The Meta Quest Pro might be Meta’s next VR headset. It was rumored along with a possible Project Cambria, a mysterious high-end machine believed to be launching in October this year. Based on current rumors the Quest Pro and Project Cambria are likely the same high-end all-in-one VR device.
Here’s what we know: Meta (formerly Facebook) is working on a follow-up to the Oculus Quest 2 (now the Meta Quest 2) that will cost more than the best VR headset and come with advanced sensors curated for the Metaverse. The headset will also support exclusive mixed-reality experiences to justify a higher price tag.
Currently, Meta has mapped out its VR hardware plans to deliver a new headset in 2022. It now seems likely that the Quest Pro is that headset and not the rumored Meta Quest 3.
This is everything we’ve heard about the Meta Quest Pro, from a possible release date and price to design and special features.
“This isn’t the next Quest,” Mark Zuckerberg said during the Project Cambria teaser event. “It’s going to be compatible with Quest, but Cambria will be a completely new and high-end product.”
Turn’s out that’s — likely — not entirely true. The latest leaks and rumors from prominent leaker Brad Lynch have the Meta Quest Pro and Project Cambria being pegged as the same device.
A more recent leak seemingly confirms the Meta Quest Pro name. With mark Zuckerberg confirming an October launch for the next major Quest headset, it seems likely the Quest Pro will be the next hardware release.
The rumored Meta Quest Pro is a dual-screen device with a premium $1,500 price tag. This would put it in a different category than the Meta Quest 2, and possibly aim it at developers and enterprise users rather than gamers and consumers. Still, it sounds like it’ll work with the best Oculus Quest 2 games and thus may not be completely split from the Quest brand.
In a podcast with Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that Meta’s next VR headset will arrive in October this year. This ties with Meta’s annual Connect conference that takes place in October every year and we could see the headset being launched at the event. We don’t have a specific date for the event or for the launch yet.
A leak from Brad Lynch has the Meta Quest Pro release date as October 25, 2022, with pre-orders available during Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg’s keynote speech during Meta Connect.
A previous report from the Information had claimed that the headset could arrive in September — followed by three more headsets in 2023 and 2024.
The Meta Quest Pro definitely won’t be one of the best cheap VR headsets.
In a teaser event, Zuckerburg said that Project Cambria will be a “high-end product and it’ll be at the higher end of the price spectrum.” Testing new features and functionality seems to be prioritized more than affordability at the moment, with Zuckerberg saying Cambria has a way to go before the company can “hit the price points that we target with Quest.”
Zuckerburg appears to have been misleading nobody when he made that statement. The latest rumors from Lynch have the Quest Pro launching with a $1,500 bundle that includes the headset, controllers, charging pad and cables. The controllers are also rumored to be sold as part of a $300 bundle with a charging dock.
This $1,500 price tag blows previous expectations out of the water. In an Instagram AMA, head of Facebook Reality Labs Andrew Bosworth had called out a question mentioning the Quest Pro debuting with a $600 price tag. The Information later reported a rumored $799 price tag. The new price tag is nearly double that.
If the Quest Pro is truly this expensive it will be one of the most premium devices on the market, far above the price point of the $900 HTC Vive Cosmos Elite or even the $1,000 Valve Index.
In the slightly-blurry teaser video below, you can get a glimpse of what Project Cambria looks like in a current prototype form.
As you can see, it looks like most modern VR headsets, complete with a casing for your eyes, a strap that fits around the head and a pair of controllers. The device in the video is black, though that could just be a tool of mystery, intended to create more of a silhouette than realistic render of the device.
A big question we’ll have about the Oculus Quest Pro design is weight and comfort, especially if it’s a machine we’ll want to use to work all day in the Metaverse. Meta has expressed its efforts to make VR hardware easier to wear for a longer period of time.
“We’re pushing the limits of what’s possible with display technology and form factor with something called ‘pancake optics’,” said Angela Chang, head of VR devices at Meta. “They essentially work by folding light several times over to achieve a slimmer profile than current lenses.”
In April, tipster Brad Lynch shared purported images of Project Cambria that he claims to be “250%” certain are the real deal.
The Information’s extensive report on the Cambria headset claimed that there would be a larger battery than the Quest 2, situated in the back of the headset for comfort reasons. The report also claimed that there would be eye and facial-tracking hardware, which would apply your real expressions to a virtual avatar.
Further leaks have shed a little more light on the potential design of the Quest Pro. The device will use two displays rather than the single display on the Meta Quest 2 or rumored for the Meta Quest 3. The displays are tipped to have a resolution of 2,160 by 2,160 pixels per display.
The most interesting Meta Quest Pro/Project Cambria feature we’ve heard about promises to capture facial expressions through facial tracking sensors: “There’s a ton of new tech going into Cambria,” explained Chang. “For example, your avatar will be able to make natural eye contact and reflect your facial expressions in real time. This way people you’re interacting with will have a real sense of how you’re actually feeling.”
Mark Zuckerberg confirmed this feature for the VR headset in a podcast with Joe Rogan. He said you can “have your face be tracked so that way your avatar — it’s not just this still thing, but if you smile or if you frown or if you pout, or whatever your expression is, have that translate in real time to your avatar”.
Apparently, the sensors will be able to accommodate a range of skin tones and facial features like beards or glasses, according to Chang. The sensors could also be used for body tracking, and perhaps limit how often a user needs controllers. We don’t dislike the current Oculus Quest 2 controllers, but replacing the AA batteries gets old. At the very least, we’d like wireless charging. We’ve seen some alleged promo materials suggesting that could be the case for Meta’s next VR headset, but we can’t confirm if the images are real.
Beyond the sensors and controls, we’d expect the Meta Quest Pro 2 to boast higher performance than Meta’s other wireless headsets. A PC-linked headset would likely still win in terms of overall quality, but there are ways the all-in-one headset can improve.
For example, the Quest 2’s 120Hz refresh rate could be boosted to 144Hz to match the Valve Index. And if Meta implements custom silicone for the Quest Pro, then we could see faster processing and better efficiency for battery life compared to the Quest 2.
In the Project Cambria reveal, Zuckerberg also touched on the headset’s augmented reality potential, suggesting it will be poised to compete with the rumored Apple mixed reality headset, Apple glasses, as well as Google’s rumored Google AR headset.
“Imagine working at your virtual desk with multiple screens, while seeing your real desk so clearly that you can pick up a pen and write notes without taking your headset off,” Zuckerberg said. “Or you’re doing a workout with a virtual instructor in your living room.”
Chang similarly promised that Cambria will support “high-resolution, colored mixed reality passthrough.” This will show the real world in your headset with a sense of “depth and perspective.” The Meta Quest 2 already has some degree of passthrough, but it’s crude. The Information’s sources corroborated Chang’s claim, suggesting something akin to the rumored Apple VR/AR headset.
In a recent video, Mark Zuckberberg took the Project Cambria headset for a spin. While the headset was blurred out, he did show off how its passthrough system provides clear, colorful AR images superimposed on the real world. Not only could this offer a new take on mixed reality gaming, but Zuckerberg noted it could be used to extend a workstation with multiple virtual screens on offer in a space that might only support a single monitor. Or how it could be used with a virtual instructor when working out at home.
Given that we now expect the Meta Quest Pro and Project Cambria to be one and the same, it will be interesting to see which of these AR features are available when the device eventually launches.
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