Facebook Reveals Meta Quest Pro
The company formerly known as Facebook had several reveals at its annual Meta Connect event Tuesday, including its long expected high-end $1,499 Meta Quest Pro. While Meta continues to paint a picture of what the future of VR gaming could look like, it’s far less clear how the company will get there.
Under the Hood
The two details that pop out immediately are the Quest Pro’s eye-popping price – $1,499 – and disappointing battery life – between one or two hours, Meta told the Verge.
- Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+, which Meta claims will “run at 50% more power than Meta Quest 2”
- Memory: 12 GB RAM, compared to the Quest 2’s 6
- Storage: 256GB, compared to Quest 2’s 64/256
Not for Gamers…Mostly
The Meta Quest Pro is not primarily for gamers. Still, there were a few goodies for VR gamers.
The Meta Quest Pro is not primarily for gamers. Still, there were a few goodies for VR gamers.
- Xbox Cloud Gaming: The biggest boost for gamers was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s announcement that Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Meta Quest.
- Meta users with an xCloud subscription can hook up an Xbox controller and play games (in 2D)
- No official launch date
- Game Studio Acquisitions: Meta revealed it will be acquiring Camouflaj, Twisted Pixel, and Armature Studio
- No game announcements yet from the trio
- Quality talent: Armature’s Resident Evil 4 VR last year was a hit
A Drop in the Bucket
While Meta has been unwilling to reveal Quest hardware sales (never a good sign for a market they claim is the future), Connect did offer some context on the software side.
While Meta has been unwilling to reveal Quest hardware sales (never a good sign for a market they claim is the future), Connect did offer some context on the software side.
- Meta Quest store produced $1.5 billion in revenue since May 2019
- One in three of the almost 400 Meta apps have crossed the $1 million mark
- 33 titles exceeded $10 million
- 11 additions since February
- Recent $40 game BONELAB made $1 million in less than an hour
Fuzzy on the Details
It’s clear where Meta wants to go, but it's debatable if even metaverse & VR evangelicals have an idea on how to get there. The studio acquisitions make sense, and xCloud is an excellent add-on, but not one that will bring in new customers who can just buy a TV and console for $1,500.
It’s clear where Meta wants to go, but it's debatable if even metaverse & VR evangelicals have an idea on how to get there. The studio acquisitions make sense, and xCloud is an excellent add-on, but not one that will bring in new customers who can just buy a TV and console for $1,500.
- It’s a…Dev Kit?: The Quest Pro’s battery life and price make it dead on arrival for gamers, if not enterprise consumers as well. Meta appears to be effectively launching a dev kit without the branding and additional features.
- Facebook Baggage: No amount of PR consultants and rebrands will be enough to convince those on the fence to embrace Meta.
Featured image: Meta
