Quest 3 vs. Quest 2! How much better are the graphics of the Quest 3?

There’s no point in trying to argue about it: one of the coolest things about some of the best VR headsets is that they let you game on a whole other level. And while there’s loads more to XR than just playing games, it’s still fun. And us humans? We like fun!

But games serve other, hidden purposes besides letting you explore abandoned space stations or slay hordes of demons. They let hardware manufacturers flex their muscles, utilizing games as benchmarks, that showcase how far graphical fidelity has come.

And, let me tell you, as someone that has been around ever since the NES, we’ve come a long way. But the most shocking thing about that is that we’re still making strides every year, even in VR, thanks to headsets like the upcoming Meta Quest 3.

And this clip from Red Matter 2 is a perfect example of how far we’ve come.



Wait now, let’s kick things off by explaining what Red Matter 2 is. As you might’ve guessed, it’s a PC-VR game, available for headsets like the Quest 2 and Quest 3. And since the Quest 3 is about to be released on October 10, the developer of this sci-fi adventure has pushed out an update, which improves the game's visuals. 

Said update basically dials up the graphical fidelity of the game all the way up to eleven. And that’s not just a testament to the team’s prowess, but also proof of the raw power of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2-powered Quest 3.

You can most clearly see what I mean by watching the video above, which directly compares how the game looks on the Quest 2 and on the Quest 3. It is to be expected that it would look better on the Quest 3, but on numerous occasions, the difference is staggering.

And that’s thanks to the update itself, which brings:

• Screen Resolution Upgrade to 3322x3519
• Dynamic resolution support
• 4K Textures
• Anisotropic Filtering (helps graphics look sharper)
• Dynamic Shadows
• PCF5x5 Shadow Filtering (helps shadows be more life-like)
• Mesh LOD Improvements (helps reduce graphical pop-in)
• Higher refresh rates, going up to 90Hz

Now, mind you, some of these enhancements will also be supported on the Quest 2, but those still won't be enough to make it look as enticing as it looks on the latest Quest 3.