The next VR headset from Meta should have a significantly higher price than $ 800, a spokesman for the company wrote to UploadVR via email.
The headset is currently known as Project Cambria and is expected to be released later this year as an advanced work-focused headset that is also compatible with Quest games. Earlier today, in a report from The Information (subscription required), “two people familiar with the matter” suggested that Meta aim for a price of $ 799 for Cambria, along with sources indicating that Meta plans to release three more VR headsets by 2024. But a Meta spokesman indicated to The Information that Cambria’s price would be significantly higher than that.
UploadVR independently contacted Meta about the price of the headset in light of the report, and a spokesman reiterated to us that the headset would be “significantly” over $ 800.
Meta recently described Project Cambria as “more focused on work cases and ultimately replacing your laptop or work setup” with “enhanced ergonomics and full-color passthrough blended reality to seamlessly blend virtual reality with the physical world. We also incorporate eye tracking and face tracking so your avatar can create eye contact and facial expressions, which dramatically improves your sense of presence. ” The headset is expected to use pancake lenses for a slimmer front-end on the design, and Cambria’s controllers are expected to track themselves.
The information report suggests that Meta aims to follow Quest 2, which starts at $ 299, with “two new versions” in 2023 and 2024 as well as another version of Cambria in 2024. An earlier report from The Verge dived deep into Meta’s AR spectacle development and detailed these plans in the latter part of the decade. Meta is also working on wrist-mounted neural input devices as well as Portal video calling devices, where the company is likely to adapt its products to each other over successive generations, so buyers have reasons to purchase more pieces of Meta hardware.
Of course, the timelines that Meta actually lands on for its devices, as well as the features and pricing targeted in the upcoming glasses, can still change dramatically as the company further develops its product roadmaps.
Note: This piece was edited a few hours after release for better clarity.