Mark Zuckerberg has made no secret that he believes the future of the Internet lies in the meta universe, spending $10 billion on the concept in 2021 alone. During Meta’s Connect 2022 keynote presentation, Zuckerberg offered a new perspective on what his team has been building with the unveiling of Meta Quest Pro, a $1500 VR headset that Zuckerberg said is specifically designed to be the first major step toward a “mixed reality” workplace. The headset’s ability to switch between VR and augmented reality, combined with the addition of dedicated office software, could point to a future where you wear a computer on your face.
“Work is really the next major category of experience that we want to open up to take virtual reality to the next level,” said Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer. In order for virtual reality to reach its potential, Zuckerberg said, the estimated 200 million people who buy new computers for work each year need to be convinced that they can work even better in the meta universe. Facebook’s founder said that ongoing research in Meta to digitally recreate a sense of presence among peers naturally led to the development of Quest Pro, “a VR headset designed from the ground up to be great for work.”
In his address to consumers, Zuckerberg asked a series of questions: “What if you could collaborate with colleagues as if you were there together, even if you were far apart? What if you could overlay your work and the people you interact with right on top of the physical world?” Unlike other headsets, Quest Pro uses multiple built-in cameras, combined with a depth sensing system, to create an image of the physical world around the user. In fact, it allows users to see through the device as if they were not wearing the headset. This technology, called “Passthrough” Meta, is available on the more affordable ($400) Quest 2 headset, but only in black and white. On the Pgo, users can see the physical world around them in full color. The Pgo headset also allows for “mixed realities,” in which digital aspects can be layered over the physical world. For example, Meta introduced an artist creating a three-dimensional illustration with an AR application.
For business owners, this updated version of Meta’s Passthrough technology can allow users to easily meet their teammates no matter where in the world they are through an app Zuckerberg calls “Magic Room.” In essence, Magic Room allows users to meet in mixed reality. Think of it this way: if you jumped into a home meeting at work in a Pgo headset, you might see your employee’s digital avatar sitting on your couch to your left, and to your right there might be a live video of your boss, He’s just approaching the meeting from the office.
Zuckerberg also announced the launch of personal workrooms on Meta’s Quest 2 headset. In these digital workrooms, users can set up their ideal workspaces. “You can only have a 13-inch laptop in your physical space, but in your virtual office, you can line up three huge monitors. It’s great at home or at work, and even better when you’re traveling,” Bosworth said.
Along with that, Zuckerburg announced that Zoom and Microsoft Teams will soon be available for use on the platform, and that Microsoft will release Meta-compatible versions of Windows 365 and Office.
“At the end of the day, we think your Quest may be the only monitor you need,” Bosworth added.
“That would be awesome!” – Zuckerberg replied.
