Mark Zuckerberg is betting the entire future of his company on the metaverse. He renamed Facebook to Meta last year, and so far this year, he’s spent $10 billion on Reality Labs, Meta’s AR and VR development group. Reality Labs was not cut particularly hard in Meta’s huge layoffs this week, even in the face of pressure to reduce the investment and focus on the core advertising business.
So the Quest Pro, Meta’s new virtual reality headset, is facing a lot of pressure. It has to start delivering on a huge set of promises about the future of work — it’s meant to host meetings, replace big monitors, and create a more lasting sense of connection to other people in VR. Meta has seen modest success with its Quest 2 game console, but the Quest Pro is the start of a new generation of computers: a $1,499 product designed to run Microsoft software and sold by Accenture.
The problem is, the Quest Pro isn’t very good. It’s a device seemingly launched without plan or purpose, highlighting VR’s persistent drawbacks without making good use of its strengths — and topped off with some irredeemably bad software. We might be seeing a roadmap for where Meta is going, but right now, it’s not a particularly fun place to be. And if Meta lingers there much longer, its metaverse is in trouble.
The Meta Quest Pro is a high-end alternative to the Quest 2, which Meta will continue to sell separately. It’s a self-contained VR headset with beefier internal specs and two major new features: mixed reality with a full-color video feed and face tracking via inward-facing cameras. Meta imagines the Quest Pro as a virtual office where people can meet up with co-workers and toggle between full VR and a limited form of AR.
While Meta has described the Quest as a VR Nintendo Switch, it’s tailoring the Quest Pro to an audience that can buy a more expensive headset, starting with its looks and fit. The Quest Pro is an intimidatingly polished-looking piece of black plastic. Instead of the Quest 2’s cloth straps, it features a black plastic halo, which sits around your head and tightens with a wheel at the back, a bit like the original PlayStation VR. The headset is heavier than the Quest 2 at 722 grams compared to 503 grams, but it’s redistributed its weight to be less front-heavy, shifting its battery to the back.
I loved this design after a Quest Pro demo session, and I think it’s still got strong points. The headset fits more securely than the default Quest 2 strap system, which sometimes felt on the verge of slipping off. There’s no velcro for my long hair to get caught in.
But since that first demo, using the Quest Pro has become uniquely tortuous. Its ring puts practically all its substantial weight on my upper forehead, sometimes leaving a numb and tingling strip along my hairline. It feels a little better if I keep the fit loose, but that makes the headset less stable during games and other high-intensity activities. It’s a worse experience than the Quest 2 with its optional Elite Strap, which includes an over-the-head strap for balance and still leaves the Quest 2 about 100 grams lighter than the Quest Pro.
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