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Meta Quest Pro headset release date, price, and specs

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Oct
11
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The Meta Quest Pro (formerly known as Project Cambria) is set to be the next best VR headset that’s fuelled by metaverse ambitions, but it won’t replace the Oculus Quest 2. Instead, it targets professionals with mixed reality support, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes it could replace your work PC or laptop.

It’s not all work and no play, as it still packs great horsepower for VR games and introduces support for the Xcloud portion of Xbox Game Pass, but that’s no where its value for money lies. If you use your VR headset for gaming first and foremost, you might be better off waiting for the Oculus Quest 3 instead.

Speaking of the Quest 3, there were some rumblings of an enhanced Oculus Quest 2 Pro making the rounds at the beginning of 2022, but these have since gone quieter. It’s safe to say that the Meta Quest Pro is all we’re seeing from the company for the remainder of 2022.

Here’s everything we know about the Meta Quest Pro:

  • October 25, 2022 is the Meta Quest Pro release date
  • The Meta Quest Pro costs is $1,499 USD, and pre-orders are now live
  • Meta Quest Pro specs include a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 1 processor
  • Meta Quest Pro controllers drop the intrusive ring and track themselves without the headset
  • Xbox Game Pass comes to Meta Quest

Meta Quest Pro release date

The Meta Quest Pro (formerly codenamed Project Cambria) is available for pre-order now and will start shipping on October 25, 2022. It’s primarily built for the Metaverse and mixed reality, enabling collaboration, creativity, and multitasking more than gaming specifically.

On the gaming front, Meta is working with Microsoft to bring Xbox Game Pass to the Quest line-up through XCloud, the brand’s cloud gaming platform.

Oculus Quest 2 on white backdrop

Meta Quest Pro price speculation

Proving this is a business device first and gaming is secondary, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t kidding when he said the VR headset sits “at the higher end of the price spectrum.” The Meta Quest Pro is priced at $1,499 USD.

This is more expensive than the HTC Vive Pro 2 and even the Valve Index, which was previously considered the more premium side of VR. If the cost makes your eyes pop, don’t worry, the Quest Pro isn’t here to replace the Meta Quest 2. That’s a job for the Meta Quest 3, and Valve is also working on an Index 2 successor that’ll likely suit the more affordable end of the market.

Meta Quest Pro specs

Just like the Meta Quest 2, Project Cambria is a wireless, standalone headset. It features a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 1 processor under the hood, which Meta claims will offer 50% more power than the current Quest 2 with better thermal dissipation.

The new pancake lenses are 40% thinner than the Quest 2, with a greater pixel density in the centre so you can better read text. The LCD screens themselves have 37% more pixels per inch than its predecessor and offer 75% more contrast to make the colours pop.

The HMD features inward-facing cameras for facial tracking, keeping an eye on your expressions so your Metaverse avatar smiles when you smile, frowns when you frown, and speaks when you speak. Meta believes this gives you more authenticity with a non-verbal presence in the virtual space.

Meta Quest Pro also boasts eye-tracking, a feature that provides users with another method of input. The tech allows developers to implement foveated rendering, an adaptive scaling technique that reserves high resolutions for the player’s line of sight while scaling down everything else. Not only does this make everything you’re seeing in the virtual world super sharp, but it ensures none of the device’s processing power is going to waste.

Since this is a mixed reality headset rather than a strict virtual reality headset, it incorporates augmented reality support. This includes peripheral vision so you can see the physical room around you, and magnetic light blockers for when you want to make it more immersive.

Despite its standalone capabilities, you’ll likely be able to plug it into your gaming PC for increased fidelity and performance, and you might still be able to cut the cord using Meta Air Link.

Meta Quest Pro controller leaks

Pro controllers are reportedly lighter, ditching the ring and instead putting better tracking cameras on the handles. This lets the pads track your hand movement independent from the headset, giving you greater control over your body. Generally, this should position the controllers more accurately in the 3D virtual space.

You can see everything announced at Meta Connect 2022 below.

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Many of the features for the Meta Quest Pro are still in the works, planned for 2023 rather than coming at launch.

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