Meta Planning to Release 4 VR Headsets by 2024
The Information reports that Meta Platforms plans to release four VR headsets by 2024. The website cites an internal road map it saw.
The aggressive launch timeline between now and 2024 is a testament to Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious quest to drive his metaverse vision and rope in more people into virtual reality.
Meta plans to release its high-end virtual reality and mixed reality headset Project Cambria around September this year. In a recent quarterly investor brief and for the first time, Zuckerberg talked of Cambria as a possible future of work device that will allow people to realistically take some of their work-life into the immersive environment and usher in next-level computing.
Internally, Meta employees are said to refer to the Cambria headset as the “laptop for the face” or as a “Chromebook for the face”, according to The Information report, emphasizing its posture as an immersive device that has been optimized for the future work. The device should not only replace current computing hardware like laptops but even the traditional workplace itself.
On the performance front, Project Cambria will also be more accurate. Like the Meta Quest 2, it leverages a smartphone chip.
The report says the first Cambria version has been codenamed Arcata and will retail at about $799. While Meta didn’t comment on The Information report, it clarified that the price quoted on the report was inaccurate as Arcata price will be “significantly higher”.
Two Quests Planned in a Row
The report says a second version of the Project Cambria which has been codenamed Funston is scheduled to arrive in 2024.
Project Cambria was initially scheduled for launch in 2021 but there was a delay occasioned by supply chain issues as well as other pandemic-related bottlenecks. The Information reports that the challenges that plagued Meta last year could once again push the launch date further. According to the report, the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, some upcoming Meta AR glasses as well as Meta’s first smartwatch were also affected by the supply chain issues.
Meta is also planning to launch two higher-priced Cambria headsets as well as two Quest headsets that have been codenamed Stinson and Cardiff and are scheduled for launch in 2023 and 2024. All the codenames for the Meta devices are placenames in California.
Meta’s future launch plans will entail alternating between the higher-end VR headset such as Cambria and an affordable new generation Quest headset. It isn’t clear whether Meta will manage to keep to the production and rollout schedule. The company could still be plagued with postponements in the future.
Meta also Planning to Launch Smartwatches and AR Glasses
The Verge has previously reported that Meta is planning to bring different other products to the market beyond virtual reality headsets.
The company is planning to launch a smartwatch in the market later in the year. In the next two years, Meta has also planned two other iterations of the smartwatch.
Meta will also launch basic data glasses in 2024. These have been codenamed Hypernova. Additionally, Meta plans to launch full-fledged augmented reality glasses which have been codenamed Project Nazare for the developer market. Zuckerberg has dubbed the Project Nazare AR goggles as the “Holy Grail”. The Nazare will be succeeded by much lighter and more advanced AR glasses between 2026 and 2028.
Meta’s hardware plans are very ambitious and the company has lined up a huge range of products for launch within a few years. The company also unveiled its first physical store in late April and these are expected to grow as its lineup of hardware products grows in the coming years. Currently, the Meta store features Ray-Ban Stories, Meta Quest 2 and the Portal brand video chat devices.
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