That Meta’s commitment to virtual reality is more than determined, no one can deny it, and the latest example of this is found with the Meta Quest Pro, the new viewer presented by the company at the Meta Connect 2022 event that is being held currently. A device that, when reviewing its specifications (and especially when seeing its price), makes it clear that we are facing a top of the range. But of course, with the doubt of whether there is demand for range tops in this market.
The precedent of this device is found in the information about Project Cambria and as we expected, cWith these Meta Quest Pro we are facing an indisputable generational leapto the point that comparing this viewer with the other Meta proposal, Oculus Quest 2, is like comparing, in terms of performance (and I make this nuance so that no one is offended), a Dacia with a Ferrari (I repeat, with all my I respect both brands, speaking exclusively in terms of performance and being aware that my socioeconomic profile brings me closer to the Romanian brand than to the Italian one).
The first thing that stands out about these Meta Quest Pro are their two Mini-LED screens, each with a FullHD resolution (1,920 x 1,080) with a refresh rate that can reach 90 hertz and that, according to Meta, can exceed the contrast provided by the Oculus Quest 2 screens by a remarkable 75%. But it’s not just what they show, it’s also is what they observe, and that is that they integrate no less than four color cameras on the outside of the device, whose function is to capture and show the space outside the viewfinder to users during use. We have already seen a lesser version of this technology with black and white cameras, but in this case Meta has wanted to raise the bar in this regard. According to the data provided by Meta, we will find 37% more pixels per inch, as well as a range of colors 1.3 times wider than those of the Meta Quest 2.
Exploring its interior, we see that these Meta Quest Pro are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ SoC, an integrated introduced by Qualcomm at the end of 2019 and that, shortly after, we learned that it would be the engine of Qualcomm’s virtual reality viewer project. Later we have seen it in the VR Vive Pro 2 5K and Vive Focus 3 and, much more recently, in the VR Pico 4 kit. In addition, of course, to the Quest 2. It is accompanied by 12 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 gigabytes of storageso it seems that the performance will be up to what can be expected from a device like this.
Autonomy is, without a doubt, one of its weak points, and that is Put the figure between 60 and 90 minutes, although it is true that for longer sessions of use, remember that the Meta Quest Pro can also be used while connected to power. Something that seems essential compared to the approach of using them as a daily work tool, and that according to the CTO of Meta, Andrew Bosworth, «In time, we think your Quest could be the only monitor you’ll ever really need.«.
The complete kit consists of the following elements:
- Meta Quest Pro goggles.
- 2 Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers.
- charging dock.
- USB-C power adapter.
- Controller charging cable.
- Goggles charging cable.
- 2 pencil tips.
- 2 light blockers (left and right).
- Cable clamp.
- Protective case.
- Cleaning cloth.
- 2 wrist straps.
Thus, there is no doubt that we are facing a fairly complete kit, in which the two stand out (in addition to the viewfinder, of course). Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers. Each of them is equipped with tthree cameras and a SoC Snapdragon 662 and with haptic feedback, capable of providing a full 360-degree range of motion.
The biggest but, without a doubt, we find it in its price. It is true that we are talking, as I indicated at the beginning, of a high-end device (probably along the lines of Apple’s expected virtual reality viewer), but even so, I have my doubts about the demand that may exist, today, of a virtual reality viewer with a price of 1,799.99 euros. Yes, you read it right. Of course, if you are among the small target audience, the good news is that you can already reserve it in the Meta online store.
