Meta just pushed an update to Quest 3 that’s effectively boosted the headset’s refresh rate up to 240Hz—or 207Hz at the headset’s full resolution. Whether you’ll actually be able to make good use of it remains to be seen though.
The News
As first spotted by ‘Luna’ on X, Horizon OS 2.7 just added support for ‘Extended Refresh Rates’ on Quest 3, which means the display can now go up to 207Hz for regular users, and 240Hz when in developer mode. Notably, this update only affects Quest 3, not Quest 3S or Quest 2. Quest 3S uses a different display panel that tops out at 120Hz.
While exciting, Quest 3 content isn’t going to uniformly benefit, as native apps aren’t typically optimized to reach such high framerates. As it is, 120Hz has been possible since Quest 2 received its experimental refresh rate support update in April 2021, although even now very few apps are capable of making use of the headroom.
Note: 207Hz is the maximum at full resolution, as getting to 240Hz requires developer mode and display scaling, which reduces the resolution of the image sent to the panel before it’s upscaled.
One such tool that typically helps developer reach higher framerates may also be hamstrung—at least for now. Quest’s Application Spacewarp, which usually allows Quest developers to double their FPS with synthetically generated frames, doesn’t play nicely with Quest 3’s SoC at higher framerates, as it typically can’t handle extrapolation beyond 120 FPS, let alone 207 FPS.
Still, developers of PC VR games and apps are already making headway. Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin notes on X that he’s already managed to add 144 FPS support to his app, which is used to stream your computer screen or play high-performance PC VR games wirelessly. That said, Godin says that video decoders have trouble beyond 144 FPS, noting that higher framerates probably aren’t likely for the Quest 3.
My Take
If anything, this is a good indication that Quest 3’s hardware was always unusually capable, but wasn’t unlocked for some reason. Still, it’s not uncommon though for companies to throw a bone or two at consumers as their hardware approaches end of life, if only to flush stock.
But I don’t think Quest 3 is gone just yet. Technically for the second time—the first being at the release of the Oculus Rift—Meta is set to compete on an even playing field with Valve, which is perpetually on the brink of announcing price and release date for Steam Frame. Valve’s standalone VR headset is not only capable of wireless PC VR streaming, but it can also download and play both VR and flatscreen games directly from Steam, which has already drawn comparisons to Quest 3.
My hunch: Meta didn’t unlock Quest’s framerate before now because the company was focused on serving up native Quest content, the most of which can’t even make use of 120Hz anyway. But now that Steam Frame is nearly here, Meta wants to show off just how much its $600 headset can do, as Steam Frame is surely going to be somewhere north of $1,000 while only supporting up to 144Hz in an experimental mode.
Anything Meta can do to make consumers draw obvious comparisons between the two can only help its bottom line, as Quest 3 will most definitely still be in stock when Steam Frame inevitably runs out shortly after launch—whenever that is.
