Metaverse revealed its decision of launching a new high-end Virtual Reality (VR) headset at the end of 2021. It’s called Project Cambria and it’s been touted as a quasi “Quest Pro” type of device. Mark Zuckerberg posted a video on Facebook where he is using the headset for the first time. The headset is kept blurred.
The video is less than a minute long and shows Zuckerberg using the headset for mixed reality activities. It is not your typical AR as it interacts with digital assets. Mixed reality is made possible by Cambria’s full-color video passthrough, which enables it to display the environment you’re in with digital overlays.
Once Zuckerberg dons the blurry headset, he begins interacting with a gremlin on the floor. The video is quite an interesting one to watch. Mark can also be seen changing the color of the walls in the room. He says this mixed reality demo is an experience called The World Beyond. It uses a Meta’s Presence Platform for mixed reality, which was brought year. The full-color passthrough version will only be available on Cambria, but Meta will release a version for Quest 2 soon too.
The video also highlights some real-world scenarios that indicate Meta’s future. For example, it shows him interacting with digital versions of Facebook Messenger that are floating above his real-world desk. It also includes footage of a virtual yoga instructor guiding him through a workout. We’re not sure we’d want to do yoga with a headset on, but there’s clearly potential there. He concludes the video by saying the tools to create these experiences will be released to developers soon.
In its Q4 2021 earnings report, Meta stated Reality Labs had burned through $10 billion in 2021. In its Q1 2021 earnings report from just a few weeks ago, it also reported a hiring freeze amidst a “mass exodus.” Project Cambria is expected to launch this year.