An Oculus Quest 2 Pro is apparently in the works, and it could arrive before both Project Cambria and the next-gen Oculus Quest 3. According to the tech insider Ming-Chi Kuo, Meta will refresh its best VR headset by enhancing the device’s resolution, screen type, and features.
Ming-Chi Kuo says the Oculus Quest 2 Pro will come equipped with two new 2.48-inch mini-LED displays, an improvement over the original model’s LCD panels. Meta will also bump the resolution of its goggles up to 2160×2160, meaning it’ll feature more pixels per eye than the Sony PSVR2. Lastly, the Quest 2 Pro reportedly switches out its fresnel lenses for a pancake variant, which suggests the headset could be smaller and lighter compared to the previous fresnel design.
As for features, the Quest 2 Pro will seemingly support facial recognition, something HTC previously added to its Vive Pro using an additional tracking module. Naturally, this lines up with Meta’s shift towards metaverse technology, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously expressed a desire to animate realistic avatars in an interview with The Information podcast.
Meta hasn’t officially announced any plans for a Meta Quest 2 Pro, so it’s probably best to take the leak with a grain of salt. It’s unclear whether the Quest 2 Pro will release instead of the Oculus Quest 3, or if it will simply help the company compete with the PSVR2 and the Valve Index while it cooks up next-generation VR headsets.
The Oculus Quest 2 is still the most popular headset on Steam, but the Valve Index managed to snag more new users than Meta’s device. If this trend continues, Valve’s VR solution could potentially catch up to the social media giant and gain a larger slice of the virtual reality pie, especially if faithful Oculus fans hold a grudge over the Quest 2’s recent rebrand.