Say hello to Meta’s replacement for Quest Pro 2: a Vision Pro competitor in glasses form
*Header image is referential and showcases the Ray-Ban smart glasses. | Image credit — Meta
It’s been a turbulent few weeks for the XR (Extended Reality) operations going on over at Meta. We’ve been bombarded with reports, rumors and facts. Only a few days ago we found out that Meta had canceled Quest Pro 2. Then Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth cleared the air and said we hadn’t gotten the full picture. Now it seems Meta has another device under development: a pair of Mixed Reality glasses.
Codenamed “Puffin”, this pair of glasses are said to be quite the chunky piece of hardware. However, they’re supposedly still going to be much lighter and smaller than previous Meta Quest headsets. Their focus on Mixed Reality, as well as the rumored release window being set in 2027, makes it seem like this is another attempt at an Apple Vision Pro competitor.
It’s been a turbulent few weeks for the XR (Extended Reality) operations going on over at Meta. We’ve been bombarded with reports, rumors and facts. Only a few days ago we found out that Meta had canceled Quest Pro 2. Then Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth cleared the air and said we hadn’t gotten the full picture. Now it seems Meta has another device under development: a pair of Mixed Reality glasses.
And the Meta Quest 3 is already quite the compact headset. | Video credit — Meta
What these glasses will allegedly do differently from most XR devices is that they will have the processor and battery in a separate component. This component, like the Vision Pro’s battery, will be something you will keep in a pocket or similar space. There will also be no controllers, with the glasses relying solely on eye and hand tracking. Which is another thing the Vision Pro does. It’s also something the Xreal Beam Pro is used for.
We know for a fact that Meta has been working on AI-powered AR smart glasses for quite some time now. But those glasses, as exciting as they sound, aren’t ready for mass production due to the cost of manufacturing. Puffin, on the other hand, might let us get our hands on something similar much sooner.
As Bosworth said, Meta works on many different prototypes, most of which never see the light of day. It’s entirely possible that Puffin might meet the same fate. But if it doesn’t, Apple really needs to get on with making a cheaper Vision Pro 2 if it wants to survive the competition.
We know for a fact that Meta has been working on AI-powered AR smart glasses for quite some time now. But those glasses, as exciting as they sound, aren’t ready for mass production due to the cost of manufacturing. Puffin, on the other hand, might let us get our hands on something similar much sooner.
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