Meta Quest Pro enters reality
Shawn Chung - Singapore
At Meta Connect 2022, Mark Zuckerberg presented from the Reality Labs at Meta to showcase their progress in making the metaverse ‘real’, and had updates on the success of Meta Quest 2, discussed how virtual reality is becoming more social, and showcased innovations for fitness, gaming and work, which includes the launch of the Meta Quest Pro, a breakthrough device that’s bringing the physical and digital worlds one giant step closer together.
Meta Quest Pro
Previously referred to as Project Cambria, the Meta Quest Pro. is a high-end headset that will begin shipping on October 25, priced at USD 1,499.99 USD. Pre-order of the Meta Quest Pro is now available on meta.com.
Meta Quest Pro is the first in a new line of advanced headsets built to expand the possibilities of virtual and mixed reality. Its pancake lenses fold light over several times, reducing the size of the headset while showing sharper visuals. A new, curved battery on the back helps make Meta Quest Pro a more balanced and ergonomic headset overall.
High-resolution outward-facing cameras capture 4X as many pixels as Meta Quest 2 and makes the Quest Pro Meta’s first full-color mixed reality device.
The Quest Pro is the first headset from Meta with integrated inward-facing sensors to capture natural facial expressions and eye tracking, so you simply have to raise an eyebrow or smile and your avatar will do the same. All of this helps improve social presence — the feeling that you’re right there together with someone no matter where in the world you are.
For a detailed dive in the Meta Quest Pro, you can read the Meta Quest blog on Oculus.com.
Meta and the Future of Work
Meta states that the Quest Pro was designed with productivity in mind and will be a major upgrade for those who use VR as a tool for work, but as hardware is only part of the equation, Meta has created supporting software to improve the way you work.
Meta as announced a new partnership with Microsoft that will bring powerful new work and productivity tools to Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 next year, including apps for Microsoft Windows 365 and Microsoft Teams and the ability to join a Teams meeting from inside Meta Horizon Workrooms.
You can read more about Meta’s concept of work on the Meta Quest blog.
New Social Experiences in VR and Beyond
When Meta Quest 2 launched two years ago, the majority of people’s time in VR was spent alone. Now, the majority is spent in multiplayer and social apps. With the development of Meta Horizon Worlds on the web you can eventually pick up your phone or laptop and visit friends who are hanging out in VR, and vice versa. Meta also announced new social innovations upcoming with the YouTube VR team, which means that if you are hanging out with friends in Meta Horizon Home, you’ll soon be able to watch YouTube videos together.
Next generation of Meta Avatars that will be more expressive and detailed with full-body avatars in VR, starting in Meta Horizon Worlds. Outside of VR, Meta will bring your avatar to video chat, starting in Messenger and WhatsApp, so you can express yourself and react without turning your camera on.
Reality Labs Research Updates
Meta also updated news on their research toward the foundational technologies for future devices and the metaverse, including:
Artificial intelligence and electromyography to create more intuitive, human-centered interfaces
Project Aria and its partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to help people with visual impairments better navigate their surroundings indoors
Two technologies to build and manipulate 3D objects in the metaverse: neural radiance fields and inverse rendering
Photorealistic Codec Avatars, including more robust facial expressions and Instant Codec Avatars that are faster and easier to make
With Reality Labs, Meta is inventing a new computing platform — one built around people, connections and the relationships that matter.
Get a deeper rundown of Meta’s metaverse news on the Meta Quest blog.