This week was a particularly busy one with deputy editor Ryan Jones reporting all the computing news from Computex in Taipei and Motorola unveiling the latest update to its clamshell foldable line with the Razr 40 and the Razr 40 Ultra.
This week our winner comes straight from Arm at Computex, while Meta disappointed VR fans with a $200 price hike on the Meta Quest 3.
Winner: Arm
Our winner this week is Arm after it announced the Immortalis-G720, a new GPU for smartphones and tablets that promises to deliver a huge performance boost when it comes to mobile gaming.
The GPU is based on Arm’s new 5th-generation GPU architecture, which the company says is the most efficient GPU architecture it has ever created. In fact, the GPU delivers 15% performance and efficiency improvements, as well as a 40% boost in system-level efficiency over the previous generation, according to Arm.
“The 5th Gen architecture redefines parts of the graphics pipeline to reduce memory bandwidth enabling the next generation of high geometry games and real-time 3D applications, while also bringing smoother gameplay and complex PC and console-like experiences to mobile”, explained the company in a press release during Computex.
The keywords here are “PC and console-like experiences”, which certainly sound like a large step forward for mobile gaming, though we’ll have to wait and see exactly which consoles these new GPUs can compare to, along with which handsets get the Immortalis-G720 GPUs.
Loser: Meta
Our loser this week is Meta after the company officially unveiled the Meta Quest 3 – and how much you’ll have to pay to get your hands on it.
At first glance, the Meta Quest 3 sounds like an excellent update to the Quest line. The highly-anticipated VR headset delivers upgrades across the board, including a 40% slimmer and more striking design, new Touch Plus controllers comparable to those packaged with the Meta Quest Pro and double the graphical performance offered by its predecessor, the 5-star Meta Quest 2.
The Meta Quest 3 also updates the passthrough feature to deliver improved AR experiences on the traditionally VR headset.
While this all sounds incredibly positive, the release also marks a significant price increase for the headset formally known as the Oculus Quest. In fact, if you want to upgrade to the Meta Quest 3, you’ll need to fork out $499/£499 – that’s $200/£200 more than the Meta Quest 2’s $299/£299 price at launch.
A small price bump isn’t entirely surprising considering the Meta Quest 2 saw a $100/£100 increase following its launch. However, the new headset costs 40% more than its predecessor at launch, which could put many VR fans off upgrading quite so quickly.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.