Report: Meta planning three more VR headsets, Quest 3 due this year
A leaked presentation detailed the company's plans for AR and VR, but highlighted retention issues with current hardware
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Meta is planning at least three more virtual reality Quest headsets in the next few years.
That's according to The Verge, which had access to an internal Reality Labs presentation that took place on Tuesday, detailing Meta's roadmap for AR and VR products.
In the presentation, Meta's virtual reality VP Mark Rabkin reportedly told employees that a Quest 3 (codenamed Stinson) will be released later this year. Thinner and more powerful, it will also be a bit more expensive than the Quest 2 (which currently retails at $399), focus on mixed reality elements, and feature 41 new games and apps.
The Verge said that Rabkin mentioned the challenge of convincing people to pay "a bit more" for the Quest 3. He reportedly said: "We have to get enthusiasts fired up about it. We have to prove to people that all this power, all these new features are worth it."
Then will come a more accessible version of the VR headset, codenamed Ventura, in 2024.
"The goal for this headset is very simple: pack the biggest punch we can at the most attractive price point in the VR consumer market," Rabkin reportedly said.
Finally, a headset codenamed La Jolla is due "way out in the future," and seems more inspired by the Quest Pro.
During the presentation, Rabkin also revealed that 20 million Quest headsets have been sold to date. He noted issues with growth and retention though.
"Right now, we’re on our third year of Quest 2," he reportedly told employees. "And sadly, the newer cohorts that are coming in, the people who bought it this last Christmas, they’re just not as into it [as] the ones who bought it early."
Beyond the VR headsets, Meta has plans for a first generation of AR glasses, as well as an accompanying smartwatch, for 2025.
Meta's intention is for smart glasses to eventually replace smartphones, with glasses codenamed Orion in the works for the past eight years and due to launch in 2027.
In Meta's latest financial results published in early February, the company reported an operating loss of nearly $14 billion for its VR division in 2022.
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