Meta’s Wireless High-End Headset Project Cambria Still on for 2022

While Meta’s quarterly earnings calls are a number fest, occasionally CEO Mark Zuckerberg gives some interesting insight or update as to its hardware plans. That was certainly the case this week when in amongst all the Oculus Store figures he mentioned that Meta’s high-end virtual reality (VR) headset (Project Cambria) is still on track for a 2022 launch.

New Oculus Facebook headset leak
Leaked image prior to Project Cambria announcement.

Project Cambria was officially announced during the Connect 2021 keynote – although a leak had surfaced – widely expected because had continually talked about an Oculus Quest Pro model. This was going to be more powerful, have more sensors packed into it to track your eyes and facial features. It’s assumed these are the same device, with Meta looking to corner the prosumer and enterprise market as well.

The Connect 2021 address mentioned a 2022 launch window and Zuckerberg has reiterated that fact, saying: “We’re working towards a release of a high-end virtual reality headset later this year.” It’s likely the official launch will take place during Connect which should make for quite an exciting finale to 2022 for VR fans as PlayStation VR2 has been rumoured to arrive by year-end.

Whilst there are still plenty of unknown’s regarding Project Cambria, Meta has dropped several details highlighting its desire to create a much more refined VR experience for those who don’t mind paying for it.

It’ll still be a wireless, standalone headset for ultimate freedom in VR that’ll be compatible with Quest – but it won’t be the next Quest – so it’ll likely still include AirLink or some other PC connectivity. Plus as a high-end product, it’ll cost more, probably north of £500 to differentiate it from the Quest 2’s £299/£399 consumer price point.

Project Cambria optics
Project Cambria’s Pancake Optics. Image credit: Meta

As for the in-built tech, those eye and face tracking features will play a major part, thus allowing your metaverse avatar to express your actual emotions. Meta’s VR avatars actually got an upgrade earlier this week to aid with this process. Eye-tracking also allows for foveated rendering, focusing processing power on where you’re looking whilst your peripheral vision can be rendered at a lower quality.

Project Cambria won’t purely offer VR experiences either, it’s going to be a mixed reality (MR) headset with full-colour passthrough thanks to an array of cameras. This will be different to MR devices like Magic Leap because you won’t have a transparent display to look through. Instead, the real world will be displayed in the internal screens with advanced algorithms helping to add a sense of depth.

None of this will be any good if the optics aren’t amazing. So to make the visuals pop whilst ensuring a slim, light headset Meta will be employing pancake optics. These fold light several times over to maintain a thinner form factor, the lens being one of the main reasons for the bulk of a VR headset.

This pro headset might be readying for launch in 2022 but don’t forget Meta isn’t dropping the Quest product lineup. The CEO said last year that its Reality Labs division was working on follow-up devices: “We have product teams spun up now, working on the next few generations of virtual reality and what Quest 3 and 4 are gonna look like.” So consumer Quest’s aren’t going anywhere.

For further updates on Project Cambria, keep reading gmw3.

Project Cambria 3D Model Formed From Texture Leak

Last week we reported on another Project Cambria leak that revealed a set of textures for Meta’s new headset. Now those textures have been stitched together to give us a closer look at the device.

Twitter user Bastian, who was behind the original leak of the textures, posted new images of all the assets molded into 3D models. There’s one for the headset itself, plus the new controllers and the controller dock that we first saw in another leak.

Of course, when we first saw these leaks we were waiting on the reveal of Cambria — which we’d been referring to as Oculus Quest Pro — at the Connect developer conference. In the end, we didn’t get a full reveal of the device (Cambria itself is only a codename), but the little footage we did see of it is consistent with the 3D models here.

Namely, we can see a black headset with an integrated headband, a pair of controllers that no longer have the tracking rings of the original Touch designs, and a circular pad to charge them on. Bastain made a video flythrough of the models, too.

