Meta unveils its new virtual reality headset, the Quest Pro

Meta Platforms unveiled its Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset, marking a milestone for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s break into the higher-end market for extended reality computing devices.

The VR headset, introduced at Meta’s annual Connect conference, will hit shelves on October 25, 2022, for $1,500, and will offer consumers a way to interact with virtual creations with a full-color view of the physical world.

CEO Zuckerberg has poured billions of dollars into the vision. Reality Labs, the Meta unit responsible for bringing the metaverse to life, lost $10.2 billion in 2021 and has lost nearly $6 billion so far in 2022.

The Quest Pro features several upgrades over Meta’s current Quest 2 headset, which tremendously dominates the consumer virtual reality market.

Most distinctively, the Quest Pro has outward-facing cameras to capture a sort of 3D live stream of the physical environment around a wearer, enabling mixed-reality novelties like the ability to have a virtual ball bounce off a real table or hang a virtual painting on a real-world wall.

The Quest Pro feels slimmer and lighter than its predecessors, with pancake-thin lenses and a relocated battery that is placed at the back of the headset, distributing its weight more evenly while reducing overall bulk.

For completely immersive virtual reality, Meta has added tracking sensors to the Quest Pro to replicate users’ facial expressions and eye movements, creating a sense that avatars are making eye contact.