Meta Unveils Quest Pro VR Headset, Full-body Avatars And New Tech Partnerships - The Drum

Until today, the Quest Pro has gone by the shadowy codename of “Project Cambria.” Rumors person been swirling for months astir the headset’s signifier origin and capabilities, but Meta hadn’t made immoderate large announcements until today. In a livestream hosted connected Facebook’s website and besides virtually successful Horizon Worlds (Meta’s VR platform), the company’s laminitis and main enforcement Mark Zuckerberg revealed the Quest Pro to the nationalist for the archetypal time.

The caller headset has been designed with an accent connected mixed world (MR), a exertion which allows for the interplay betwixt carnal and virtual elements. It besides includes inward-facing cameras, which according to Zuckerberg volition alteration users to beryllium represented by much expressive and realistic avatars, successful crook making for much immersive and engaging interpersonal connection experiences successful the metaverse.

Meta is besides positioning the Quest Pro mostly arsenic a instrumentality for the workplace — adjacent if that workplace is distant oregon hybrid. Zuckerberg described it arsenic “a high-end instrumentality designed for work,” and the presumption included a montage of scenes successful which young, hip-looking radical were utilizing the headset for a assortment of workplace tasks.

The institution was besides definite to undercore the information that its tech is besides being utilized for play, pointing retired the popularity of fittingness apps successful VR and announcing that it would soon beryllium releasing an "active pack" for the Quest 2, making the headset much workout-friendly.

It was besides announced that the headset volition travel with tabletop charging platform, a Snapdragon XR2+ processor — giving it astir 50% much artillery beingness than its predecessor, the Quest 2 — arsenic good arsenic caller handheld Touch Pro controllers, which run independently to way the user’s movements (they tin besides beryllium turned into styluses successful Horizon Workrooms, the app’s concern meetings feature).

The Quest Pro is present disposable for preorder for $1,499.

Meta partners up with Microsoft, Accenture and Zoom

Meta has immoderate caller concern arrangements aimed astatine processing and expanding its metaverse technology.

After revealing the Quest Pro, Zuckerberg was joined by Microsoft main enforcement and president Satya Nadella; the 2 tech magnates jointly revealed a caller concern betwixt their 2 companies which volition see caller collaborative features, including the upcoming motorboat of Microsoft Teams successful Quest.

Julie Sweet, the main enforcement of Accenture, besides made an quality to denote a caller three-brand concern — which she described arsenic “the cleanable trifecta” — aimed astatine expanding concern use-cases for the metaverse.

Meta has besides partnered with Zoom to integrate its avatars into the video telephone platform.

New and improved avatars

The institution devoted a important chunk of clip during the Connect keynote to tease innovations that it volition soon beryllium deploying for its avatar technology.

Using the aforesaid upgraded Horizon Worlds avatar that was revealed to the satellite soon aft a lower-quality mentation was mocked connected societal media, Zuckerberg (literally) walked the assemblage done 1 of is large avatar upgrades: legs. Until now, Horizon Worlds avatars person been constricted to floating torsos, arms, and legs. That volition soon change: Full-body avatars volition soon get to Horizon Worlds, and from determination they volition gradually dispersed retired to different virtual experiences connected Quest.

The Meta Avatars Store is besides slated to motorboat successful VR aboriginal this year, a improvement which Zuckerberg hopes volition “help kickstart the marketplace for digital, interoperable goods.”

Zuckerberg besides teased innovations that the institution has planned successful augmented world (AR) — specifically regarding his company’s ongoing narration with Ray Ban — arsenic good arsenic neural interface electrohypgraphic (EMG) technology.

Meta’s CEO closed retired the Connect keynote connected a philosophical note, highlighting the brand’s committedness to gathering an unfastened and interoperable metaverse: “We’ve ever been astir gathering successful the open,” helium told viewers.

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