"From Black and White to Color, Price Triples" Meta Unveils Latest Virtual Reality Headset

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, unveiled its latest virtual reality (VR) headset on the 11th (local time). Compared to the previous headset released two years ago, the screen has changed from black and white to color, incorporating various new technologies, and the price has tripled.

According to Bloomberg and other sources, Meta introduced the latest VR headset, 'Meta Quest Pro,' at its annual conference event 'Meta Connect 2022' held that day.

At the event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the new product through a pre-recorded video. The new product includes face and eye-tracking features, allowing avatars to mimic the user's facial expressions and eye movements, making conversations in virtual reality feel more lifelike.

Additionally, using external cameras on the headset, users can see their real surroundings overlaid with virtual graphics, providing mixed reality. While the previous visible screen was black and white, the entire display is now in color. New technologies such as an advanced mobile Snapdragon computer chip developed in collaboration with Qualcomm were also incorporated to enhance graphics.

The weight and overall volume of the headset itself have been reduced. Thin lenses and a battery relocated to the back of the headset help distribute the weight evenly.

The headset is priced at $1,499.99 (approximately 2,153,000 KRW) and will be released on the 25th. This price is more than three times higher than the existing Quest 2 headset, released at the end of 2020 and sold 15 million units, which was priced at $399.99. Bloomberg commented, "The company is targeting business professionals with this product," and added, "Meta aims to break the perception that VR is only for gamers and expand its user base with this new device."

Meta also explained that it is discussing partnerships with companies such as Microsoft (MS) to utilize this headset. MS CEO Satya Nadella stated at the event that they have been in talks with Meta about bringing some of the company's work collaboration applications to the Quest VR device.

Meanwhile, despite Meta's headset announcement, its stock price closed down 3.92% at 128.54 that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.