Meta has stopped developing a direct competitor to the Apple Vision Pro, as the micro-OLED displays required were deemed too expensive, according to a report by The Information.
Meta has attempted to position the Quest 3 as a direct alternative to Apple's much more expensive Vision Pro, despite the Quest 3 having less advanced hardware, particularly in display technology, where Apple has opted for costly micro-OLED displays.
Also read: Mark Zuckerberg on Apple Vision Pro: Quest 3 "is the better product, period"
To enhance visual fidelity in headsets, displays with faster pixel response times, improved brightness and higher contrast are required, i.e. micro-OLED or micro-LED. Behind the scenes, Meta had been working on a headset featuring micro-OLED displays.
Meta pulls the plug
According to The Information, Meta last week cancelled plans for a premium headset, codenamed La Jolla, which was intended to compete with the Apple Vision Pro by 2027.
Meta reportedly aimed to keep the headset priced under $1000, but the cost of micro-OLED displays proved too high.
Meta's Quest 3 uses low-cost, low-quality LCD panels
Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, appeared to confirm the report in a post on Threads but downplayed the significance of the decision.
- "We have many prototypes in development at all times. But we don’t bring all of them to production," he wrote. "We move forward with some, we pass on others. Decisions like this happen all the time, and stories based on chatter about one individual decision will never give the real picture."
Meta has previously launched Quest Pro headsets, but they have failed to gain traction. Despite being marketed as high-end, these headsets still used low-end LCD panels.
New low-cost headsets
With the decision not to focus on the premium segment, Meta is apparently doubling down on low-cost headsets
- "Meanwhile, Meta still has some of its own low-range to midrange headsets in the works, including the Quest 4, internally code-named Pismo, which is due for release in 2026," wrote The Information.
Bloomberg suggests that Meta could even unveil a new version of the Quest 3, possibly called the Quest 3S, as soon as September 25-26 at its Connect conference.
- "This will be a new entry-level device meant to bring more people into the Meta ecosystem. While the Quest 3 costs $500, Meta has discussed pricing this budget-minded version at $300 or $400," reports Bloomberg.
- Source: The Information, Bloomberg
