Tuesday saw the launch of Meta Platforms’ Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headgear, which was a significant step for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s entry into the higher-end market for extended reality computing products.
Consumers can engage with virtual creations superimposed on a full-color picture of the real world by purchasing the headset, which was unveiled at Meta’s annual Connect conference, on October 25 at a cost of $1,500.
The launch is a significant step for Zuckerberg, who last year announced plans for the device, then known as Project Cambria, at the same time that he changed the name of his business from Facebook to Meta. He did this to signal his intention to refocus the social media giant into a company that runs the metaverse, a shared immersive computing experience.
Since then, Zuckerberg has invested billions of dollars in that idea. The Meta division Reality Labs, which created the metaverse, lost $10.2 billion in 2021 and has lost about $6 billion so far this year.
In a statement at the event that was half captured on video and partially through an avatar, Zuckerberg stated that he anticipates new computer applications to result from the mixing of the physical and digital worlds.
You’re going to see the construction of completely new categories of stuff, he predicted.
The Quest Pro headset from Meta offers a number of improvements over the company’s Quest 2 headset, which currently rules the consumer virtual reality industry.
The most striking feature is that it has outward-facing cameras that record a sort of 3D livestream of the physical environment around a wearer, making it possible for mixed reality novelties like the ability to hang a virtual painting on a real-world wall or have a virtual ball bounce off a real-world table.
The Quest 2, however, features passthrough, a less sophisticated grayscale variation of similar technique.
With thin pancake lenses and a relocated battery that rests at the rear of the headset, the Quest Pro feels lighter and smaller than its predecessors while also lowering overall size.
The Quest Pro now features tracking sensors that can mimic users’ eye movements and facial expressions for completely immersive virtual reality, giving the impression that avatars are making eye contact.