Meta’s canceled Quest Pro 2 could pave the way for a major VR headset redesign in 2027 – and I’m all for it
Meta may have reportedly dumped its plans to launch a Meta Quest Pro 2 in 2027, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be serving mixed reality goodness that year. According to a new report, we could see a pair of light mixed reality glasses – codenamed ‘Puffin’ – launch instead, and if the leaks are true Puffin sounds like a fantastic alternative to the canceled headset.
Once again coming via The Information (behind a paywall) – who also shared details of the ‘La Jolla’ cancellation (the VR headset project likely set to be the Quest Pro 2) – Puffin is described as a 110g device that’ll look like opaque glasses offering VR and MR experiences using pancake lenses and passthrough cameras.
To cut the weight so dramatically – for context the Meta Quest 3 is 515g – Meta would shift the battery and most computing hardware into a puck that’s tethered to the headset via a wire that Meta “hopes” will fit in a person’s pocket. What’s more, Puffin won’t offer controllers in the box, with it reportedly relying solely on hand tracking – with The Information adding it may use a version of the Vision Pro’s gaze-and-pinch control scheme, suggesting Puffin will boast eye tracking.
This would be entirely different from anything Meta has launched before, but with Puffin seemingly set to focus on watching media and being used for productivity – like the Apple Vision Pro – I wouldn’t be shocked if this device launched using the Meta Quest Pro rather than adopting an all-new title so that it has a ‘Pro’ name that marks it as a direct competitor to Apple’s device.
I think the Vision Pro’s tethered battery was a smart weight-saving idea, and moving even more of a headset’s hardware to an external puck seems like a logical evolution to allow for even greater weight-saving. We’ve already seen something similar with some of the best AR smart glasses (like the Xreal Air 2) working by being tethered to a phone or device like the Xreal Beam Pro.
The idea makes extra sense if the headset is dedicated to more static entertainment and/or productivity tasks. Wearing a 110g headset for a whole two-hour movie (or longer film) or for a day of work would be a much easier task than with a headset weighing over 500g – I should know I tried wearing the Meta Quest Pro for a whole week over a year ago and didn’t love the pain in my neck it caused.
The only detail we’re left in the dark about is the cost, but considering La Jolla was apparently canceled because Meta couldn’t keep it under the original Meta Quets Pro’s price ($999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,729.99) I suspect Meta’s aiming for a similar target with Puffin. Though as with all rumors, we should take these details with a pinch of salt. Given the recent reports of Meta’s La Jolla project cancellation, there’s a chance that even if Puffin has been greenlit it could face the same fate at some point between now and the end of 2027.
But I seriously hope Puffin sees the light of day. This bold redesign is exactly what I’ve wanted to see from a Meta Quest Pro 2, and if it does launch with that name attached Puffin sounds like it could live up to the original’s promise in a serious way.
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Source: www.techradar.com
