With the debut of Threads, a social networking platform that will compete with Twitter, and the recent release of its newest VR/AR headset, the Meta Quest 3, Meta has a lot on its metaphorical plate. According to reports, the business is scaling back on some of its initiatives, including the Meta Quest Pro, its most expensive mixed-reality headset, by killing the idea and stopping work on a Quest Pro 2.
According to reports from The Information, Goertek, the company that makes Quest Pro, will only produce headsets as long as the supply of raw materials permits. Meta informed its suppliers at the start of the year that the Quest Pro wouldn’t require any additional parts.
Additionally, the corporation has stopped working on a new version of Quest Pro. It seems that Meta might wish to concentrate on more cheap headsets with the imminent release of the Meta Quest 3.
Only in October, after considerable anticipation from the mixed reality community, did the Meta Quest Pro finally go on sale. When it first came out, Meta positioned it more as a professional-focused VR/AR headset than a gaming device.
The high weight, awkward fit over the forehead, poor feel, and unimpressive software platform of the Quest Pro rapidly drew criticism for its unimpressive design. Many people were offended by the Quest Pro’s high pricing when it was first introduced at $1,500; as a result, Meta eventually reduced it to $1,000.
After almost three years since the introduction of the Quest 2, Meta is getting ready to unveil the Quest 3. According to reports, the Quest 3 will provide a better XR experience than the Quest Pro since it has two 4MP cameras instead of one, a depth sensor, and a greater resolution.
Additionally, unlike what was originally planned, the new range of Meta AR glasses won’t include brand-new, high-end displays. According to the same The Information article, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), an older glass lens and display technology, will be used in Meta’s AR glasses, dubbed Artemis. This technology’s major flaw is a lack of brightness, which is a requirement for AR glasses to project pictures onto things in bright situations.
In addition, Meta’s Artemis AR glasses will only have a 50-degree field of view rather to the initial 70-degree FOV. To save money, a lidar sensor on the wireless Artemis puck—which works with the glasses to offload some of the computing—was also taken out. It would have made it easier to recognize the surroundings of the device and better integrate them into the digital world.
We’ll have to wait and see if Meta returns to the professional audience. If Apple’s Vision Pro succeeds and the market takes off, the corporation will probably resume high-end VR/AR manufacture. However, the high-end, mixed reality market that the Quest Pro was targeting is still far from being satisfied by Meta’s software platform.