We also know that Cambria will not be a part of the Quest line of products, though it does look to be a standalone headset. The device uses multi-element pancake lenses for a more compact form factor, high-resolution color passthrough and eye and face tracking capabilities.

We’ll hopefully see more from Project Cambria soon, though the headset doesn’t have a firm release window just yet.

 

New ‘High End’ Headset Codenamed ‘Cambria’ Launching Next Year

After months of speculation of a Quest Pro, Meta announced a VR headset codenamed Project Cambria which will launch in 2022.

Cambria isn’t Quest 3 and will not replace Quest 2. Mark Zuckerberg described it a a new product line separate to the Quest line – “a completely new advanced and high end product” which will be “at the higher end of the price spectrum”.

As hinted by Zuckerberg and firmware findings earlier this year, Cambria will include eye tracking and face tracking to drive avatars in social VR.

It will also have high resolution color passthrough for compelling mixed reality experiences.

Multi-element pancake lenses used instead of fresnel lenses will let Cambria achieve a more compact form factor than any previous Oculus headset.

The reveal comes after months of speculation, rumors and leaks about a device that’s been commonly referred to as Oculus Quest Pro. Meta executives confirmed its existence earlier in the year and this week we saw leaked tutorial videos that seemed to confirm the device was nearing reveal.

Quest 2 itself is now a year old and, although Facebook has never revealed official sales figures, it’s thought to have been incredibly successful compared to other VR headsets, outselling all previous Quest and Rift headsets combined. Developers have reported huge software sales on the platform and a recent recall document suggested Facebook may have sold in the region of four million headsets in the US and Canada alone.

Consulting CTO John Carmack said in April that while he’s “happy to have some Pro version” he worries it will “wind up with 1/10th of the users on there and we should be about kind of maximizing the user base.”

Meta says more information will be shared next year, and the company is now working with developers on apps that take advantage of the new capabilities.

6 Predictions For Facebook Connect: Quest Pro, Rebrand And More

Facebook Connect is just around the corner. Here’s six predictions we have for this years’ show.

With Oculus Quest 2 continuing to do well for developers and a Quest 3 announcement not expected anytime soon (boy could we look silly in two days), this is set to be an interesting year for Connect. We are anticipating new hardware reveals, but we’re likely to see equal attention paid to the software and strategies Facebook is putting into its plans for the future of VR and AR.

So we’ve rounded up our thoughts on six areas Facebook’s likely to touch on this year.

Oculus Quest Pro Announced

Oculus quest Pro Leak

At this point this one seems like a given. Multiple leaks this week have indicated that Facebook is not too far off of revealing a new standalone headset, and reports going further back suggest it won’t be the Oculus Quest 3. Instead, we’re expect the company to announce a high-end device that costs more than Quest 2 but includes advanced features like a new tracking system for the controllers that ditches the traditional tracking ring. This device isn’t expected to launch this year and it more than likely won’t replace Quest 2. Think of it as more of an enthusiast product for dedicated VR users and businesses to take advantage of.

Facebook Rebrands

Zuckerberg Quest 2

Last week The Verge reported that Facebook is planning a rebrand of the entire company to reflect its push toward its take on the metaverse. This could well include a brand new name for the entire corporation that treats Facebook, Oculus, Whatsapp, Instagram and others as separate entities. If there’s any truth to the report, where else better to confirm it than at Connect?

No one knows exactly what Facebook’s new name could be, but we’ve seen bets taken on Meta, Connect and Horizon.

Updates On The Horizon

Speaking off Horizon, we’re likely to see at least some sort of update on Facebook’s growing library of social apps that fall under that banner. We’re still waiting on a full release of the long-delayed and recently renamed Horizon Worlds, while the company launched its VR productivity app, Horizon Workrooms earlier this summer.

We could hear new details for Worlds, then, or we might hear about new apps that could carry the Horizons label.

