Meta to Launch New VR Headset in October; Will Feature Eye, Facial Tracking: All Details
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the company’s new high-end VR headset will be released in October, most likely during the Connect VR conference. While speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Zuckerberg stated that the new VR headset, codenamed Project Cambria, will have “big features” that will provide users with a sense of “social presence.”
VR Headset Features
According to Zuckerberg, the upcoming virtual reality headsets will include eye and facial tracking. This, he claims, will allow the headset user to make eye contact in the virtual world. Furthermore, the face tracking feature allows your avatar to track your face and emote in real time. “Have your face be tracked so that way your avatar — it’s not just this still thing, but if you smile or if you frown or if you pout, or whatever your expression is, have that translate in real-time to your avatar,” he was heard saying on the episode.
The new headset is expected to cost more than USD800, which is more than twice the price of the current Quest 2 VR headset. While the device itself is not visible in the video, the company mentions the headset’s ability to perform full-colour passthrough in high resolution. Passthrough is a feature that allows users of headsets to see a live view of their surroundings. It makes use of the headset’s sensors to determine what the user would see if he or she could look directly through the front of the headset and into the real world. The current Quest headsets only display passthrough in greyscale. The upcoming VR headset will support full-colour pass-through, making the content inside the headset appear more realistic.
In July, Meta announced that it is raising the prices of the Meta Quest 2 VR headset from August. The 128GB variant of the Quest 2 has been priced at $399.99 (roughly Rs. 32,000), and the 256GB variant has been priced at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 40,000). The company also increased prices for some accessories and refurbished units.
Liked this post? Don’t forget to check out our other short stories in our Quick Read section