Meta Reportedly Developing Advanced Quest Pro Successor and Quest 4

Meta Quest Pro never quite captured the prosumer market as hoped, prompting the company to phase out the device just over two years after its launch. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Meta is not only developing a Quest 3 for regular consumers but is also working on a high-end model that might serve as the successor to the Quest Pro.

In his weekly column, Gurman covers a variety of XR news, including the possibility of a display being integrated into the upcoming Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and rumors that Apple might be cutting back production of its $3,500 Vision Pro due to decreasing demand.

Gurman’s insights, which are based on insider information, reveal that Meta is actively developing the Quest 4 VR goggles and a premium version aiming to eventually replace the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset.

When the Quest Pro hit the market in late 2022, it represented a major shift from Meta’s more affordable standalone headsets, which typically hovered around the $300 range.

Priced at $1,500 at launch, the Quest Pro boasted features like color passthrough, pancake lenses, and facial and eye-tracking capabilities, setting it apart from its predecessor, the Quest 2. Nonetheless, within five months, Meta had slashed the price to $1,000 to attract more prosumer interest.

Come July 2023, The Information published claims that Meta was axing the Quest Pro line altogether—a notion that Meta’s CTO and Reality Labs chief, Andrew Bosworth, quickly disputed, advising readers “don’t believe everything you read.”

Another report from The Information in July 2024 suggested that Meta was diverting its ‘Pro’ efforts into a new lightweight mixed reality device, described as resembling “a bulky pair of glasses” and bearing the code name ‘Puffin.’ This equipment is expected to hit the market around 2027. Additionally, Meta is reportedly aiming to roll out a set of AR glasses before 2030, with functionality akin to its Orion AR glasses prototype.

Further revelations from The Information hinted that a Quest Pro 2 prototype called ‘La Jolla’ had been abandoned. Bosworth later confirmed that La Jolla was indeed cancelled and that the development focus is now on Puffin, although he didn’t clarify whether the Quest Pro line was permanently shelved.

Meta’s approach to product R&D involves creating and dismantling prototypes, a strategy Bosworth has previously described as placing emphasis on exploration rather than immediate commercialization. Whether projects like Quest Pro 2 are mere stepping stones or complete false starts remains uncertain.

While disputing earlier reports about the Quest Pro line’s demise, Bosworth remarked, “there might be a Quest Pro 2, there might not be. I’m not really telling you, but I will say don’t believe everything you read about what’s been stopped or started.”