New Oculus Quest Features

Oculus Air Link 120Hz

Facebook has been rolling out new features for the Quest platform pretty solidly over the past year. We’ve seen improved hand-tracking, support for higher refresh rates and the ability to mark your couch in passthrough, not to mention Air Link and other major updates. But it’s been a while since the last big software launch, and that’s likely because the company is saving some news for Connect.

The only question is what’s in store. We’ve found references to smarter warnings about intrusions into your play space — could that be announced this week? It’s also been confirmed on multiple occasions that Facebook is working on a social element for the Oculus Home environment – could we finally see that announced as well?

New Content Announcements

Medal of Honor Quest 2

Here’s the thing about 2022 – we really don’t know too much about what’s coming just yet. Resident Evil 4 is now out and Medal of Honor is due to arrive before the end of the year, so we’re hoping Facebook gives us some games and apps to look forward to in the coming months. The company has been on a bit of a spending spree, buying up Beat Games, Ready At Dawn, Sanzaru Games, Downpour Interactive and BigBox VR, but is yet to publish a brand new Oculus Quest game from any one of those studios (not counting Rift’s Lone Echo 2). Perhaps we could finally see what at least one of the studios is working on at Connect.

A Glimpse Of The Far-Flung Future

andrew bosworth arbrash tease

Tradition dictates that, after this year’s keynote, Facebook Reality Labs’ Michael Abrash will take to the stream to deliver a deep dive into the latest goings at the company’s R&D department. If Quest Pro is coming soon then what could the headset after it feature? What’s the latest with Facebook’s ongoing work with AR hardware? Those are just some of the questions we’ll eager to see answered after this session.


Those are our Facebook Connect predictions, but what are yours? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to be back here at 10am PT on October 28 when we’ll bring you full coverage of the keynote.

Möglicher Oculus Quest Pro Leak zeigt weitere Bilder

Tower Tag auf Steam

Auf Twitter haben Bastian und Samulia, welche auch für den ersten Leak verantwortlich waren, nun weitere Bilder der Controller, der Oculus Quest Pro und der Kopfbandes veröffentlicht.

Möglicher Oculus Quest Pro Leak zeigt weitere Bilder

Der aktuelle Leak zeigt die Texturen, die für die Darstellung der Brille und der Controller verwendet werden.

Wenn man die aufgerollten Texturen mit den Videos aus dem letzten Leak vergleicht, entdeckt man einige Gemeinsamkeiten. Auffällig ist jedoch, dass die Brille weiße bzw. helle Texturen hat, während sie im letzten Leak schwarz bzw. dunkel war. Es besteht daher die Möglichkeit, dass Oculus die Oculus Quest Pro in zwei Farben anbieten könnte.

In zwei Tagen wird sich das Geheimnis um die neue Oculus Quest lüften, denn dann findet die Facebook Connect 2021 statt. Wir gehen davon aus, dass Oculus an diesem Tag eine neue VR-Brille ankündigen wird, auch wenn das Unternehmen dies bisher nicht bestätigt hat.

Die Oculus Quest 2 ist aktuell unser Tipp für private Nutzer und Nutzerinnen. Unseren Langzeittest zur VR-Brille von Facebook findet ihr hier.

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Another Possible Oculus Quest Pro Leak Shows Headset & Controller Textures

It looks like there’s another possible Oculus Quest Pro leak ahead of Facebook Connect this week, this time showing off textures that could make up both the headset and controller.

The leak comes from Bastian and Samulia, the same pair that brought us leaked tutorial videos of the Oculus Quest Pro (which, to be clear, is by no means an official name for the unannounced device) in action. This time it entails textures for both the Quest Pro headset and controllers, sprawled out like an unsolved jigsaw puzzle. It’s actually a little nightmarish to behold. Keep in mind that this isn’t guaranteed to be Quest Pro, either, but it certainly resembles past leaks.

New Oculus Quest Pro Leak?

