Meta Quest Pro launched to take on PlayStation VR, HTC Vive Pro 2: Top 5 things to know – Times of India

In a bid to further push the concept of Metaverse, Facebook parent Meta has launched the company’s newest mixed reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro. The company says that it is the “most advanced headset yet” that Meta has to offer and comes with “world-class counter balanced ergonomics” as well as “sleek design” for comfortable wearing. The newest headset from Mark Zuckerberg-owned company will go against the likes of other offerings such as PlayStation VR, HTC Vive Pro 2, and Microsoft Hololens 2, among others. Here are the top five things about the Meta Quest Pro headset.
Meta Quest Pro headset price
Meta Quest Pro headset price has been set at $1,499 (approximately Rs 1,23,500). It is currently available for pre-orders in 22 countries. It will not be available for pre-booking in India. Apart from the headset, customers will get two Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers, a charging dock, a USB-C power adapter, controller charge cable, charging cable, two each of stylus tips and partial light blockers, some cable clips, protective cover, cleaning cloth as well as two wrist straps. It will be available for purchase from October 25.
Meta is also offering other accessories that you can purchase. There is a full light-blocker that magnetically attaches to the Meta Quest Pro, for $49.99 (approximately Rs 4,000), an Incase carry case that multiple pockets to store the headset and accessories, for $119.95 (approximately Rs 9,900), Meta Quest Pro VR earphones with dual drivers for $49 (approximately Rs 4,000), compact charging dock for $79.99 (approximately Rs 6,600), and Link Cable $79.99 (approximately Rs 6,600)to connect the headset with PC.

Meta Quest Pro headset design
Meta says that mixed reality headset has counterbalanced design and allows easy fit for those who wear glasses. It gets pancake lenses and the curved-cell battery that sits at the back of the headset. Claimed to be the slimmest and most balanced VR device Meta has ever made, the Meta Quest Pro also allows wearers to use their peripheral vision to “stay present in your environment.” It also allows to partially or completely block light for an immersive experience.
Meta says that Quest Pro’s continuous lens spacing adjustment mechanism allows inter-pupillary distances (IPDs) accommodation between 55mm and 75mm, which is a larger range as compared to Meta Quest 2, which accommodates IPDs between 58mm and 72mm. Furthermore, it also facilitates custom fit allowing wearers to adjust the lens distance from their eyes with the help of an eye relief dial to optimise fit, face tracking, and viewing experience.

Meta Quest Pro headset specifications
Meta Quest Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ platform, which is said to be optimised for VR to run at 50% more power than Meta Quest 2. Each Meta Quest Pro comes with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 10 high-resolution sensors (five inside the headset and five outside).
Meta Quest Pro gets thin pancake optics, two LCD displays with custom local dimming and quantum dot technologies. The company says that the new headset has 37% more pixels per inch (ppi) and 10% greater pixels per degree as compared to Meta Quest 2. It is also claimed to offer a 25% improvement in full-field visual sharpness in the centre view, a 50% improvement in the peripheral region, and 1.3X larger colour gamut than Meta Quest 2.

Meta Quest Pro mixed reality
Meta says that the Meta Quest Pro has a new sensor architecture with high-res outward-facing cameras for full-colour mixed reality experience through stereoscopic mixed reality Passthrough. These cameras are claimed to capture 4X the pixels as compared to external cameras on the Meta Quest 2, which allowed users to see the outside world in black and white via monoscopic Passthrough feature.
The stereoscopic mixed reality Passthrough on Meta Quest Pro combines multiple sensor views to create a natural view of the world in 3D. This offers better depth perception as well as fewer visual distortions for both close-up and room-scale mixed reality scenarios. It also comes with eye tracking and Natural Expressions support that allows the avatars to communicate expressively.
In layman’s terms, mixed reality on Meta Quest Pro allows children to attend school with other students (via Avatars) in virtual reality and take notes on their notebooks with the comfort of their homes. Office-goers can attend meetings while handling household chores at the same time. You can wink, stick your tongue out or smile in the real world and the same facial expressions will be mirrored by the Avatars in virtual reality.

Meta says that the full colour mixed reality experience will help developers create more robust mixed reality experiences using its Presence Platform suite of tools.
Meta Quest Pro self-tracking controllers
Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers come with three built-in sensors in each module to track their position in 3D space independent of the headset. Meta says that the new controllers are re-engineered to “feel like natural extensions of your hands.” They come with an upgraded TruTouch Haptics system for precise feedback. The controllers are equipped with rechargeable batteries and come with a charging dock that has a 45W USB-C power adapter.

As per the company, these controllers can also be used with Meta Quest 2. In case you own the last generation headset, you can purchase a standalone pair for $299.99 (approximately Rs 24,700) later this year.