Meta Quest Pro didn’t quite achieve the prosumer appeal it was anticipated to have, which led the company to phase out its first mixed reality headset just over two years after it hit the market. Now, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg shares that Meta isn’t just crafting a follow-up for Quest 3 aimed at consumers but also a "high-end" variant that could potentially replace the Quest Pro.
In his weekly roundup, Gurman covers a slew of recent developments in the XR world. This includes speculation about Meta integrating displays into the next Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and whispers of Apple scaling back Vision Pro production due to dwindling demand for their $3,500 headset.
Drawing on insider information, Gurman reveals that Meta is currently developing Quest 4 VR goggles, alongside a fresh high-end model that might eventually take the place of the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset.
Quest Pro, launched in late 2022, was a radical pivot from Meta’s typically affordable standalone headsets, which were priced around $300 at the time.
Initially retailing for $1,500, the ‘Pro’ headset offered advanced features compared to its counterpart, Quest 2, such as color-passthrough, pancake lenses, and both face and eye-tracking capabilities. However, just under five months later, Meta slashed the price to $1,000 to attract more prosumers.
Come July 2023, The Information released a piece claiming that Meta was scrapping the Quest Pro line entirely—an assertion Meta’s CTO and Reality Labs head Andrew Bosworth was quick to challenge, advising not to take every report as gospel.
The Information followed up in July 2024, suggesting that Meta was redirecting their ‘Pro’ efforts towards crafting a lightweight mixed reality device akin to "a bulky pair of glasses," with the code name ‘Puffin,’ targeting a 2027 release. Moreover, Meta is aiming to unveil a pair of AR glasses, similar to its Orion AR prototype, before 2030.
Shortly after, The Information claimed a Quest Pro 2 prototype, codenamed ‘La Jolla,’ had been axed. Bosworth confirmed these reports, acknowledging the cancellation of La Jolla in favor of developing Puffin, though he left the future of the Quest Pro line unclear.
Meta’s iterative strategy for product development involves launching and winding down prototypes, which Bosworth has previously described as prioritizing exploration over immediate market viability. The current status of projects like Quest Pro 2 in this cycle remains uncertain, making it hard to differentiate whether these actions are progress markers or complete halts.
While refuting earlier claims about discontinuing the Quest Pro line, Bosworth cryptically mentioned, "there might be a Quest Pro 2, there might not be. I’m not really telling you, but I will say don’t believe everything you read about what’s been stopped or started."
