Meta may have yet to be revealed Project Cambria so far to the world, but an analyst may have screwed up his announcement by revealing everything in advance.
Ming-Chi Kuo is a well-known and fairly accurate Apple forecaster, but lately he’s been focusing his analysis on Meta’s upcoming VR headsets also. About Twitter (opens in new tab), Kuo has made his final predictions for what we’ll see from Project Cambria (what he calls the Meta Quest 2 Pro). So what can Project Cambria users stand for?
Following on from Meta’s visual enhancement theme recently unveiled prototype VR headsetsKuo reiterated that Project will use Cambria mini LED displays and pancake lenses. Not only should this improve the headset’s visuals, but it should also shrink the form factor.
The device will also come with about 16 cameras, according to Kuo: 10 on the headset and three on each of the two controllers. These would likely be an essential part of the device’s AR capabilities, coupled with the headset’s rumored 3D sensing support to create realistic experiences. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has already showed some of Cambria’s AR functionality in a strange demo earlier this year, with AR seemingly a priority for this headset.
Kuo also confirms that Project Cambria will use eye and face tracking for improved facial recognition — another feature Zuckerberg and Meta have said is a must-have for the next-gen headset. To be remains to be seen how realistic these expressions are with the eerie valley in the background, ready to make the experience nightmarish.
Interestingly, despite all these additional capabilities, Kuo predicts that Meta will still use an XR2 processor from Qualcomm, just like the Quest 2† Many developers we spoke to are desperate for a more powerful VR headset, so we expect Meta will want to ship it with a new second-generation XR2 processor – more power would also help the device handle all of its new components. can do without being dazed. However, we will have to wait and see.
Finally, Kuo predicts that the headset will launch in the second half of 2022, which is a bit of a gimmie. Meta is adamant that Cambria will launch this year, and since we’re halfway there, it only has six months left to keep that promise.
Kuo also suggests the headset will cost around $799 (around £649 / AU$1159), if not more. Meta has long called Cambria its more premium headsetso we’re not surprised it’s expected to cost more than double what the Quest 2 does.
As with all rumours, we should take what Kuo says with a grain of salt. That said, the analyst has a very strong track record of forecasting Apple news based on his analysis of his vendors, so it’s always worth paying attention to what he has to say.
Do you have to wait for Project Cambria?
Based on what Kuo predicted, is it worth holding out on Project Cambria, or should you just grab a Quest 2 headset now?
Well, cost certainly seems to be the biggest factor here. As we mentioned above, Quest 2 costs at least half of what Kuo predicts Cambria will cost; if you’re on a tight budget, the Quest 2 is a clear winner.
That said, don’t buy a Quest 2 right away. It would be a smart move whether you have extra cash to spend or not hold out for Cambria.
If you can afford it, Cambria will probably be the superior device, with improved VR and significantly improved AR capabilities. It will also be more future-proof, so although it will cost more, you won’t feel as much of a need to swap it out when the Quest 3 rolls around.
But if you’re on a bigger budget, once Cambria launches we could see the Quest 2 drop in price permanently, saving you a little extra on that device. Even if it doesn’t, the Cambria launch could pave the way for some unit sales Black Friday discounts on Quest 2 later this year.
The Quest 2 does deliver some of the best VR experiences out there, so while Meta is planning a follow up pretty soon, we’re sure you’ll get a kick out of using it.