My journey into virtual reality started with curiosity—to see how I could include this kind of device in my routine. The first restriction was that it had to be fully independent, not needing to be plugged into a PC or game console. Another restriction was the budget: around 700 USD (including the device and some accessories). That meant excluding the Apple Vision Pro, so I went with my second option—the Meta Quest 3.
With the Quest in my hands came the challenges of using it in a comfortable way, plus figuring out what I could actually do with it. Let’s break down these topics.
Ergonomics
I tried to keep it as portable as possible to take with me on trips, but that idea didn’t last long. The basic strap doesn’t balance the weight well, so I switched to the Meta Elite Strap with battery. It’s much more comfortable, but now it’s not ideal for flights because of the size, shape, and battery. I’d love to just throw it in my checked bag, but the battery isn’t removable and takes up precious space in my carry-on.
Fitness and Mental Health
It would be great to have a device where I could see strength training exercises and practice along in real time. However, the available apps so far don’t deliver a great experience for that. Most of them focus on boxing or fighting. There’s potential here, but it’s not available yet.
For mental health, I thought it would be cool to immerse myself in calm environments to meditate. But I immediately scrapped that idea when I remembered that the whole goal of meditation is to focus on your body—and having a screen strapped to my face makes no sense.
Virtual Display for Work
This was one of the main goals I had for the device. After trying a few options like Immersed, Horizon Workrooms, and Virtual Desktop, I chose Virtual Desktop. It supports offline use and is more stable in terms of image quality and comfort.
However, I rarely use it. I’m still trying to find a comfortable setup, but I always end up going back to my laptop display. There’s something about having the screen so close to my eyes—and the weight of the Quest—that just doesn’t feel right for longer sessions.
Movies
This is probably the category where it works best so far. I enjoy watching YouTube and movies on the device and have actually replaced my iPad for that use.
Despite all of this, I still think it was worth the purchase. Some things I couldn’t really understand from reviews alone—the hands-on experience helped me see the real use cases and limitations. There’s a lot of potential here, even though the device feels a bit rustic for now. I wouldn’t recommend it to non-techy friends or older folks just yet, but I really believe this type of device could easily replace many of the screens we use today.