You can spot a few outlines that look similar to the headset seen in the leaks earlier this month, namely the ski-goggles-like visor (which looks reflective based on this image) and, above it, a headband. There are also half-circle-shaped objects that look like headbands to improve comfort, which were again seen in the video a few days ago.

The second image could be showing the controller dock that was first spotted in the videos, with what looks like two USB-C slots. The controllers themselves, meanwhile, still don’t seem to have tracking ring textures and also look similar to the leaked photograph from a few weeks back.

It’s also interesting to note that the textures are white, not black. Could these indicate that Facebook will sell Quest Pro in two colors? Or is there more to the story? Facebook declined to comment on the first Oculus Quest Pro leak.

We’re bound to find out on Thursday when Facebook Connect kicks off. We’ll be on-hand to report all the latest developments.

Facebook investiert über 10 Milliarden in XR in 2021

Tower Tag auf Steam

Facebook hat gestern im Earnings Call Q3 2021 bekanntgegeben, dass das Unternehmen im Jahr 2021 über 10 Milliarden US-Dollar in den XR-Bereich investieren will. Zudem plane man noch größere Investitionen in den kommenden Jahren.

Facebook investiert über 10 Milliarden in XR in 2021

Aus dem aktuellen Bericht wurde nicht deutlich, in welche XR-Bereiche Facebook konkret investiert. Zukünftige Finanzberichterstattungen sollen jedoch mehr Informationen enthalten, um die Investitionen in Facebook Reality Labs (FRL), die XR- und Metaverse-Abteilung des Unternehmens, Oculus, FRL Research und weitere Projekte, detaillierter darzustellen. Facebook erhofft sich von der erhöhten Transparents noch besser Investoren von den eignen Plänen überzeugen zu können.

Wie Zuckerberg im Earnings Call mitteilt, soll das Unternehmen in den kommenden Jahren einen noch stärkeren Fokus auf XR legen. Laut ihm seien die über 10 Milliarden US-Dollar für XR in 2021 nur der Anfang und man wolle die eigenen Bemühungen in den kommenden Jahren weiter ausbauen.

Am 28. Oktober wird die Facebook Connect 2021 stattfinden und wir können uns also auf einige Neuigkeiten freuen. Vermutlich wird das Unternehmen eine neue Oculus Quest vorstellen und zudem will das Unternehmen den eigenen Namen ändern, um die XR-Ambitionen besser zu darzustellen. Die aktuelle Oculus Quest 2 ist derzeit unser Tipp für Heimanwender und Heimanwenderinnen. Hier findet ihr unseren Langzeittest zur Brille von Facebook.

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Oculus Quest 2 Pro? Videos zeigen neue VR-Brille von Facebook

Tower Tag auf Steam

Am 28. Oktober startet die Facebook Connect 2021 und es wurde bereits häufiger spekuliert, dass Facebook eine neue VR-Brille auf dem Event ankündigen könnte. Da es unwahrscheinlich ist, dass Facebook die Quest 2 bereits ersetzen möchte, könnte es sich quasi um eine Quest 2 Pro handeln, welche mehr Funktionen und eine bessere Ausstattung bietet als das bisherige Modell.

Oculus Quest 2 Pro? Videos zeigen neue VR-Brille von Facebook

Auf Twitter hat Bastian diverse Videos veröffentlicht, welche neue Tutorials für diverse neue Funktionen beinhalten. Gefunden wurden die Videos wohl von Samulia in der Seacliff Firmware. Zudem zeigen die Videos das Design der Brille und der neuen Controller, welche sich mit bisherigen Leaks und Veröffentlichungen decken.

Aktuell wissen wir noch nicht, was uns genau auf der Facebook Connect erwarten wird. Wir können aber davon ausgehen, dass eine neue VR-Brille in den Startlöchern steht und schon bald das Licht der Welt erblicken könnte.

