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Meta reveals the all-new $1,499 Meta Quest Pro headset

The Meta Quest Pro breaks Meta out of the budget VR space. It’ll cost $1,499 and it releases on October 25.

meta quest pro headset
Image: Meta

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Meta kicked off its annual Meta Connect conference today in a big way. CEO Mark Zuckerberg took advantage of the keynote to launch the $1,499 Meta Quest Pro virtual reality (VR) headset.

That’s not a typo. We’ve known for some time that the VR headset would be high-end, and early estimates had it at over $1,000.

The Quest Pro is now the premium arm of Meta’s VR ambitions, with the Quest 2 at the base consumer level.

It’s powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon XR2 Plus chipset. According to Meta, this provides 50% more power than the XR2 inside the Quest 2. Meta paired the chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Meta’s Quest Pro is covered in cameras

meta quest pro pcb
Image: Meta

Each eye has an 1800 x 1920 resolution LCD panel to display virtual environments or a pass-through image of the physical world around you.

That pass-through is in full color, using high-resolution outside-facing cameras to mingle your physical location and the virtual world.

The pass-through enables some fun tricks, like putting virtual photographs on your walls or rearranging the virtual screens you’re working on.

Another set of cameras, inward-facing, tracks your eyes and face. This enables facial expressions on Meta’s avatars. The cameras also enable foveated rendering, a method of reducing processor load.

Meta Quest Pro features new controllers

meta quest pro controllers
Image: Meta

The Quest Pro controllers are also new. They, too, have cameras all over them, which are used to self-track their position. That means no more big and clunky LED rings like on the Quest 2.

They also have internal batteries instead of the AA batteries that the Quest 2 controller use. That’s possibly good for the environment, although it will mean they’ll need repairing if the battery goes bad.

meta quest pro contents
Image: Meta

The new controllers will be available separately. They’re $300 for a pair with a left and right controller, a charging dock, some stylus tips, a cable, and a 45W power adapter.

READ MORE: How to preorder the Meta Quest Pro

The Meta Quest Pro is available for $1,499 from the Meta Store. Preorders will ship on or around October 25.

Best Buy and Amazon will also carry it in the U.S. The UK should expect Amazon, Argos, and Currys to supply the headset.

Canada will see the headset at Best Buy and Amazon. And finally, France is expected to have availability at Amazon, Fnac, and Boulanger.

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.

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