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Meta announced the Quest Pro virtual reality headset at its Meta Connect 2022 conference, targeting the business and professional market.
The company will offer Quest Pro alongside the already existing and more affordable $399 Quest 2 device. Meta says the new Quest Pro is aimed at professionals and businesses for whom a higher price tag may be justified.
Formerly known as Project Cambria, the Quest Pro is thinner than the Quest 2. It fits on a person’s head using a padded plastic ring and the battery has been moved back for better balance.
The new “pancake” lenses are 40% thinner than the Quest 2, and the company says its optical technology “folds lightly” into the optical module.
The Quest Pro uses full-color pass-through from four high-resolution cameras on the headset to capture and display a person’s surroundings as they wear the device. The Quest 2 only has a black and white version of this technology.
The feature should help it capture “mixed reality” experiences that overlay digital content over the environment rather than being limited to virtual reality.
Unlike the Quest 2, the Quest Pro has eye-tracking technology through inward-facing cameras. The company says they will help detect if the headset is properly placed and enable facial expressions with Meta avatars.
The headset uses a Snapdragon XR2+ chipset with an 1800 x 1920 LCD panel for each eye, four times higher than the Quest 2. Meta says these displays offer 75% more contrast and 10% more pixels per degree of view than the Quest 2. quest 2.
Accessories include chargers, controllers, a charging dock and face masks
The company also says the chip delivers 50% more power than the XR2 chip in the Quest 2. The Quest Pro has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, 12 sensors for virtual reality and mixed reality, and spatial audio.
The increased power has a downside. Meta says the Quest Pro will only get one to two hours of battery life instead of the two to three hours the Quest 2 achieved.
Redesigned controllers for the new headset omit the Quest 2 tracking rings and use built-in cameras that track the position of each controller relative to the Quest Pro headset. Each controller has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 mobile processor.
Meta sells the Quest Pro through its Meta Store for $1,499, together with retail partners in four countries. It is immediately available for pre-order via Meta.
Best Buy and Amazon will sell the product in the US and Canada; Amazon, Argos and Currys will offer it in the UK; and Amazon, Fnac and Boulanger will offer the Quest Pro in France. Prices vary by market.