As part of its 2022 Meta Connect conference, Meta has unveiled its prosumer Meta Quest Pro headset with a price point that may come as a shock to purchasers of Meta’s previous headsets. The Meta Quest Pro serves as Meta’s first dedicated attempt at capturing a portion of the growing commercial market for virtual and mixed reality in addition to its usual consumer market of gamers.
The Meta Quest Pro is Meta’s first headset since the release of the Oculus Quest 2 in October of 2020 and the first to be released under the Meta branding. The Quest 2 followed the success of the original Oculus Quest, and it became a popular option for some gamers to connect with friends and family when unable to travel during the global pandemic. The announcement of the Quest Pro comes ahead of the rumored release of Apple’s VR headset, which is expected to come out sometime in 2023.
Meta’s new Quest Pro, previously known as Project Cambria, is the company’s first attempt at creating a device designed for both VR and mixed reality. The Quest Pro features pancake lenses that significantly reduce the size of the headset and increase the pixel density, making the headset feel lighter and providing crisper visuals. Unlike the previous versions of the Quest, which were designed primarily for consumers and sold for around the price of a traditional gaming console, the Quest Pro is designed primarily for business use and carries a whopping $1,499.99 price tag before including the cost of accessories. Although the press release for the Quest Pro mentions its ability to play games like previous Quest headsets, there were no announcements made about whether upcoming titles like Among Us VR will be coming to the new headset.
While the marketing for the Quest Pro makes it clear that the headset is primarily designed for business users, some of the new features are likely to make gamers excited as well. Meta showed off new avatars designed to take advantage of the eye and face tracking included in the new headset, which could lead to more realistic interactions when playing with friends in VR due to being able to see other players’ facial expressions. The controllers for the Quest Pro will also feature upgraded haptics similar to the system in Sony's PSVR2 controllers, which should further increase immersion and will be available as a standalone purchase for Quest 2 owners.
With PSVR2 just around the corner and aimed solely at those looking to play games in VR, Meta may have trouble convincing gamers to pay $1,500 for a device that doesn’t seem to offer many gaming-focused upgrades over its predecessor. Although the advanced technology in the new headset is undeniably impressive, those more interested in playing games than finding a new way to work may be better off waiting for the upcoming Meta Quest 3 before ditching their Quest 2.
Source: Oculus Blog