Summary
Despite the fact that Meta’s Quest Pro 2 is among the most advanced virtual reality headsets now on the market, it was never able to realize its full potential as a laptop replacement for spatial computing. According to speculations, Meta has not given up on the idea of developing a solution that is focused on work, and Meta Quest Pro 2 is still in the process of being developed. The following is all we know about Meta’s response to Apple’s Vision Pro at this point in time.
Speculation on the release date of Meta Quest Pro 2
Attempting to create a reliable forecast about the debut date of Quest Pro 2 by Meta is almost impossible. During an Instagram Ask Me Anything session, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, made it very apparent that the company is continuously developing new virtual reality headsets in order to determine what is feasible with the technology that is now available. This affords Meta a greater degree of freedom in comparison to manufacturers that conduct research for years prior to doing hardware testing.
It is possible that the Quest Pro 2 will be introduced at Meta Connect 2024 as early as this October, provided that Meta is content with the performance of the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 and LG is able to produce sufficient micro-OLED screens.
It was also mentioned by Boz that Meta is working on improving the operating system. Although hardware is essential, the Quest Pro 2 will still need to connect to a computer in order to do tasks. This is the case even if it receives considerable enhancements to its operating system, a desktop web browser, and an increased number of applications that are necessary for productivity.
There has been a noticeable increase in activity from Meta’s Quest and Reality Labs development teams, as seen by the recent Quest upgrades, which have brought about interesting developments. It is my hope that this will be reflected in a Quest Pro 2 that is capable of substituting a laptop in every way.
There is a greater likelihood that Quest Pro 2 will be released in the year 2025 if any of the software or hardware components are delayed in their development progression. It is still possible that a Quest 3 Lite or Quest 3s may be released this autumn, so we can continue to look forward to the likelihood of their arrival.
Cooperative effort with LG
In January, it was reported that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, had been to the headquarters of LG in order to explore the possibility of forming a collaboration with this prominent display maker. As a result of Meta’s decision to abandon the use of devices such as Portal, which is a tablet-like video chat device, cooperation is now limited to just two options: virtual reality headsets or augmented reality glasses.
According to the same article, the item in issue is considered to be an augmented reality headgear that will make use of micro-OLED screens. The first version of Quest used OLED panels; however, the displays had a rather poor resolution and were restricted to a refresh rate of 72 hours per second. Beginning with Quest 2, Meta made the transition to LCD screens, which resulted in a reduction in the cost of displays that were both clearer and quicker. This led to an improvement in virtual reality games and opened up the possibility of employing VR for professional purposes. I would like to bring to your attention the fact that LG has already declared its intention to develop its very own mixed-reality headset before the end of this year.
Recent advancements have made micro-OLED an alternative that is once again intriguing. This particular display type was selected by Apple for the ultra-premium Vision Pro, while Sony made the same decision for their PlayStation VR2 product.
During his harsh but perceptive evaluation of Apple’s Vision Pro, Mark Zuckerberg pointed out various problems, one of which was motion blur, while at the same time acknowledging that the screen’s sharpness was pretty great.
By updating the Quest Pro 2 with high-resolution micro-OLED screens, Meta might demonstrate that it is capable of tackling the challenge posed by Apple, following the precedent set by these established technology businesses. In order to lessen the effects of motion blur and display persistence, LG should be able to develop micro-OLED screens that are brighter than those seen in the Vision Pro.
Outstanding performance
In order to assist Qualcomm in the development of its Snapdragon XR processors and to enhance the capabilities of the Quest platform and Meta smart glasses, Meta has established a cooperation with Qualcomm that will last for many years. The outcome resulted in the creation of the wonderful Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses as well as the fantastic Quest 3. Right now, we are just getting started.
There is also a speedier edition of the processor that is utilized in the Quest 3, which Qualcomm has previously revealed. In addition to being able to support four times as many 4K panels, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 has sufficient CPU and GPU speed to manage the additional load without experiencing any latency. Advanced eye and hand tracking is made possible by this improved chip, which has the capability to access up to twelve tracking cameras.
It is already common knowledge that manufacturers, including as Samsung, HTC, and Immersed, have selected this powerful Qualcomm CPU for their forthcoming XR headsets. The only issue that remains is if Meta will follow suit or whether it will be granted early access to a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 that has not yet been revealed. This would provide the Quest Pro 2 with an edge in terms of speed and efficiency.
More design options are made available to manufacturers with each successive generation of chip technology. These options allow manufacturers to move the balance toward technology that is lighter and smaller, or to strive for better performance and longer battery life.
Despite the fact that the Quest 3 already has excellent performance, it is unable to compete with the desktop-class M2 processor found in the Vision Pro. It will be an exciting virtual reality headset that has the potential to acquire more respect than the first-generation device if Meta is able to equal the weight of the Quest 3 while also greatly improving its performance and picture quality. This will be accomplished while keeping the design benefits of the Quest Pro.
AI in VR
In my previous overview of expectations for Meta Quest 4, I noted that artificial intelligence may play a significant part in the future virtual reality aspirations that Meta has. Beyond the word and graphic wizardry that ChatGPT is capable of, this goes far deeper. The limits of reality are gone when you use a virtual reality headset.
Image recognition for identification and translation, answering inquiries about current events, and bringing the advantages of generative conversation in a pair of sunglasses that are small and light are all examples of the ways in which Meta AI has already supercharged the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses.
Imagine the possibilities that would be available in a setting where the computer would have complete control over everything. That is rather remarkable. Every single item that you see and hear in virtual reality is processed by the machine. Anything may be accomplished with the help of artificial intelligence improvements. Within the bounds of reason, your desires could become a reality for you.
You may better understand what I mean by looking at a few instances. Meta has previously displayed realistic virtual reality avatars, which can be viewed in a post by Shunsuke Saito on X. These avatars are more believable than the most recent FaceTime personas that Vision Pro has to offer. The lack of performance of Meta’s technology has been what has been holding it back. This is quickly changing as CPUs get more powerful and artificial intelligence achieves a level of sophistication that makes it simpler to depict complicated scenes.
The debut of Quest Pro 2 should coincide with the arrival of something that is comparable to Meta’s Codec Avatars, and the target date for this event could not be too far off.
What is going to remain the same?
In contrast to Apple, who believed that virtual reality controllers were superfluous and instead chose to operate the Vision Pro using pinch gestures, Meta does not see any contradiction in supporting both motion controllers and hand-tracking controllers. In and of itself, the controls of the Quest Pro are amazing.
There is no virtual reality headset that can compare to the Quest Pro’s design. There is just one significant problem, and that is the weight of the forehead pad, which has a set shape. I am expecting that the Quest Pro 2 will be lighter and will provide a few other alternatives for the head pad.
What Meta did well with the first version of the Quest Pro is shown by the charging dock, which is another excellent example. Not only does Boz indicate that he is still a fan of the Quest Pro, but he also offered some similar ideas in an Instagram AMA on the reasons why he continues to use both the Quest 3 and the Quest Pro simultaneously.
