Zuckerberg Reveals A New Meta VR Headset Is Coming In October On Rogan's Podcast
by
Mark Tyson
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Friday, August 26, 2022, 11:58 AM EDT
Speaking on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg discussed a new VR headset being prepared for launch in October. VR fans will probably be aware that Facebook’s annual Connect event is also in October. It is thought that the upcoming advanced VR headset will be dubbed the Meta Quest Pro, which for months has been discussed under the code-name Project Cambria.
Zuckerberg didn’t go into tech specs with Rogan, but instead employed broad brush strokes to talk about the capabilities of the new VR headset, and the experiences that it will enable. One of the key advances of the Meta Quest Pro / Project Cambria will be its features that help users attain a feeling of “social presence,” explained the Meta CEO. This experience will largely be derived from eye and facial tracking tech translating your personal expressions and ticks directly to your virtual reality avatar’s visage. VR meetings among users will be a step above what current tech facilitates, with a wide range of intricate human expressions showing in real-time on the faces of avatars.
“There’s more nonverbal communication when people are with each other than verbal communication,” Zuckerberg said to Rogan. He went as far as claiming that with the new VR tech, users will feel for the first time that they will be able to have eye-contact with others in virtual worlds.
A launch window of October was provided by Zuckerberg, and some outline of the advanced capabilities, but he didn’t explicitly share the name for the device. Previous reports, citing leaked code, indicate that Project Cambria will be marketed under the product name Meta Quest Pro. Moreover, rumors of pricing for this advanced VR HMD indicate enthusiasts should expect to pay around $800. If this comes to pass, the Meta Quest Pro will be priced at around double the recently price-hiked Meta Quest 2. That is quite a gap, perhaps purposely leaving room for the Meta Quest 3.
Perhaps we will hear more about the Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 3 ahead of the official reveal event(s). If not, we will still be covering the Meta VR hardware reveal, and other interesting tech showcased at Facebook Connect, in October.