Meta Quest Pro VR Headset: A Pricey Piece of Tech - Gizmodo Australia

Overnight astatine Meta Connect, Meta (the institution formerly known arsenic Facebook) revealed its caller VR headset, the Meta Quest Pro.

Once called Project Cambria, the Meta Quest Pro is “the archetypal successful a caller enactment of precocious headsets built to grow the possibilities of virtual and mixed reality”, according to the official announcement post. You mightiness beryllium alert of its predecessor, the Meta Quest 2 (formerly known arsenic the Oculus).

But the headset wasn’t the lone happening announced successful the realm of VR during Meta Connect.

The Meta Quest Pro

Firstly, let’s conscionable get it retired of the way: the Meta Quest Pro is very pricey. The high-tech headset volition outgo you $2,449.99 successful Australia, astir 4 times the terms of the Meta Quest 2 ($630) and over the price of the full HTC Vive Pro 2 kit.

This is interesting, considering that the Meta Quest 2 was praised for its debased price, but possibly this higher terms constituent is much astir recuperating the evident nonaccomplishment Meta was taking erstwhile selling specified a large portion of tech beneath its value.

One tiny boi. Image: Meta

The Quest Pro includes look and oculus tracking, on with a Snapdragon XR2-Plus processor, 12GB memory, 256GB interior retention and a 90hz refresh complaint (as reported by The Verge).

The headset besides includes recently designed controllers, but possibly its astir striking diagnostic is how tiny it is. Seriously, the Meta Quest Pro is simply a tiny headset.

The caller controllers. Image: Meta

One of my main problems with VR arsenic a mean is conscionable however immense the headsets are, but the Meta Quest Pro seems to straight code this. I don’t truly attraction astir the look and oculus tracking, but compressing VR into a smaller instrumentality is beauteous darn cool.

I can’t hold to usage one.

Horizon Worlds gets a facelift

Back successful August, we said that Horizon Worlds’ new graphics update was beauteous darn ugly. At the time, we lone had a tiny assortment of screenshots to spell off, courtesy of Zuckerberg himself, but present we’ve seen a spot much of the VR app and its caller overgarment of paint.

Unfortunately, the rendered satellite we were shown was inactive beauteous unimpressive, and the exemplary Zuckerberg graced america with was not each that detailed. However, it did person 1 caller feature.

“Legs,” Zuckerberg exclaimed during his 2022 Meta Connect keynote. The camera zoomed backmost to amusement his Horizon World avatar standing, really standing. Truly, it’s a caller era. Previously, Horizon Worlds avatars were legless, but it looks similar going forward, they’ll beryllium rendered successful with the remainder of the body.

Zuckerberg called legs “the astir requested diagnostic connected our roadmap,” arsenic helium and Aigerim Shorman, Meta’s wide manager of avatars and identity, lifted their legs up and down similar they were conscionable getting utilized to the conception of gravity. The crushed wherefore legs were truthful hard successful the archetypal place, according to Zuckerberg and Shorman, was due to the fact that “legs are hard.” He added “that’s wherefore different virtual world systems don’t person them either.”

That’s patently untrue. VRChat has had legs and much advanced full-body tracking for years. Still, Zuckerberg said his institution has worked hard to make systems to accurately simulate arms and legs successful virtual space, since users mightiness consciousness unusual if their VR limbs crook successful unnatural ways.

But, look, Horizon Worlds is inactive mostly a pointless app, with tonnes of wealth thrown astatine it with seemingly nary existent crushed to play it. Its ain developers aren’t utilizing it, and with boring avatars similar these, it’s improbable to physique up a subordinate basal akin to VRChat.

Still, I clasp retired anticipation that thing chill volition travel from it. Meta is moving connected a web-based exertion for Horizon Worlds, truthful that users tin play without a headset from immoderate device.

We’ve clipped the infinitesimal from the keynote below.

Horizon Worlds x NBC Universal

Beyond the Meta Quest Pro astatine the Meta Connect event, the institution made a large woody retired of saying VR has transformed from a solitary to a societal and shared experience. The institution accentuated that successful Horizon Worlds, radical play games, grounds podcasts, marque music, and “roast marshmallows” (that’s a existent quote). And opening adjacent year, folks volition besides get to bent retired successful peculiar experiences astir their favourite NBC Universal shows and movies, specified arsenic The Office.

In the twelvemonth of our Lord 2022, we inactive can’t flight The Office, as a societal abstraction dedicated to the amusement volition soon beryllium offered successful Meta’s proprietary Horizon Worlds app. Other properties see Universal Monsters, Dreamworks, Blumhouse and Halloween Horror Nights.

“Fans volition beryllium capable to prosecute successful these experiences successful Horizon Worlds, astatine Universal Studios taxable parks and customise their avatars,” said Vishal Shah, Meta’s vice president of metaverse.

Meta is hoping to entice much folks into Horizon Worlds by dangling their favourite contented successful beforehand of them similar a carrot. Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO who is besides starring Reality Labs, seemed to corroborate this, saying that the institution wanted to physique out Horizon Worlds as the next-generation societal platform, wherever the transportation with others happens “in real-time.” Shah agreed.

Personally, if they adhd a precocious item swamp from Shrek to Horizon Worlds, I’ll usage that pointless app, for the meme imaginable astatine least.

More ‘future of work’ metaverse drivel

Meta’s continuing to flog its Horizon Worlds application arsenic thing to instrumentality earnestly successful the workplace.

I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate workplace successful this satellite that would privation to strap VR headsets to its workers for… Uh… I’m checking the recap nonfiction here. Meetings? And connection processing? Is that earnestly it? guys, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and Google Meets person existed for years without needing an costly headset.

But the amusement goes on, and Microsoft Office and Teams are present coming to the metaverse.

“You tin connect, share, collaborate arsenic though you were unneurotic successful person, and successful the aboriginal you’ll beryllium capable to usage different avatars, including Meta avatars, successful immersive experiences successful Teams meetings, too,” said Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.

Actual amusive things astatine Meta Connect

Xbox Cloud Gaming was besides included successful the presentation. This is the cloud-first mentation of Xbox Game Pass, disposable to Ultimate subscribers.

Although Nadella didn’t supply galore details, helium revealed that Microsoft is not lone partnering with Meta connected workplace integration, but besides successful gaming. The Microsoft CEO stated that the institution would beryllium bringing Xbox Game Pass’ Cloud Gaming work to the Meta Quest Store.

“You’ll beryllium capable to play 2D games with your Xbox controller projected connected a monolithic surface connected Quest. It’s aboriginal days, but we are excited for what’s to come,” Nadella said.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR and Among Us VR are also coming to Oculus. Meta has besides acquired Camouflaj, Twisted Pixel and Armature Studios, 3 VR crippled developers. You mightiness cognize of Armature Studios arsenic the developer behind Resident Evil 4 VR. 

That’s astir it, really

The item of Meta Connect 2022 was decidedly the Meta Quest Pro, and we’re keen to spot if it’ll shingle up the VR marketplace oregon not. At its crisp terms point, it astir apt won’t, but it’s an absorbing and lightweight device, to accidental the least.

You tin work the afloat announcement connected the Meta website.

This nonfiction has been updated since it was archetypal published.