Summary
A new report indicates that theMeta Quest Pro 2is no longer in development and that its release has been canceled. Though the parent company continues to work on otherMeta Questheadsets, the follow-up to its most expensive and powerful headset to date may be no more.
Despite its best-known product being Facebook, Meta is behind one of thebest virtual reality headsetlines to ever exist. The Oculus Quest, now Meta Quest, is a series of VR headsets that are completely wireless, allowing users to enjoy them without a need for sensors, cameras, or connections to a PC. When the first Oculus Quest launched, it was revolutionary for its time, and while the Meta Quest Pro has had difficulty finding a market, the standard Quest line continues to perform for the company.
Now, a report fromThe Information, viaUploadVR, indicates that the Meta Quest Pro 2 has been canceled. The report alleges that Mark Zuckerberg and CTO Andrew Bosworth called for development to end during a recent product review meeting. Bosworth acknowledged the report, indicating that projects and prototypes are frequently shelved at Meta, and that it’s simply part of the development process. Although he didn’t confirm if the follow-up to theMeta Quest Prohas been completely shelved, it seems as though his response confirms that there’s at least some legitimacy to the claims.
Why Was the Meta Quest Pro 2 Allegedly Canceled?
While the Meta Quest Pro 2 likely would have taken the platform to new heights in terms of visual fidelity and overall performance, its apparent cancelation may be due to the performance of its predecessor. Despite price cuts, the Meta Quest Pro hasn’t sold well for the company. While it has excellent specs, theMeta Quest Pro’s price pointof $1000+ has likely turned off average consumers, and it’s not clear if businesses ever really adopted it as Meta had hoped. With its focus on business use, it’s possible the Meta Quest Pro may have sold better if it released during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many workers were stuck at home and had to telecommute.
However, this doesn’t mean the end for the virtual reality headsets. Whether the Meta Quest Pro 2 has been truly canceled or not, the standard Meta Quest line is still popular, and at a more affordable price point and a variety of pleasing apps and games likeResident Evil 4 VRfor players to enjoy. Currently, it’s believed that theMeta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of the standard Meta Quest 3, is in production, and that Meta Quest 4 will eventually be released, though perhaps not for years. Fans will have to wait and see what’s next for Meta’s vision of VR, but for now, the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro are the most powerful devices available from the company.
Meta Quest Pro
The Meta Quest Pro is a premium VR and mixed-reality headset that allows users to work, create, and collaborate in a virtual space while staying in their physical world. It packs 5 infrared eye and face tracking sensors with a 120-degree field of view each, that capture upper and lower facial movements for accurate virtual representation of the user. The Quest Pro is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ processor that allows it to deliver a 90 Hz refresh rate to each eye.
