Meta (formerly Facebook) have just announced the launch of their new Mixed Reality (VR & AR) headset: The Meta Quest Pro.
Featuring enhanced processing power, improved lenses and display the new headset looks to be a gamechanger for mixed reality.
Using colour video throughput allows for the headsets to finally bring AR to life in a far more engaging and immersive manner than peering through a tablet or mobile phone. Rather this will feel much more like VR does when viewed on a headset, matching the place/presence illusion with one that can display realistic, solid objects into your surrounding.
This innovation opens up a new range of opportunities for the AR/XR market - be that having your latest 3D, fully interactive modelled prototype appear on a tabletop for a trade show or characters coming to life on board games, the manner in which they are tracked and locked onto the environment will present a stunning illusion of the augmented objects being present.
Although headsets such as the Microsoft Hololens have offered this capability for some time the approach is different, where Hololens worked better in somewhat dimmed environments delivering semi-transparent objects as visual "holographic" style overlays the Quest Pro will deliver solid objects over the mapped video feed. The headset isn't perfect though, the video throughput isn't a clean feed, rather it's processed and mapped onto surfaces to recreate the actual environment which will no doubt have some effect on the quality of the image.
With the improved specifications it's fairly safe to assume that VR Video support will be improved, possibly allowing 8K stereoscopic footage to finally playback on a mainstream headset. The ergonomics apparently also allow for a more comfortable experience when wearing for extended periods. The Quest Pro headset is available to preorder now with a price of £1499 and will start shipping on 25th October 2022.
If you're interested in discussing ideas or concepts of what can be done with this innovative new headset do please get in touch.
Andrew Murchie is a creative technology consultant based in Edinburgh, Scotland specialising in virtual reality films & 3D. Over the last 5+ years he has produced Virtual Reality films & experiences for clients including NHS, Kimberly-Clark, The UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Highland Spring, Seafood in Scotland, Pict Offshore and Tennent Caledonian Breweries.