Meta Platforms, Inc. (META), Facebook’s parent company, took another step in its pivot towards the metaverse, unveiling a virtually reality headset called Meta Quest Pro and saying the firm would focus on how to build the future of connection within virtual and augmented reality."
The headset, known while under development as Cambria, comes seven years after Mark Zuckerberg’s firm acquired VR technology company Oculus VR in 2014, which itself went on to make other acquisitions. In releasing the new headset at an Oct. 11 event, Meta Connect, Zuckerberg also said that a key goal is to make enhanced connections available to all PC users.
The headset was designed to enhancing productivity for professionals by making virtual collaborations feel more authentic. It is available for pre-order as of today at $1,499. Shipping begins on Oct. 25.
The Meta Quest Pro uses a Snapdragon XR2+ semiconductor chip from Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) that is designed to make it more powerful than the Quest 2. The headset is also 40% thinner and much lighter. The new chip offers 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella said at the event that Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 (which includes Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) will be usable in VR. The concept is to create immersive virtual offices that will increase the efficiency of collaborators who are physically far-flung.
In addition, the Xbox cloud gaming platform is coming to Quest headsets. Those who have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription can stream games over the internet and play them with Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets.
Meta unveiled new full-body avatars that can be used in non-VR places that include Reels, Messenger, and Facebook. These avatars also can be used in new emojis and video chat. Additionally, the avatars will be come to Zoom.
Meta said that it is working on all-new augmented reality (AR) glasses with Ray-Ban, although no further details on features and availability were available. Meta indicated that it is also working on personalized artificial intelligence (AI) that can be delivered through AR glasses and VR headsets.
Meta Platforms Inc. "Meta Connect 2022."
TechRadar. "Meta Connect 2022 Live Blog – Meta Quest Pro, Project Cambria, and All the Big News."
Tom's Guide. "Meta Quest Pro Launch Live Blog — All the Meta Connect News as It Happens."
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