Project Cambria: Mark Zuckerberg confirms release window for anticipated Meta Quest Pro VR headset
Mark Zuckerberg has commented on the release date of Meta's next VR headset, having recently brought the Oculus Quest 2 under the Meta brand. While the Meta CEO has not revealed a precise release date yet, he has indicated the month of its release. According to Zuckerberg, the headset will debut in October, which should coincide with Meta's next annual Connect event.
Currently, neither Meta nor Zuckerberg have confirmed when this year's Connect event will occur, either. However, last year's commenced on October 28, so expect a mid to late October announcement rather than an early one. Speaking to Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg confirmed that Meta's first true headset will feature eye and facial tracking, unlike the Quest 2:
For the next device that's coming out in October, there are a few big features...The one you're talking about, basically social presence, and the ability to now have eye contact in virtual reality, have your face be tracked so that way your avatar is not just like this still thing, but if you smile or if you frown or if you pout—or whatever your expression is—to actually have that, in real time, translated to your avatar… obviously our facial expressions are […] huge; there's more nonverbal communication when people are with each other than verbal communication.
In short, all this matches with leaked Project Cambria specifications. Expected to be marketed as the Meta Quest Pro, the VR headset is rumoured to feature custom pancake lenses with mini-LED panels operating at 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye. Understandably, the device will pack a powerful chipset, with the Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 1 supported by 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256 GB of storage and a 5,000 mAh battery. Pricing could well stretch beyond US$1,000 though, as we have discussed previously.
