Meta to Release Four New Virtual Reality Headsets by 2024

Meta jumped into the Virtual Reality (VR) space when it bought Oculus for $2 billion in 2014. It has since released three VR headsets, the Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest 2. Meta is estimated to control 78% of the VR market.

The VR and Alternate Reality (AR) space is about to get a lot more crowded. According to a report in The Information, a subscription-based tech insider publication, Meta is working on four new headsets set to release before the end of 2024.

Project Cambria had already been announced, though all the details aren’t yet known. It is planned for release this year and will be powered by the same chipset as the Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2) but will have more features and RAM. But unlike the Quest 2, it is focused on productivity and work rather than gaming.

According to previous leaks, Project Cambria will have 12GB of RAM as opposed to the Quest 2’s 6GB. It will also have full color cameras for its trackers. The Quest 2 has grainy black and white cameras, allowing the user to see a real time feed of the world around them, making using a keyboard and mouse possible while in the headset. The added RAM is intended to enable users to have multiple tasks going at once, something that is essential for workflows.

The headset will also feature face and eye tracking, making virtual reality meetings much more personable and realistic.

Internally, Meta employees have been calling Project Cambria a “laptop for the face,” according to the report. The headset will be heavier than the Quest 2 because of a larger battery but it is also supposed to be more comfortable, with that battery acting as a counterweight on the back of the user’s head. The Quest 2 has all of its internals on the front of the user’s head.

Contrary to The Information report that said Meta is targeting a $799 price point, Project Cambria will cost significantly more than $800, according to a Meta spokesperson who relayed the details to UploadVR. That is a significant increase from the Quest 2, which starts at $299.

The other three headsets were unknown until The Information’s report. Project Funston is set to release in 2024 and will be an upgraded version of Project Cambria. How it will differ from Cambria is unknown at this point.

The other two headsets, Project Stinson and Cardiff, are gaming focused, just like the Quest 2. Not much is known about them other than they will be released in 2023 and 2024, with the higher end model coming out in 2023 and a budget model arriving in 2024.

A previous report by The Verge indicated that Meta is also working on AR glasses for release in 2024, an expensive version called Nazare and a cheaper set called Hypernova. It is unlikely that either set of AR glasses is directly related to these newly revealed VR headsets.