Die Quest 2 von Oculus ist derzeit die beste Wahl für Konsumenten und dementsprechend sind wir sehr gespannt auf die Präsentation. Unseren Test zur Oculus Quest 2 findet ihr hier.

(Quelle: Upload VR)

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New Quest Headset, Controllers, & Charging Dock Possibly Revealed in Leaked Videos

Official tutorial videos uncovered today show a previously unseen Oculus headset, controllers, and charging dock. The videos may reveal a new Quest 2 Pro or Quest 3 headset which could be officially revealed this week at Facebook Connect.

Four apparent tutorial videos, which Road to VR has independently confirmed to be official in origin, surfaced online Sunday showing a previously unseen Oculus headset.

The videos were posted on Twitter by user Bastian who says they come from ‘Seacliff’ firmware (which is believed to be the codename for an upcoming Oculus headset). While Bastian has consistently uncovered new information from Oculus software, they credit a user named Samulia with discovering the videos.

In addition to the unknown headset, the videos also show Oculus Touch controllers without any tracking rings, as well as a dock which appears to charge both the headset and the controllers.

The missing tracking rings on the controllers parallel previous purported leaks which suggested the new controllers may include cameras to do their own inside-out tracking, instead of being tracked by the headset’s cameras (as is the case with the original Quest and Quest 2).

It’s unclear if the headset in the videos is an upcoming product—it could simply be a placeholder or a generic headset for demonstration purposes—though it bears a striking resemblance to one of several prototype VR headsets that Facebook teased earlier this month.

Image courtesy Andrew Bosworth

If the video is portraying a new Quest headset, it appears that some of the device’s components have been moved to the rear headstrap, allowing the front of the device to become more compact and goggle-like than prior Quest headsets.

Given that the annual Facebook Connect conference is just days away, the natural speculation is that this headset will be officially revealed at the event. Mentions of a ‘Quest Pro’ device have been uncovered previously, alongside information suggesting that the headset could include face & eye-tracking. The company could of course also brand such a headset as ‘Quest 3’, though we’ll have to wait and see what is revealed at Facebook Connect on Thursday.

The post New Quest Headset, Controllers, & Charging Dock Possibly Revealed in Leaked Videos appeared first on Road to VR.

Oculus Quest Pro Leak: Promo Videos Show Possible Headset Design

We may well have an Oculus Quest Pro leak that gives us our first look at the headset from possibly leaked promotional videos ahead of Facebook Connect this week.

Twitter user Bastian — who in turn credits Samulia — posted a thread with four videos of what look like stylized tutorials for the rumored headset. Some of these even include renders of a headset that doesn’t look too dissimilar from the one Facebook’s VP of VR/AR Andrew Bosworth teased a few weeks back. Rather than the white shell of the Oculus Quest 2, these videos show a black Oculus Quest Pro that looks closer to a pair of goggles with a fitted headband and pad that rests on the user’s forehead.

Oculus Quest Pro Leak?

In the first video we see one user scroll through different avatar customization possibilities. Towards the end, the avatar is seen mimicking the user’s full body and facial movements, two features that were previously rumored for the Quest Pro.

The second video showed a multi-user collaboration experience including what looks like the Quest Pro controller being used as a virtual pen much like how you can use the current Oculus Touch controllers inside Horizon Workrooms.

The third video gives us a better look at those controllers which don’t feature tracking rings like on the current Oculus Quest Touch controllers. Supposed leaked images earlier this year look very similar to this design. We can’t help but wonder if the platform the user picks these controllers up from is some sort of wireless charging station.

The fourth and final video shows two players inside Beat Saber before a third joins them and they jump between what looks like two other apps with the swipe of a hand.

We haven’t seen any official comment from Facebook about this supposed Oculus Quest Pro leak but we’ll ask for more information. Facebook Connect takes place this week on October 28, which is when many expect the rumored device to be officially announced. We’ll be bringing you all the announcements from the show this Thursday.