Meta Quest Pro didn’t quite make the splash in the prosumer market that many expected, leading Meta to pull the plug on its first mixed reality headset a little over two years after it launched. Now, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg is shedding light on Meta’s future plans, hinting at a Quest 3 for consumers alongside a “high-end” model that could take the place of Quest Pro.
In his weekly newsletter, Gurman dives into the latest XR developments, including speculation about a screen being integrated into the next Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, and Apple reportedly scaling back on Vision Pro production due to waning interest in the $3,500 headset.
Gurman, quoting sources familiar with the matter, revealed that Meta is “working on Quest 4 VR goggles and a new premium model that might eventually succeed the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset.”
When Quest Pro debuted in late 2022, it marked a significant shift for Meta, stepping away from its consumer-focused standalone headsets, which typically hovered around the $300 price point.
Initially set at $1,500, the Quest Pro boasted advanced features over the Quest 2, such as color passthrough, pancake lenses, and face and eye tracking. Yet, less than five months after its launch, Meta slashed its price to $1,000, aiming to reel in more prosumers.
Fast forward to July 2023, The Information published an article claiming Meta was ending the Quest Pro line entirely—a notion quickly rebutted by Meta’s CTO and Reality Labs head, Andrew Bosworth, who advised, “don’t believe everything you read.”
Another report by The Information in July 2024 suggested Meta was shifting its ‘Pro’ focus to create a compact mixed reality device, reminiscent of “a hefty pair of glasses,” with the codename ‘Puffin’ and an anticipated launch in 2027. This is alongside Meta’s ambition to roll out a pair of AR glasses before 2030, echoing the functionality of its Orion AR glasses prototype.
Following this, another report indicated that a Quest Pro 2 prototype, dubbed ‘La Jolla’, had been scrapped. Bosworth later confirmed the cancellation of La Jolla, while acknowledging the development of Puffin, though he didn’t clarify whether this signaled the end of the Quest Pro line.
Meta’s approach to innovation seems to revolve around initiating and concluding various prototypes. Bosworth previously explained this as the company’s method of exploring possibilities rather than rushing to market. Where current projects like Quest Pro 2 stand on this spectrum remains unclear, making it challenging to ascertain whether these interruptions are truly dead ends or just part of the journey.
While countering the idea that the Quest Pro line was shelved, Bosworth 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.”
