Summary
According to new reports,Metais planning a brand new mixed reality headset that will be dramatically lighter than the lightest Meta Quest. The news comes following the reveal that the plannedMeta QuestPro 2 has likely been canceled.
Meta currently leads the market inwireless virtual reality headsets. However, it has gradually been moving in the direction of mixed reality applications, as well. This is in keeping with Meta’s hopes that their headset line will not only attract gamers, but also businesses and individuals who want to use them as productivity tools. This new design may be the culmination of these efforts.
As revealed byThe Information, viaUploadVR, Meta is allegedly working on a new headset design that’s been given the codename Puffin and is slated for release in 2027. Unlike the current bulky VR headsets, the new Puffin design is intended to be like a thick pair of glasses, coming in at about 110 grams. This is a dramatic decrease from the company’s current releases, with theMeta Quest 3 weighing 515 gramswith the straps and facial interface attached. This could make using the device for long periods of time significantly more comfortable for users, as it would reduce neck and shoulder strain from carrying additional weight on one’s head.
How Meta’s Puffin Lowered its Weight
While being so incredibly lightweight is impressive, there’s a bit of a gimmick behind it. Allegedly, the Puffin will have a connection to an external puck that users will be able to attach to themselves or keep in a pocket. The puck will actually contain the processing hardware and battery for the device, so only the display components will have to be strapped to the user’s face. While this technically makes it a partially tethered headset, users should still be able to move around freely. However, it could reintroduce the problem of getting tangled up in wires if one moves the wrong way.
Additionally, the new Meta headset will supposedly ship without controllers, as it’s designed to be used with the Meta Quest hand controls combined with eye tracking. This may make it less of a game-focused device, though it’s also possible that the headset could still be compatible with existing controllers, like theMeta Quest Pro Touch controllers. If that were the case, it could still be a viable product for both gaming and productivity.
Of course, anything could change between now and 2027.Meta’s CTO previously said that prototypes are changed or canceledall the time, so it’s possible that this particular headset might not reach the public, or its technology could be repurposed for another Meta Quest. Only time will tell what Meta officially unveils next.
Meta Quest 3
The Meta Quest 3 is the latest and greatest mixed-reality headset that brings a host of improvements compared to the previous generation. The Quest 3 has higher resolution displays per eye with support for 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates.It uses a more powerful 2nd generation Snapdragon XR2 processor that is capable of running games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 natively. It comes with a full-color passthrough, improved controllers, and a slimmer form factor.
