Day 2 — Unity vs Unreal Engine for Meta Quest and concept
What I learned
Today I researched the differences between building a Meta Quest game in Unity vs Unreal Engine.
Both can create VR and MR apps for Quest 2/3/Pro, but they work in very different ways. Here are the most important things I discovered.
Unity
- Uses C# (easier for beginners, faster iteration)
- Lighter engine → better performance on mobile hardware like the Quest
- Meta XR SDK + Passthrough + Hand Tracking are simple to set up
- Very large VR community, tutorials, support
- Great if you want to prototype quickly and learn the basics fast
Unreal Engine
- Uses C++ and Blueprints (visual scripting)
- Much better visual quality out-of-the-box (lighting, materials, post-processing)
- More powerful for cinematic or high-end experiences
- Heavier engine → requires more optimization for Quest
- Great for pushing graphics or doing advanced VFX
Quick summary
- Unity = faster to learn, better performance, easier XR setup
- Unreal = more realistic visuals, more advanced tools, heavier learning curve
For my first Meta Quest project, Unity is the smarter choice because I want quick results and a simple workflow. Later I can explore Unreal for more visual-heavy experiences.
Concept
- infinite shooter with low poly models
- flying and walking enemies
- crates hanging from the ceiling dropping better weapons when broken
- waves getting harder
Next
- Find the right youtube videos
- Setup unity project