Meta is aiming for more social and future-proof VR with the Quest Pro.
Scheduled for October 25 at a price of 1799.99 euros, the Quest Pro of Meta is the first VR headset in a new line of advanced products designed to expand the possibilities of virtual and mixed reality. Its lightweight, multi-folding lenses reduce the size of the helmet while providing sharper images. A new curved battery in the back helps make Meta Quest Pro an overall more balanced and more ergonomic helmet. The outward-facing high-resolution cameras capture four times more pixels than the Meta Quest 2 and make the Meta Quest Pro the first full-color mixed reality device.
Through the redesign of the Snapdragon XR2+ platform, better heat dissipation and significant performance headroom have been created to achieve 50% higher sustained power and 30% improved thermal performance. Each Meta Quest Pro comes with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 10 high-resolution sensors, five inside the headset and five outside, that help enhance a variety of immersive experiences. Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers are powered by the Snapdragon 662 platform, allowing them to self-track with multiple built-in positional cameras and ensuring ultra-low latency to the headset.
Mark Rabkin, Head of Virtual Reality at Meta’s Reality Labs, said:
At Meta, we are building the next generation computing platform through our virtual reality and mixed reality devices. We believe that VR and RM will radically transform the way we work, collaborate and connect with each other, and we are delighted to join Qualcomm Technologies in this journey. This innovative, next-generation Snapdragon technology brings massive computational gains to our VR device, enabling us to deliver much richer experiences with the Meta Quest Pro. It’s proof that Meta and Qualcomm Technologies are building the future together today.
Microsoft sees the opportunity to bring productivity experiences to a high-performance VR headset, and Meta becomes a key partner in its vast metaverse-related plan. The Teams experience on the Meta Quest Pro includes Microsoft’s adaptation of Meta’s avatar system for Teams and support for Teams in Meta’s Horizon workrooms. The virtual office of the future will not be limited to meetings. Microsoft is bringing Windows 365 to Meta’s Quest Pro, the company’s platform for delivering full versions of Windows to devices.
Microsoft also brings 2D versions of its Office apps to the Quest Pro through its Progressive Web Apps (PWA) technology. These will not be full 3D versions of Office designed for VR. Xbox Cloud Gaming will also be available on Meta’s VR Quest headsets, allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream games. It won’t be as immersive as a native VR experience for Xbox games, but it will be possible to pick up an Xbox controller and play it on a giant screen projected inside the Quest headset.