Meta allegedly stopped ordering new Quest Pro parts

Presently, Meta’s virtual reality headset product line consists of the mainstream Quest and the high-end Quest Pro. While the successor to Quest 2, Quest 3, has already been announced, it still remains some time away from its formal debut. According to reports by MIXED and The Information, Meta will concentrate its efforts on the Quest, and the production and development of the Quest Pro will cease.

Earlier this year, Meta had already informed suppliers that no new components would be ordered for the Quest Pro, as per The Information. The assembly contractor, Goertek, will only manufacture the Quest Pro as long as the current component stock permits. This implies that the production of Quest Pro will cease once the inventory of components is depleted.

Simultaneously, the report indicates that Meta is likely to completely shut down the entire Quest Pro product line, as the development of the second-generation Quest Pro has been suspended. It appears that Meta is more invested in Quest 3, which is slated for release in October.

The Quest 3 has undergone a substantial upgrade on the System on a Chip (SoC) and its per-eye resolution on the display panel (2064 x 2208) is higher than that of the Quest Pro (1800 x 1920). It features a color camera and is also equipped with a depth sensor, a feature that was omitted in the Quest Pro. The lens group is Pancake. Given these factors, Meta’s move is understandable, especially when the Pro seems less ‘Pro’, diminishing the necessity for its existence. However, the eye-tracking feature present in the Quest Pro is absent in the Quest 3.

Whether Meta will venture back into high-end VR headsets is now an enigma. Looking at the successive price drops following the launch of the Quest Pro (from the original price of $1499.99 to the current price of $999.99), it’s evident that its popularity pales in comparison to the much cheaper Quest 2.