• Passthrough functionality needs improvement for everyday tasks.

• Meta Quest 3 has a lower pixel count than high-end headsets.

• Lighting is not the problem, camera technology needs to improve for a clearer picture.

I recently tried to perform some basic tasks on my Meta Quest while watching football, and quickly learned that almost everything I tried was not possible, or only possible for someone used to it. to operate half-blind. This must change!

Passthrough should be enough for everything

Because I use VR regularly, I can accept that using passthrough mode means the battery will be consumed much faster than in regular VR. I understand this is an additional feature. Using cameras and additional processing will consume more battery.

I can also accept that mixed reality is limited by current technology. There is no advanced AI in Meta Quest 3. This means that there is no hope of the Quest interpreting images arriving via the relay or adding some of the cool new features we see in augmented reality glasses.

Meta Quest 3’s mixed reality or passthrough mode has a pixel count of 2064 x 2208 per eye, which is much lower than a high-end VR headset like the Apple Vision Pro or even the Meta Quest Pro. It is also much worse than a person’s normal vision.

Apparently, I’ve come to rely on my perfect vision, because operating in passthrough mode on the Quest 3 has given me a new appreciation for everyone I know with visual impairments. I can barely walk in passthrough mode. It’s dangerous to go down the stairs and I can’t see the buttons on my Roku remote. I tried to cook, but I couldn’t see the lines on my measuring cup. Passthrough mode is almost unusable!

Lighting is not the problem

I limited a Perplexity search on how to fix this grainy image in passthrough mode to social media only. The results confirmed what I myself had seen. VR message boards and forums overwhelmingly suggest that poor lighting is the cause of grainy image quality. Meta Support Page recommends lighting of at least 50 lux, which is a pretty low bar. A standard ceiling light would provide more than enough light. Contrary to popular belief, poor lighting is not the cause of a grainy image.

Camera technology needs to get better and cheaper

Digital cameras, especially smartphone cameras, have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. However, I think another big step forward in camera technology is needed. There are fundamental physics problems opening And depth of field which require different lenses depending on the distance between the subject and the camera. This is why many smartphones now offer multiple cameras. My Samsung S23 has three cameras and all versions of the iPhone 16 have two or three. The Quest has a four-camera array!

Two of the cameras are for spatial tracking, and only two are there to help visualize the room, but that’s an expensive set for the quality image we receive in return. However, more cameras would mean more processing requirements, resulting in faster battery consumption, shorter battery life, or an even heavier headset.

How does Quest Passthrough compare to the competition?

There are few VR headsets that compare to the Quest 3, and I think that’s why it’s so popular. The Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro have a much better passthrough mode, but they also cost almost double the cost and beyond. A potential match would be the Vive Index, which is four years old and has only 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per eye in passthrough mode, but outperforms the Quest in some stats such as FOV (field of view) and frame rate. refreshment. Both of these make for a cleaner, more immersive gaming experience, but as a connected headset, its usefulness as a mixed reality device is limited compared to a Quest.

The PICO 4 has a passthrough mode with an image resolution of 2160 x 2160 per eye, which is only slightly better than the Quest, but like the Vive, it doesn’t have access to all Meta game titles exclusive or Meta products and services.

I still think the Meta Quest 3 is a bang for the buck, but when it comes to the passthrough mode, I find myself at the altar feeling like a Generation Alpha kid watching someone play a Nintendo (NES ) original. I know how much better it could be!