Apple Vision Pro is set to launch in the US later this week, and the VR and MR community is poised to find out if this new headset will be worth its extortionate price tag. For UK enthusiasts, however, patience is a must. Although Apple allowed pre-orders in the US a few weeks ago, it still isn't clear when the device will launch in international markets.
Luckily, the best alternative to Apple's pricy ski mask is seeing a discount in the UK for only the second time since launch. The Meta Quest 3 has dropped from its price of £479.99 down to £451.49 at Amazon, which is pretty epic news for anyone still trying to get their hands on one of the best VR headsets.
This price drop is somewhat surprising to see, considering Meta Quest 3 only launched in October of last year, with its only price drop in the UK coming right before Christmas. Even the larger SKU, the 512GB model, is on offer and comes nowhere close to Apple Vision Pro in terms of price. It's discounted down from £619.99 to £579 at Amazon.
The launch bundle for both headsets is still available, which makes these deals seriously good value. With the 128GB version, you get a free code for Asgard's Wrath 2, which is said to be one of the best VR games ever made - even up there with the likes of Half-Life Alyx. The 512GB model gets the same code for Asgard's Wrath 2, as well as a 6-month subscription to Meta Quest+.
Should you wait for Apple Vision Pro?
This one will really depend on you, the tech you already use, and as always, your budget. Let's get this out of the way straight from the off, over £2,000 would be a lot to spend on a headset. There are VR headsets designed to work with the very best gaming PCs that don't cost over £1,500. Over £3,500 is no short of a ludicrous price to pay - especially when the manufacturer has no previous experience developing that type of device. Now I know, we are alluding to Apple here, so if anyone can innovate like that and make it work, it's likely going to be them. Either way, it's hard to overlook that price.
For the discounted prices of the Meta Quest 3 we've detailed above, you get a lot of the same spatial computing features and you'll save literally thousands compared to the Vision Pro. Yes, you may miss out on some serious visual fidelity and potentially some processing power if you opt for Meta's latest headset, but you hardly need to sustain your belief when using a Meta Quest 3. Its passthrough cameras are easily the best I've come across in a VR headset, and for a standalone device, its never suffered from serious processing foibles.
The exceptions here are mainly if you're already baked into the Apple ecosystem. If you use an iPhone, a Mac, or an Apple Watch, and exclusively watch Apple TV, then you'll probably find Apple Vision Pro can offer you and your arsenal of gadgets more than Meta can. But again, I'll need to caveat this and say you need to have the budget sorted for the UK launch - whenever that'll be.
My only other cautions against the Quest 3 are if you're at all concerned with privacy and data mining that comes from Zuckerberg's empire. Yes, things may have improved in the last year in that regard, but the extremely poor track record may not inspire you to buy a piece of Zuck's hardware, and I'd certainly find that understandable.
If you already own and play games on a PS5, and would exclusively use a VR headset to play games, then a Meta Quest 3 might not actually be worth it. PSVR 2 is a fantastic device, and if you're already set up in the PlayStation space, then that might be your best investment.
Nonetheless, there's no real way around it - these Meta Quest 3 discounts in the UK are very worth considering for folks looking for a mixed-reality headset that won't force them to re-mortgage their homes.
Looking for more Apple alternatives? Check out the best gaming laptops, the best gaming phones, and the best gaming tablets.
