Meta’s next VR headset might be called the Quest Pro – TechCrunch

The company formerly known as Facebook may soon release its first new piece of VR hardware since it was rebranded to Meta last year. According to the developer Steve Moser in Bloomberg reportThe next headset will be called the Quest Pro (sorry, Nintendo fans). Moser found the name “Quest Pro” in the code for the Meta Oculus mobile app.

Meta declined to comment when asked if the company could confirm or deny the legitimacy of the Quest Pro name.

Meta has long used a “high-end” VR headset to complement the consumer Quest 2 model, which retails for around $299. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, codenamed “Project Cambria,” recently demonstrated the device’s mixed reality capabilities in a demonstration video.

Quest 2 has greyscale transit cameras, which help users see their surroundings in the real world without removing their headphones. But the Quest Pro will have a more realistic full-color transit capability, as well as depth sensors that help accurately position digital objects in physical space. Leveraged right, the Quest Pro could be poised to produce some very complex augmented reality experiences, but the Meta won’t be without competition. Apple is also said to be working on a mixed reality headset.

In May, a report from the information He said the new Meta headset is expected to cost $799, while a Bloomberg report today said it will cost more than $1,000. Apple’s rumored headphone is also expected to be high quality, which isn’t surprising for a company that sells four-figure laptops.

So far, drowning the Meta in virtual reality has not been profitable. In the first quarter of this year, Meta Reality Labs lost about 3 billion dollars, and last year, the division lost More than 10 billion dollars. Although Meta launched Ray-Ban smart glasses with a built-in camera last year, the company seems to be turning its attention away from more casual devices. After slowing revenue growth and freezing some hiring, the company is rumored to be curtailing its plans to develop augmented reality glasses. It is also said that Meta has discontinued production on a smartwatch with built-in cameras.

Despite these setbacks, Meta, last month, pulled the curtain on the development of virtual reality devices. The company has shared four prototypes from Reality Labs that are trying to pass the “Visual Turing Test” (in other words, Meta wants to make headphones so realistic you might forget you’re in VR).

Zuckerberg said in experimental.