Meta unveils $1,500 Quest Pro VR headset

Latest device part of Mark Zuckerberg's plans for the metaverse

Meta's Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset sits on a charging dock, along with its two controllers. Reuters

A woman wears the Quest Pro, which has mixed reality capabilities, meaning digital content can be viewed overlaid on the real world. AFP

A man wearing a Quest Pro headset interacts with a 3D virtual drawing of a skateboard. Reuters

A woman uses Meta's Quest Pro device to write and draw on a whiteboard in mixed reality. Reuters

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said mixed reality was the next major step for virtual reality. Bloomberg

Meta is trying to position mixed and virtual reality as a work tool and a form of entertainment. Reuters

In this undated image courtesy of Meta Connect a person experiences the new Meta Quest Pro VR headset. (Photo by Meta Connect / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / META CONNECT" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The latest device costs $1,499, about four times the price of the current headset. Bloomberg

The Quest Pro has thinner lenses, a curved battery around the head strap and controllers that self-track. Reuters

Meta Platforms on Tuesday released its Quest Pro virtual and mixed-reality headset, the company's latest device geared towards a higher-end market.

The headset, unveiled at Meta's Connect Conference, is priced at $1,500 and will begin shipping on October 25.

The launch is part of Meta's plan to broaden its audience. The company has sold about 15 million Quest 2 units — the Quest Pro's predecessor — after it launched in 2020.

“It’s work-focused,” Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told reporters last month.

“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.”

The new headset includes face- and eye-tracking to make conversations in the metaverse more personal.

It also has what Meta calls “full-colour mixed reality”, through which users wearing the Quest Pro will be able to work in their virtual space while being in their physical workspace at the same time.

And the ultra-thin lenses on the headset make for sleeker headwear as well as showing sharper visuals.

Meta's developments of its headsets are key to its plans for the metaverse, where Mr Zuckerberg imagines a new internet where people can work and play.

As part of its foray into virtual offices, Meta announced it was teaming up with Microsoft to offer Teams and Microsoft 365 software.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella appeared in a video with Mr Zuckerberg to promote the Quest Pro.

Bloomberg contributed to this report