset in the marketplace which all require handbook IPD adjustment.
Some headsets, just like the PlayStation VR2, will make it easier to select the best IPD through the use of eye monitoring to show a picture you’ll be able to line up. The Meta Quest 3, like most different VR headsets, requires you to know your IPD forward of time. Adjusting it on a Quest 3 is simple and could be completed by way of the IPD wheel on the underside of the headset, however you continue to must know the best quantity earlier than utilizing it.
Samsung’s headset helps controllers however we have not seen them but.
The Meta Quest 3 ships with two movement controllers — one is held in every hand — and in addition helps controller-free hand monitoring for extra easy interactions. Every of those controllers includes a joystick, three face buttons, a set off, and a grip button.
Samsung Venture Moohan will even have controller and hand monitoring assist, however Samsung hasn’t confirmed if the headset will ship with controllers included or if they’re going to be a separate buy. Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional famously shipped with no controllers and no assist for motion-tracked controllers. Apple later added assist for controllers attributable to suggestions, as they’re merely required for some experiences and sorts of video games.
Meta Horizon OS, the working system that powers Meta Quest Headsets, is constructed upon Android and at all times has been. Equally, Android XR, which powers Samsung Venture Moohan, can also be a particular model of Android constructed for XR units. Whereas they sound comparable on the floor, there are some vital key variations to contemplate.
Whereas each are based mostly on the Android Open Supply Venture, Meta Horizon OS options vital layers of customization that Meta has constructed over the previous decade. Meta has constructed a lot on high of Android that it really packages it as a “separate” working system, calling it Meta Horizon OS, and now provides it as an possibility for third-party firms to construct their very own headsets on.
Meta Horizon OS not solely revolves across the “Meta Horizon expertise,” which incorporates selling the Meta Horizon metaverse app entrance and heart, but additionally ties Meta companies deeply into the OS. Apps like WhatsApp, Fb Messenger, Fb, and Instagram all have native Horizon OS apps, and whereas a couple of different apps could be downloaded on the app retailer, Meta Quest headsets are nonetheless primarily gaming consoles with some additional computing performance.
The Meta Quest’s working system is constructed on Android however does not characteristic the Google Play Retailer. Android XR will.
Android XR is constructed upon the Android Open Supply Venture as effectively however, like most builds of Android, Google companies are on the heart. Android XR is alleged to be “the primary model of Android constructed for the Gemini period” which suggests Google Gemini is ready to function all the expertise in case you ask it to.
Google defined that Gemini can see what you see, together with each the digital and actual world, and is ready to reply questions and work together with digital screens as you see match. This might open up vital new design and interplay paradigms that we merely have not seen earlier than, however we’ll want to attend till the complete product launch to get a greater thought of the particular performance.
Each working methods are designed to allow multitasking in blended actuality, plus enable for full immersive apps and video games.
Each working methods assist native multitasking, giving customers the power to open a number of home windows without delay and float them wherever in actual 3D house. You’ll be able to consider these a bit like resizable digital screens which you could place wherever, all of that are in a position to be interacted with like a smartphone or pill interface.
Since Android XR has the Google Play Retailer inbuilt, it is anticipated that Samsung Venture Moohan can have considerably extra 2D apps at launch than the Meta Quest ever has. Conversely, the Meta Quest sports activities 1000’s of video games that can take time to transform over to Android XR. Meta funded a number of of the finest Meta Quest video games, so it is not going they’re going to see a launch on an Android XR-powered headset.
If you wish to be taught extra about how each working methods evaluate, see our detailed Android XR vs Meta Horizon OS comparability.
Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets energy the Meta Quest 3 and Samsung Venture Moohan, however Venture Moohan options the extra highly effective Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. This new chipset permits Samsung to incorporate larger decision cameras and shows on Venture Moohan, all whereas sporting higher total efficiency.
Neither are “laptop-grade” chips like what’s included within the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, however each chips are very succesful and are roughly comparable in efficiency to a 2023 flagship smartphone with vital customizations to account for the additional processing wanted for house monitoring and movement monitoring.
We all know a some specs for Venture Moohan however many technical specs, like quantity of RAM, storage, and show decision, are nonetheless unknown. It is mentioned that Samsung Venture Moohan options micro-OLED panels with as much as 3,000 DPI decision. The Meta Quest 3 makes use of LCD panels with roughly 1,200 DPI decision.
Specs | Samsung Venture Moohan | Meta Quest 3 |
Show sort | Micro-OLED | LCD |
Show decision | 3,000 DPI (rumored) | 1218 DPI (2208 x 2064 per eye) |
Refresh charge | Unknown | 120Hz |
Lens sort | Pancake | Pancake |
FoV | Unknown | 98° vertical, 106° horizontal |
IPD adjustment | Computerized | Guide per mm |
Audio system | Constructed-in stereo | Constructed-in stereo |
Included head strap | Adjustable inflexible plastic with again padding | Elastic fabric |
Facial interface | Magnetically-removable | Detachable by way of clips, velcro |
Controllers | Supported | Included |
Hand monitoring | Sure | Sure |
Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 |
RAM | Unknown | 8GB |
Weight | Unknown | 503g |
Worth | Unknown | $499 |
Each headsets use pancake lenses, however Samsung Venture Moohan builds eye monitoring into the lenses. It will allow Samsung to have even higher efficiency due to one thing known as foveated rendering. This expertise permits the headset to render the very best decision on the heart of your imaginative and prescient whereas saving processing energy by decreasing the decision outdoors of that.
Meta helps fastened foveated rendering which makes an attempt to recreate the identical idea with out eye monitoring. Whereas it’s efficient in enhancing efficiency, it creates decrease decision outdoors of the middle of the lens and reduces visible high quality in these areas.
Contemplating you can not purchase Samsung Venture Moohan but, this one’s a little bit of a no brainer till then. The Meta Quest 3 is the very best VR headset you should buy by way of worth and accessible software program. It is obtained essentially the most video games of any VR headset and, since it is a standalone VR console, does not want a PC or exterior show to work. That is a tremendous worth for simply $499.
Samsung Venture Moohan will nearly actually sport higher {hardware} than the Meta Quest 3 when it launches, nevertheless it’s anticipated that Samsung will cost fairly a bit extra for its first Android XR-powered headset. Present rumors estimate the worth to be round $999, though we’ll want to attend till later within the yr to really discover out.
When you’re trying to get into XR in the present day, although, the Meta Quest 3 is the best alternative because it not solely has an unlimited library of video games and assist for a lot of streaming companies, nevertheless it additionally helps native Home windows desktop streaming for simple hookup to a PC.
Why wait? The Meta Quest is already nice
With 1000’s of video games, common streaming companies, simple PC connectivity, and loads of equipment to customise your expertise, the Meta Quest 3 is already a tremendous headset price proudly owning.
With nice energy…
Samsung and Google have an opportunity to redefine the XR expertise with Android XR and Venture Moohan, two very polished-looking merchandise which can be slated to debut later in 2025.