Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that Meta’s next VR headset is around the corner and will arrive in October, two years after the company launched the Meta Quest 2. Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Zuckerberg did not mention the headset by name, but the Meta CEO is likely referring to the Project Cambria device tipped to launch some time this year.
Project Cambria is rumored to have big-ticket social features, and Zuckerberg reiterated as much during the podcast. Among the features touted by Zuckerberg were eye or facial tracking that will be used to match a person's expression with their avatar’s in real time.
The headset will have “the ability to now have kind of eye contact in virtual reality,” Zuckerberg said about the features. He added that you can “have your face be tracked so that way your avatar — it’s not just this still thing, but if you smile or if you frown or if you pout, or whatever your expression is, have that translate in real time to your avatar”.
The Meta CEO did not reveal too many other details about the VR headset. The October launch would be in line with Meta's Connect conference, which is usually held around that time.
During last year's Connect conference, Meta teased Project Cambria as a “high end headset” and recently a rumor projected the Meta Project Cambria to have a steep $1,500 price tag. It definitely won't be one of the best cheap VR headsets with that price.
Exclusive features like advanced sensors that are curated for the Metaverse could be the reason for the tipped high price. The Information had also reported that the headset is rumored to have a high resolution display and the face recognition sensors will be able to accommodate a range of skin tones and facial features like beards or glasses.
Other features we have heard the headset will have are outward-facing cameras that enable mixed-reality experiences.
We got a glimpse of the augmented reality features of the headset when Mark Zuckberberg took the Project Cambria headset for a spin. While the headset was blurred out in the video, he did show off how its passthrough system provides clear, colorful AR images superimposed on the real world. It will be interesting to see if these AR features are available when the device eventually launches.
The VR headset is not to be confused with Meta’s AR glasses, an entirely different augmented reality product expected to launch in 2024.
