VR Passthrough Needs to Get Much Better

I recently tried to do some basic chores on my Meta Quest while watching football, and soon learned that just about everything I tried was either not possible, or only possible for someone used to operating half-blind. That has to change!

Passthrough Should Be Good Enough for Everything

Because I use VR regularly, I can accept that utilizing passthrough mode means the battery will be consumed much quicker than in regular VR. I understand it’s an extra feature. Using the cameras and extra processing will consume more battery.

I can also accept that mixed reality will be limited by current technology. There’s no advanced AI in the Meta Quest 3. This means there’s no hope of the Quest interpreting the images coming in through passthrough or adding some of the cool new features we’re seeing in augmented reality glasses.

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

Apparently, I’ve come to rely on my perfect vision because operating in passthrough mode on the Quest 3 gave me a new appreciation for all the people I know with vision impairment. I can barely walk in passthrough mode. It’s unsafe to walk down stairs and I can’t see the buttons on my Roku remote. I tried to cook, but couldn’t see the lines on my measuring cup. Passthrough mode is nearly unusable!

Lighting Is Not the Issue

I limited a Perplexity search on how to fix this grainy picture in passthrough mode to only social media. The results confirmed what I’d seen myself. The discussion boards and VR forums overwhelmingly suggest that poor lighting is what causes grainy picture quality. Meta’s support page does recommend lighting of at least 50 lux, which is a fairly low bar. A standard overhead light would provide more than enough light. Contrary to popular belief, poor lighting isn’t the cause of the grainy picture.

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 leap in camera technology is needed. There are fundamental physics issues of aperture and depth of field that 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 view the room, but that’s an expensive array for the quality picture we receive in return. However, more cameras would mean more processing requirements, and that would mean faster battery consumption, shorter battery life, or an even heavier headset.

How Does the Quest’s Passthrough Compare to the Competition?

There are few VR headsets that can compare with the Quest 3, and I think that’s why it’s so popular. The Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro do have a much better passthrough mode, but they’re also almost double the cost and beyond. A potential match would be the Vive Index which is four years old and only has 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye in passthrough mode, but does exceed the Quest in certain stats like FOV (Field of View) and refresh rate. Those two things make for a cleaner and more immersive gaming experience, but as a tethered headset its utility 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 barely better than the Quest, but like the Vive, it doesn’t have access to all the exclusive Meta gaming titles or Meta products and services.

I still think the Meta Quest 3 gets the most bang for your buck, but when it comes to passthrough mode, I’m left at the altar, feeling like a generation Alpha kid watching someone play an original Nintendo (NES). I know how much better it could be!