What you need to know
- Meta announced a next-generation Oculus Quest headset called Project Cambria at Facebook Connect 2021.
- Project Cambria is designed to be a high-end headset with cutting-edge technology, not a replacement for the Oculus Quest 2.
- Cambria will feature realistic face tracking, eye tracking, and even body tracking.
- Cambria is designed with new smaller lenses and "pancake" optics.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — or, more appropriately the company now known as Meta — took to the virtual stage at Facebook Connect 2021 to tease Project Cambria, a next-generation standalone VR headset. Zuckerberg said that Cambria isn't designed to replace the existing Oculus Quest 2 but will be compatible with existing Quest software.
Project Cambria is a high-end headset that's designed for the best possible experience rather than for a lower price point, as current Oculus Quest headsets are. Cambria will feature a brand new type of thinner lens with what Zuckerberg called "pancake optics."
These new lenses work by "folding light several times over" to achieve a smaller form factor, resulting in a smaller, lighter headset. Zuckerberg also said that Project Cambria will feature eye tracking, some form of facial tracking, and even hinted at body tracking.
All of those technologies will result in virtual avatars that move and interact more naturally.
We recently saw a big Oculus Quest Pro leak reveal many of what appear to be Project Cambria's features and form factor. We expect brand new controllers, as revealed in that leak, as well as a more comfortable headset since Zuckerberg stated that this headset is designed to be worn for longer periods of time.
