Meta has recently announced that it’s discontinuing the Meta Quest Pro MR headset, updating their website to indicate that the Quest Pro is “no longer available.” They haven’t shared specific reasons for this move, but it seems the headset struggled to make a mark in the workplace market. On top of that, the introduction of the more affordable Quest 3S likely played a role in this decision.
The Quest Pro was unveiled at Connect 2022 and hit the shelves before the Quest 3 and 3S. Priced at around £469.99, it was considered steep by many potential buyers. While it boasted impressive features like color passthrough and eye and hand tracking, those perks now seem less compelling against the backdrop of the budget-friendly Quest 3 and 3S.
Despite its hurdles, the Quest Pro held significance for Meta. It represented a step forward in their commitment to mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) technology. Since then, they’ve broadened their product range beyond just virtual reality (VR).
Meta Quest Pro
Last year at the Connect event, Meta introduced the Quest 3S, aiming to make MR more accessible to a wider audience. Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, has highlighted that MR is key to their vision at Reality Labs. He sees great promise in this technology for building a social platform, which ties into their broader metaverse ambitions.
Looking ahead to 2024, Meta is focusing on enhancing its social MR experience. They plan to revamp Horizon Worlds, making it more mobile-friendly and introducing new Meta Avatars. After a rocky start, they’re determined to rebuild Meta Horizon into a versatile platform that accommodates a diverse array of software and welcomes creators and developers from all backgrounds.