Meta’s Quest Pro headset didn’t quite hit the mark with the prosumer audience, leading the company to cut the cord on its first mixed reality device just over two years after its debut. Now, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reports that Meta isn’t just working on the anticipated Quest 3 for consumers; they’re also developing a "high-end" model that could eventually take over the reins from the Quest Pro.
In his regular newsletter, Gurman covers a variety of recent XR developments, from Meta’s potential plans to incorporate a display into their next Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses to whispers of Apple scaling back production of their Vision Pro headset due to waning interest at the $3,500 price point.
Drawing from insider information, Gurman suggests that Meta is actively working on next-generation Quest 4 VR goggles along with a new premium model that could become the heir to the Quest Pro in the mixed-reality department.
When the Quest Pro hit the market in late 2022, it marked a big shift for Meta, stepping away from their lineup of consumer standalone headsets, which typically hovered around the $300 price range.
Initially launched at $1,500, this ‘Pro’ level headset brought a slew of advanced features compared to the Quest 2, such as color-passthrough, pancake lenses, and facial and eye-tracking technologies. Despite these enhancements, Meta reduced the price to $1,000 within less than five months to entice more of the prosumer market.
In July 2023, The Information released a piece indicating that Meta planned to phase out the Quest Pro line completely. However, Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO and head of Reality Labs, was quick to challenge this report, cautioning "don’t believe everything you read."
Continuing developments from The Information in July 2024 suggested that Meta redirected its ‘Pro’ efforts towards creating a more streamlined mixed reality device resembling an oversized pair of glasses, rumored to be named ‘Puffin,’ with a prospective launch aimed for 2027. Meta also hinted at ambitions to release AR glasses before 2030 that would match the functionality of their Orion AR glasses prototype.
A follow-up report hinted that a Quest Pro 2 prototype, nicknamed ‘La Jolla,’ had also been shelved. Bosworth later confirmed the La Jolla project’s cancellation but acknowledged the ongoing development of Puffin, though he left open questions about the Quest Pro line’s ultimate fate.
In Meta’s iterative method of product development, they often alternate between advancing and abandoning prototypes—a practice Bosworth has described as prioritizing exploration over the urgency of commercialization. Whether projects like Quest Pro 2 are simply stepping stones or dead ends remains uncertain, as the development path is often shrouded in mystery.
While addressing earlier claims of the Quest Pro line’s demise, Bosworth remarked, "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."
