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With rumors swirling about Apple directing resources away from its mixed reality headset, is Vision Pro still worth buying? Or is the Meta Quest 3 the obvious alternative?
Two years ago, Paul shared his Vision Pro vs. Quest 3 comparison. But both headsets have changed quite a bit since then, so he revisited both devices to see which one actually the best virtual reality headset in 2026 for working, immersive video, and more!
Paul also takes a look at gaming on both devices to see if it’s better gaming on Apple Vision Pro or the Meta Quest 3.
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Two years ago, I compared the Apple Vision Pro versus the MetaQuest 3 and let's just say you
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guys had some opinions. Like I know these are my hands, but they don't quite look like my hands
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This is so weird. It's incredible. Fast forward to now and these are both very different headsets
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thanks to some pretty significant software updates. But I have to say this up front
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one of these is still the easier recommendation, but it might not be for the reasons that you think
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So if you're trying to decide which VR headset is best in 2026, you've come to the right video
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Now, in case you missed my original Apple Vision Pro vs. MetaQuest comparison
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here's where I landed two years ago. The Vision Pro had and still has a stunning display, hand controls feel magical
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and overall, it has that Apple polish that you'd expect from something that cost $3,500
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The Quest 3 wasn't as refined at the time, but with actual physical controllers
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a wider field of view, and a larger app catalog, it delivered on value
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Ultimately, though, the Vision Pro won me over for entertainment and productivity
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but the Quest 3 was definitely the way to play VR games. But since then, a lot has changed
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I'm going to start things off with productivity because that's one of the main reasons I got into VR headsets in the first place
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when I don't have access to a giant monitor like this, I can pop one of these headsets on
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and I can quickly get a similar, if not larger virtual monitor, just like that
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I can make this full screen, which is even larger. It's way taller, way wider
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It's also curved. And Meta has definitely taken cues from the Vision Pro
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I used to have to use a third-party app before called Immersed to get that customization that I wanted
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but now the native meta desktop app is actually pretty good. The Quest 3 has also improved keyboard tracking
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so the headset automatically detects and tracks my keyboard creating a dynamic pass through window when I typing which makes working in VR feel way less disconnected than it used to And it this experience that made me want to buy my Quest 3 in the first place The Vision Pro also makes some really
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good upgrades. When I first tested it out, I was surprised by how underbaked the virtual
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display feature felt with my MacBook. But thanks to Vision OS 2, Apple revamped the experience
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Another really big difference is just how much sharper this is, especially with finer text
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And more importantly, it's a lot smoother. One of the biggest issues I had when I originally tested this out two years ago is, as you may have noticed
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audio is playing out of my MacBook and could not actually be fed through my Vision Pro
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So luckily now we have the option to play it through the Vision Pro
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One of these is still the easier recommendation. You've come to the right video
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And let me tell you, that makes a huge difference. And while the Vision Pro still limits me to the one display
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we have a couple really cool options. Now, before we were stuck, I believe, with just the standard view
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which is your typical 16 by 9 display. But when it came to video editing, I found it a little bit limiting
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So now we have wide. which is what equivalent to a 21 by nine
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But now we also have ultra wide and check this out. That is absolutely massive
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But here's the other really cool thing that makes the Vision Pro so powerful
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As you can see off to the side here, I have a Safari window open
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If I look over here, I'm still using the same mouse and keyboard
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I'm browsing within the Vision OS apps and then I look back at my Mac
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my mouse seamlessly switches over back here. And to me, that's a big part of that Apple magic and
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it really might justify that premium price tag for some people Now let switch gears and talk about entertainment and I won waste your time It hardly a debate here The Apple Vision Pro it goes all out
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It continues to be the best way to watch movies and TV shows
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Apple has now added pretty much every major streaming service that you'd want
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including YouTube, finally. Woo! Oh, yeah, keep looking away. Keep looking at which one is
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Keep looking at Canon. Still no Netflix, but... Amazon Prime was once exclusive to the Quest 3
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has now made its way to the Vision Pro. Not only am I getting sharper content with better audio
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I'm also getting the virtual environments. And when you combine that all together
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you really can't beat this experience. I will say though, the Quest 3 has caught up a little bit
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Notably, Disney Plus got ported over, but it's buggier and has no 3D content
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because of Apple's exclusivity deal. This isn't the direction the Quest 3 should be headed
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and honestly, it feels like we're being punished for wanting to watch content here. So when it comes to watching your favorite shows
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and movies in VR, the Vision Pro continues to be where it's at
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But where the Quest 3 undeniably redeems itself is still with gaming
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Tell me these batteries are dead. Get out of there. Meta is continuing to cement the Quest 3
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as one of the best gaming first headsets with a massive catalog
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Two years ago when I first made this video, Walkabout Mini Golf was my favorite game to play
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and it continues to be. Mm, mm, mm, mm
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That's pretty cool. The Vision Pro does get more games and thanks to Apple Arcade
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some really nice choices in here. But the thing is a lot of them aren't really VR games
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They're mostly just ported over from the iPad. That said hand controls on here are super impressive And the fact that I can get this precise with my controls like I literally playing with Legos right now in VR
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For actual VR games though, the Vision Pro did recently introduced PlayStation VR 2 SENS
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controller support, but if I'm being honest, I'm not interested in spending another $250
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to get that experience, or half the price of the Quest 3, which includes controllers
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out of the box. As accurate as these hand tracking movements are, the fact that I'm not getting any feedback
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with motion controllers just makes this feel a lot less immersive compared to the Quest 3
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And let's not forget that one of the best parts of playing your games is playing it with others
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More people, including my own friends and family, have a MetaQuest because of their affordability
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And as much as Apple is trying to say that this device brings us together, it's hard
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to make that argument when you can buy 10 of these for the price of one Vision Pro. Both of these VR headsets have made big upgrades, and here are my new takeaways
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I think the Vision Pro is much more well-rounded now. Watching content is unmatched, the virtual display is much better, and its support for
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gaming is at least passable. But the Quest 3 is still the headset that I would recommend for most people
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Sure, price is a big factor, but Meta is also clearly listening to what people like about
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using the Vision Pro and mimicking a lot of those features while still being much more affordable
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The fact that a $500 headset can go toe-to-toe with Apple's spatial computer might be the real
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story here, but let me know if you're using either of these or if your VR hobby is just collecting
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dust. Make sure you stay subscribed for more videos and follow me to see what other cool
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tech I'm reviewing, and until the next one, I'll catch you later. I'm out
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