Meta’s VR hardware roadmap has apparently been leaked giving us details about its next four headsets, including the price and specs of its next VR headset: Project Cambria.
Known only by its codename, this souped-up device is expected to supplant Meta’s current best headset, the Oculus Quest 2 (now rebranded as Meta Quest 2), when it launches later this year.
When it was announced in October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg (Meta’s CEO) explained that Cambria will be a “high-end” piece of tech that will produce better VR and MR (mixed reality) experiences than anything Meta has achieved before. This means improved specs and software could be headed our way.
More recently, Zuckerberg described it as a replacement for your laptop and work setup. Now a report from The Information has reaffirmed the idea that Cambria will be a “laptop for the face”.
The leaked internal road map suggests that Project Cambria will cost $799 (around £640 / AU$1,125) and will be about as powerful as a Chromebook – and it will run on Meta’s own Android-based operating system.
Based on the best Chromebooks you can currently buy, as well as the specs of the Meta Quest 2, it sounds like Project Cambria will have at least 8GB RAM and likely around 256 GB of storage. We’ll also likely see its processor get a boost too. However, Meta may have to design its own chip, as Qualcomm has yet to launch a follow-up to the Snapdragon XR2 that powers Meta’s Quest 2.
We’ve also previously heard that Cambria will incorporate dual mini LED displays that will likely offer a 120Hz refresh rate (to improve upon the Quest 2’s “experimental” 120Hz feature).
A welcome redesign
On top of that, the only released image for Project Cambria (seen above) shows that the controllers have been redesigned slightly. Unlike those used for the Quest 2, these new controllers lack tracking rings – suggesting that Cambria will use a different method for following where your hands move.
As for its other VR headsets, the same report from The Information says Meta is expected to launch the Quest 3 (codenamed Stinson) in 2023, followed by Project Funston and Project Cardiff in 2024.
Funston will reportedly be an improvement upon Project Cambria, with Cardiff expected to be a lower-end device.
A Meta Quest 4 in 2024 feels quite unlikely as the Quest 3 would have only launched the year before. As such we expect Cardiff will instead be some kind of AR glasses (perhaps the follow-up to the RayBan Stories Smart Glasses) or perhaps a VR headset designed for kids – a device we have long expected Meta wants to produce.
We'll have to wait a bit longer before Meta reveals more about Project Stinson or Cardiff – we still don't have much official information for Project Cambria or the Meta Quest 3 yet. But if four headsets are dropping by the end of 2024, Meta might want to start making some announcements soon.
