Meta Plans on Taking on Apple’s Vision Pro With New “Mixed Reality” Goggles

Longstanding rumors that Meta plans to launch a next-generation augmented reality (AR) device got a boost from the tech giant’s staff leaks, which confirmed the existence of the “bulky” glasses-like headset–codenamed “Puffin.” The device, which may be teased at Meta’s upcoming Connect developer event at the end of September, sounds like it’s more technologically advanced than Meta’s existing Quest virtual reality goggles, and may be targeting a similar “spatial computing” market as Apple’s expensive Vision Pro.

Tech news site The Information learned about Puffin from two Meta employees familiar with the product. It’s said to be an alternative to the larger, heavier Quest headsets the site says “have had limited consumer appeal.” The new glasses, which are said to weigh less than 3.9 ounces are more like regular spectacles than the boxy plastic, face-covering Quest goggles. The site reported the new device will also be a “mixed reality” system.

This means that instead of replacing the wearer’s view of the outside world with 3D digital perspective on reality, they can overlay graphical objects, text, video and simulated sounds over the real-world environment. Picture a 3D game that, for example, could see 3D graphics racing around your living room, or in a more serious use, 3D pop-up information that could be overlaid over a real-world car engine when a technician is doing repairs. The goggles shun the 3D motion-sensing game controller-like handsets Quest employs. Instead, the device can sense the user’s hand motions and eye movements to control the interface. A headset like Puffin, which sounds halfway between Meta’s Quest system and the smart sunglasses that Meta’s had some success with in partnership with Ray-Ban, could thus have a broader appeal than its earlier AR/VR efforts. 

The news comes shortly after The Information reported that Meta had made a strategic shift on its future AR tech, canceling an expensive, very high-end product was aimed directly at Vision Pro devices now on the market. Codenamed “La Jolla,” this device was supposed to be a successor to Meta’s high-end Quest Pro goggles, with a high quality OLED screen like the ones in the Vision Pro. The project was canceled because it looked like it couldn’t be priced below $1000 and undercut Apple’s $3,500 retail price.  Meta’s consumer-facing Quest 3 headset is priced at $500 and up, and its Ray-Ban sunglasses start at $300. It’s possible that Meta’s Puffin high end device may sell for somewhere between $600 and $1000. 

Why should we care about this rumor? For two reasons. This mixed-reality Meta headset could appeal to more buyers if its price is reasonable. Also, thanks to its ability to “add information” to the real world–a little like Google’s failed Glass device from long ago–it may have many more serious business uses than the VR games associated with Quest.

Combined with Meta’s ever-evolving AI ambitions, the as-yet unreleased device could easily find a place in many workplaces, from architectural firms to school classrooms. Priced correctly, “Puffin” could revolutionize many jobs and usher in the next-big-thing tech genre after the smartphone. AR and VR have also long been touted as tech pathways brands can use to appeal to customers, and Puffin could help with this.

Meta’s made some smart decisions as it develops the tech are also smart, especially canceling projects that aren’t going to succeed in favor of ones that have a better chance. News site Reuters reports that Meta’s VR division has already “incurred financial losses amounting to billions,” but CEO Mark Zuckerberg is so certain that VR and AR are the future he’s pressing ahead. By canceling an expensive product aimed at competing with an already available rival device, Meta is trying to skate to where the puck will be, rather than where it already is–another smart decision. 

Maybe. The Information’s leak suggests Puffin-like devices won’t actually debut on the market until 2027. That’s three years after Apple’s developer-centric first Vision Pro device went on sale, giving Apple’s labs years to learn lessons from its first ultra high-end $3,500 VR goggles and refine their design into something cheaper and more broadly useful. That’s Apple’s typical business model, so Meta must move fast to take control of the AR device race.