Meta revealed what makes a VR game perfect, and it could be hinting at big hardware changes

Date:
Tue, 29 Jul 2025 17:15:00 +0000

Description:
Meta revealed the ideal VR gaming session is 20 to 40 minutes, and might have teased how its hardware will evolve next.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Meta revealed the ideal VR gaming session is 20 to 40 minutes Less than that and
VR doesn't feel worthwhile Longer and hardware issues can have a negative impact

Meta has released new research it has conducted into the perfect length of VR games, and based on my experience testing its Meta Quest 3 , Meta Quest 3S , and its older headsets, the results of the study ring true.

This advice might not just mean we see alterations to the kinds of apps we
get in VR, but also tweaks to Metas hardware itself. Its published findings point to design issues that many have with existing hardware, problems that leaks of Metas next headset release suggest have been resolved for its next device.

More on that below, but first lets begin with Metas research, and why 20-40 minutes is apparently the ideal length for a VR game session. (Image credit: Meta)

As Meta succinctly explains in a short graphic (above), the Golidilocks session length is about 20-40 minutes based on its research.

If a VR session is shorter than 20 minutes, we can be left feeling unsatisfied. While many mobile games can get away with a shorter 5 to 10 minute loop (or even less), VR requires more effort to enter (clearing space, donning the headset, etc), so it necessitates a more worthwhile experience.

VR can still offer those shorter loops such as Beat Saber delivering levels which are just one song long but they need to be chained together in a meaningful way. For example, you can play several Beat Saber missions as part of a workout, or as a warm-up to your VR gaming sesh. For multiplayer games, if a match is typically 10 minutes long, a satisfying experience might be
that your daily quests are something you usually accomplish in two games.

After 40 minutes, the experience starts to have diminishing returns as people begin to feel friction from physical constraints such as their fitness
levels for a more active game, social isolation in single-player mode,
limited battery life, or (for newcomers) motion sickness.

Thats why Meta says it has found games between this length are just right (i.e. in the Goldilocks zone) for most VR gamers. (Image credit: Meta)

Now, if youre not a VR app developer, this will be directly useful for your software, but for non-developers, there are some things we can take away from Metas findings.

For a start, it provides some additional proof for the advice I always give
VR newcomers: just start with a headset and get accessories later.

Now, if they come free in a bundle thats one thing, but if youre looking to spend a significant sum on a headstrap with a built-in battery on day one,
you likely want to think again.

Yes there are plenty of people who do push through that 40-minute barrier and love it, and so having a larger battery is useful I always think back to my time playing Batman: Arkham Shadow for as long as my battery would allow and being so frustrated at waiting for it to recharge there are many folks for whom just 20 to 40 minutes is perfect.

As I always say, try your headset for a few weeks and see if you need a
bigger battery or would benefit from any other accessories before buying
them. With fast delivery, you wont be waiting long before you get them anyway if you do decide theyre for you. Is something slimmer on the way? (Image credit: Future)

This research could also point to Metas next VR headset design as it works to remove some of VRs hardware barriers.

There are several rumors that its next headset, codenamed Puffin, and now Phoenix in leaks, will be ultra-slim goggles. Its rival, Pico, is said to be designing something similar (you can see the Pico 4 Ultra above).

The bulk of the processing power and the battery would be shifted to a puck, kinda like Apples Vision Pro, but with even more crammed into the
pocket-sized pack, so that the weight on a persons head is only a little over 100g.

Considering a Meta Quest 3 weighs 515g, this would be a serious change, and could transform the Horizon OS headset into something people can (and want)
to wear for hours on end rather than less than an hour.

What's more, with the battery in a person's pocket, Meta could make it even larger than before without affecting comfort. Though, as with all
speculation, we'll have to wait and see what Meta announces next, perhaps it'll be nothing like a headset and a smartwatch instead . You might also
like I took my Meta Quest 3 on a 3,000-mile flight so you dont have to Meta's next wearables announcement might include a smartwatch for its smart glasses
I tried the new Meta AI app and it's like ChatGPT for people who like to overshare



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/meta-rev ealed-what-makes-a-vr-game-perfect-and-it-could-be-hinting-at-big-hardware-cha nges


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