Originally referred to as La Jolla, the device was supposed to be released in the year 2027.
According to a story by The Information, Meta has decided to abandon its aspirations to develop a mixed-reality headset that had been floating about for quite some time and was supposed to compete with the Apple Vision Pro. Following a meeting for the purpose of product evaluation that was attended by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the firm instructed employees at Reality Labs to cease their development on the gadget, as reported by Meta staff members.
La Jolla was the name given to the headgear within the company, and it was rumored that it was scheduled to be released in the year 2027. According to reports, this mixed-reality device was a significant improvement over the Quest 3, with micro OLED panels that were extremely clear. Apple Vision Pro makes advantage of the same display technology that is being discussed here.
It has been said that one of the most significant obstacles was the expense. In spite of the fact that such minuscule OLED panels are not inexpensive, the team’s goal was to make the device cost less than $1,000. With that being said, the Vision Pro costs $3,500.
In addition, it is possible that the premium gadget was discontinued since there is a possibility that there is not a great deal of demand for expensive headsets. The sales of the Vision Pro have been slow, and Meta’s own high-end headset, the Quest Pro, which was already on the market, has been widely criticized for having a price tag of $1,500.
Despite this, it is essential to emphasize that Meta is not giving up on virtual reality and augmented reality devices. It’s nothing more than putting a stop to the use of a single high-end, pricey headset. There are numerous speculations floating about that a Quest 4 will be released, in addition to a version of the Quest 3 that is more affordable. Additionally, it has been stated that Meta is in the process of preparing some new augmented reality glasses, which are expected to be presented at the subsequent Connect event, which is scheduled to take place on September 25.
The opinion expressed above was mirrored by Andrew Bosworth, who serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Meta. In a post that he made on Threads, he stated that the company had “many prototypes in development at all times” and that “decisions like this happen all the time.”
On the other hand, the corporation is beginning to make some adjustments to its plan. Additionally, Meta has been attempting to license its XR software to third-party hardware manufacturers, in addition to canceling the headset that was discussed earlier. As a preliminary step in this strategy, the platform, which is known as Horizon OS, may be licensed to Jio, a major player in the Indian technology industry. On the other hand, a deal with LG was not successful.
There is always the possibility that the company will bring back the idea of a high-end headset at some point in the future, once the market for such a product has gained more traction among consumers. In the meanwhile, it is anticipated that the Quest 4 will be available for purchase in the year 2026.