Meta’s Latest Meta Quest Pro Innovation is a Step Closer to the Metaverse
When Niantic CEO John Hanke spoke on the Metaverse, he asserted that the Metaverse was a continuation of where tech was headed prior to COVID-19. “We have Instagram, email and messaging. And then there’s our real-life friends; the real-life activity that we’re participating in. Sometimes there’s an intersection between those two. But when I think about a real world vision of the Metaverse, it’s really a union of those where they become much more deeply fused; where there’s a digital extension to everything that’s real.”
In October 2021, Meta announced plans to spend $10 billion over the next year on technologies to build out its vision of the Metaverse. While it seemed bogus at the time, there’s no telling that the company edges closer and closer to achieving its plans.
With the Metaverse already at its inflection point, technologies are being set-up to ensure proper access to the virtual world. Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, unveiled his company’s newest virtual reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro, the CEO’s latest foray into the world of high-end VR devices that Meta Platforms hopes will entice creators and working professionals to adopt its vision for a virtual future.
The company’s most recent headset, the Meta Quest Pro, is part of a lineup that was formerly known as Oculus and features a number of technological upgrades over the Quest 2 headset, which was introduced in late 2020.
In late September, Zuckerberg spoke to a small group of reporters in Redmond, Washington, noting that the latest innovation from Meta was work centered. ” “The ideal customers for this are going to be either people who just want the highest end VR device — so enthusiasts, prosumer type folks — or people who are trying to get work done,” said the company.
About the Meta Quest Pro
The Meta Quest Pro is significantly more expensive than the predecessor. Because the new device is aimed at more serious working professionals, it will cost $1,500, or three times as much as the Quest 2. Although the Quest 2 headset from Meta has reportedly sold 15 million copies, many people still identify virtual reality with video games, something Meta appears to be attempting to dispel in its advertising for the device.
Some of the Quest Pro’s new capabilities are designed with them in mind and would be especially helpful for those who conduct virtual meetings while working from a distance. The device has face- and eye-tracking capabilities that can be used to “humanize” avatars so that virtual reality conversations feel more intimate. It also has what Meta calls a “full-colour mixed reality experience”, which uses cameras on the outside of the headset to let people see the world around them and overlay graphics while wearing the device. (The Quest 2 also has this mixed reality feature, but only in black and white.)
Meta is also launching new “self-tracking” controllers alongside its new headset, which means each controller has “built-in sensors” that can “track their position in 3D space independent of the headset”, according to Meta’s blog post about the product.
What this Means for the Metaverse
In order to create the so-called Metaverse, an immersive version of the Internet where Zuckerberg expects people will ultimately work and play, Meta is conducting research into creating virtual and augmented reality headsets.
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One day, people may employ tools like the Quest Pro or augmented reality glasses to access the Metaverse as digital avatars. That goal is still far off, and not to even mention the monetary value of the project. But Meta seems resilient and financially equal to this task. The company said that spending in Reality Labs, which is in charge of creating the Metaverse, would result in a $10 billion operational profit reduction in 2021.
In addition to headsets, Meta is developing other technologies that will contribute to this vision. While some of it, such as facial tracking technology and full-color mixed reality, is already in use, much of it is still in the future. This includes things like simple 3D scanning so users can instantly upload digital replicas of their own items to a virtual environment after photographing or filming them. Additionally, it has enhanced spatial audio to replicate the acoustics of real-world discussions for those taking place in the Metaverse.
The business is developing a wristband that can recognize neurological impulses in people and output that information on a digital screen. The technology essentially turns the human hand into a remote control, a helpful tool when trying to operate a pair of smart glasses.