Meta Quest Pro didn’t quite capture the prosumer market as anticipated, which led to its discontinuation a bit over two years after it first launched. According to Mark Gurman’s latest update from Bloomberg, Meta is not just focusing on a probable Quest 3 consumer version but is also contemplating a “high-end” model that could potentially take over the Quest Pro’s place.
In his weekly newsletter, Gurman wraps up a slew of recent news from the extended reality realm. This includes Meta possibly incorporating a display in the upcoming Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and murmurs of Apple cutting back on Vision Pro production in response to waning interest in the $3,500 headset.
Drawing on insider information, Gurman revealed that Meta is actively developing Quest 4 VR headsets, alongside a new premium model that might one day succeed the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset.
When Quest Pro hit the market in late 2022, it marked a significant shift from Meta’s more affordable standalone headsets, which hovered around $300.
Initially tagged at $1,500, the Pro headset offered features like color-passthrough, pancake lenses, and advanced face and eye-tracking, standing out from the Quest 2 at the time. Yet, less than five months post-launch, Meta slashed its price to $1,000 to lure in more prosumers.
Fast forward to July 2023, The Information released a piece suggesting Meta was pulling the plug on the Quest Pro line altogether. Meta’s CTO and head of Reality Labs, Andrew Bosworth, was quick to react, urging the public not to buy into everything they read.
An additional report from July 2024 claimed that Meta was redirecting its ‘Pro’ efforts to craft a lightweight mixed reality device resembling “a chunky pair of glasses,” with the codename ‘Puffin.’ This device, aimed for a 2027 release, is a part of Meta’s broader ambition to roll out a pair of AR glasses before 2030, akin to its Orion AR glasses prototype.
Soon after, another piece from The Information suggested that a Quest Pro 2 prototype, known as ‘La Jolla,’ had been abandoned. Bosworth later confirmed the shelving of La Jolla but reiterated that Puffin was under development, though he left open the possibility of a future for the Quest Pro line.
Meta’s method of product development involves generating and scrapping prototypes, as Bosworth has previously mentioned, emphasizing exploration over immediate commercialization. The exact status of projects like Quest Pro 2 on this journey remains obscure, blurring the line between temporary setbacks and permanent conclusions.
While refuting earlier claims on the Quest Pro’s cancellation, Bosworth hinted at the uncertainty, saying, “there might be a Quest Pro 2, there might not be. I’m not really telling you, but I will say don’t believe everything you read about what’s been stopped or started.”
