Speculate on the AR/VR project Meta’s team is working on. While we knew that the Meta Quest 3 would probably be released this year, we didn’t realize that the business had plans to release limited “smart glasses” in 2025 and then full AR glasses in 2027.
Naturally, Meta intends to jam its forthcoming augmented reality devices full of advertisements (their words, not ours).
The Verge obtained the presentation Meta allegedly provided to its Reality Labs department on Tuesday, from which we learn the above. The augmented reality glasses, codenamed “Orion,” are arguably a fascinating piece of tech, so let’s begin there.
When is Meta releasing AR glasses?
It took Meta eight years to design the Orion spectacles, and in 2019, workers will finally get to try them out. The new plan calls for a limited number of Orions to be released to the public by 2027, with updated versions of Meta’s smart glasses and a second-generation smartwatch for those who don’t manage to receive one.
Undoubtedly, AR will provide new avenues for Meta to grow its already substantial advertising revenue stream. Alex Himel, the vice president of augmented reality, has remarked, “I think it’s easy to imagine how ads would show up in space when you have AR glasses on.”
He said that the glasses could “monitor conversations,” suggesting that advertisements may be targeted at even a more specific audience than with Meta’s current VR gadgets.
Himel described the proposed advertising model as “a business, unlike anything we’ve seen on mobile phones,” with ambitions to sell consumers virtual items or services like cloud backups.
Even though the company’s “metaverse” goals have been a significant drain on resources, revitalizing its sputtering advertising division may be the company’s golden ticket.
Shortly, you may be able to put on a pair of AR glasses and wander around, triggering contextual ads to appear in your field of vision based on your location and interests.
What plans does Meta have for the next few years in VR?
The promise of augmented reality technology runs through every one of Meta’s following products, including its VR headsets. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially considering that it was the focus of the company’s 2021 Connect event.
According to reports, Mark Rabkin, the company’s VP of VR, informed staff that the Meta Quest 3, codenamed “Stinson,” is anticipated to cost “a bit more” than the $400 Quest 2 now available. He continued,
“We have to prove to people that all this power, all these new features are worth it.”
Compared to when the company’s budget headset originally debuted, three years after the Quest 2’s release, Rabkin claimed there is less engagement with its VR gadgets today.
According to a source from The Verge, the new tablet would be slimmer and twice as powerful. Also, to enable AR use cases, this new gadget ought to have improved passthrough technology comparable to the full-color external camera arrangement on the Quest Pro.
During an investor call last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had already suggested that the Quest 3 should have some mixed reality capabilities. The story claims that Meta wants Quest 3 customers to be able to wear the headset while moving around their homes “effortlessly.”
According to Rabkin, users should be able to design their heads-up displays. On their virtual desktop, they can place “anchors and items.” Also, the new gadget is expected to come with 41 mixed-reality games and applications.
Two other headsets, with the working names “Ventura” and “La Jolla,” are supposedly in the works. With a scheduled availability in 2024, the earlier headgear is thought to be the more “accessible” of the two.
This will cost between the Quest and Quest Pro VR headsets. The more sophisticated of the two, La Jolla, is said to have more lifelike avatars and visuals.
But the news isn’t all rosy for Meta’s plans for virtual reality. Two additional VR headsets with the codenames “Cardiff” and “Hermosa” may have just been explicitly canceled by Meta.
The announcement first appeared in the Command Line newsletter from Verge editor Alex Heath (via UploadVR).
According to rumors, there would have been two headsets: a Meta Quest Pro 2 and a Meta Quest Lite, with the latter forgoing controllers in favor of hand tracking only. These concepts might still be on Meta’s radar, although perhaps not as part of the yearly upgrade cycle.
We had previously published a few Meta-related articles. You can learn more by visiting these links:
- Meta Released New Facebook and Instagram Privacy Settings For the Safety of Young Users.
- The Meta Quest Pro at a Discount Doesn’t Miss Out!
Meta Has Big Plans for Wearables
As for the company’s plans for more subdued wearables, this year will see a new pair of camera glasses similar to the team that Meta debuted in 2021 and was sponsored by Ray-Ban.
But 2025 is apparently when Meta’s glasses technology will see its next significant advancement, with an actual screen inside the spectacles. The new glasses, according to Himel, will be able to display incoming text messages, read QR codes, and translate text in real-time.
These qualities are all closely like those that Gizmodo observed at CES 2023 from a wide range of other tech firms developing AR eyewear.
According to reports, a “neural interface” band will operate this device. Swiping controls will be used to switch between options. In the future, the bar should be able to have a “virtual keyboard” that users can use to enter texts.
The business is also developing a smartwatch to give people another way to operate their glasses. The watch will function similarly to existing smartwatches, connecting to social media apps from the Meta brand and offering certain health and fitness features.