The Meta Quest 3 should get its official launch at Meta Connect 2023 later this month. And it’s expected to be a major upgrade over the older Meta Quest 2. But this latest leak suggests there’s more bad news for Quest 2 owners looking to upgrade their VR headsets.

A new leak from ZGFTECH (h/t Mixed News) on Twitter (X) supposedly shows off the new Quest 3’s head strap alongside the Elite Strap for the Meta Quest 2. While the strap on the right of the image is undoubtedly the Quest 2 Elite Strap while the one on the left is an unknown strap. But given the cutout, the expectation is that this is the Quest 3’s strap and the cutout is for the Quest 3’s USB-C charging port.

And if that’s the case, then it’s bad news for Quest 2 owners hoping to bring some of their old Quest 2 accessories over to the Quest 3. The connector on the supposed Quest 3 strap is likely too long for anything to be forward-compatible with the Quest 3.

While obviously, Meta will want to sell a whole new round of accessories for its latest VR headset, the hope was that maybe some accessories would work across generations. One that jumps to mind is the Logitech Chorus speakers. These speakers sit off your ear and add a serious sound upgrade to your Quest 2 headset. However, with this possible new Quest 3 strap connector, it’d likely be impossible to fit the Chorus speakers onto your new Quest 3. And that’s a real bummer if you spent $99 on that particular Quest 2 accessory.

Meta Quest 3 spec sheet so far

Meta Quest 3

Aside from this new update regarding accessory compatibility, we know a few other details about Meta’s upcoming contender for the best VR headset.

For starters, we know how much it will cost. The Quest 3 will launch with a base storage option of 128 GB. A larger storage size model is expected, but it’s still unclear how much storage you’ll get for your extra dollars.

We also know that a few upgrades are coming. The Quest 3 will use a (currently unnamed) next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chip that is tipped to produce twice the graphics performance of the Quest 2. The Quest 3 LCD display will also get an upgrade, with a “nearly 30% leap in resolution from Quest 2.” Meta says this will be the best resolution of any Quest headset so far. Unfortunately, these upgrades may come with a slight cost, as it seems the Quest 3 won’t do any better in terms of battery life than the Quest 2.

And of course, there’s the visor’s array of cameras and sensors. This will turn the Quest 3 into a true mixed reality headset — even if it isn’t going to be as powerful as the “spatial computer” Apple Vision Pro. That means full-color passthrough, allowing you to experience different levels of immersion when using the Quest 3 headset. Stay tuned to our Meta Quest 3 coverage in the lead-up to Meta Connect for more details as we come across them.