digital
Meta announces new VR glasses
Meta launches a new model of its Quest glasses. photo
© Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Will Zuckerberg outdo the competition from Apple? Conceivable. An overview of the features of the new model.
Shortly before the expected presentation of data glasses from Apple, top dog Meta tries to take the wind out of the sails of the potential competitor with its own announcement. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg announced a new model of his Quest glasses for the fall that will be thinner and more powerful than previous generations.
He specifically emphasized that the headset will be good at merging digital objects and real environments in the user’s field of vision. According to media reports, this should also be a central function of Apple glasses.
It is expected that the iPhone group will present the device, which has been developed for years, next Monday at the opening of its WWDC developer conference. According to the media reports, the price of the device could reach 3000 US dollars (around 2800 euros). Zuckerberg announced a price of around $500 for the Quest 3.
Virtual Reality at Meta
The Facebook group Meta has been in the business for almost a decade. Initially, Zuckerberg relied on virtual reality (VR), in which users are completely immersed in digital worlds. In 2014 he bought the VR glasses pioneer Oculus.
Zuckerberg also announced the goal of establishing a virtual world – the “Metaverse” – as a future computing platform. The change in the company name from Facebook to Meta also has something to do with this. However, the activities have so far remained a niche business – but a very expensive one. In the past quarter alone, the division responsible for this, Reality Labs, posted an operating loss of four billion dollars.
With the “mixed reality” functions of the Quest 3, Meta offers the prospect of using a virtual parlor game at the kitchen table or decorating the living room with digital art. The real environment is recorded by cameras and shown to the user on the displays in the glasses together with additional digital elements.