What’s Next for the Quest: Report Suggests Quest 4 Will Launch in 2026
Now that the world has had several months to get used to the Meta Quest 3, it’s time to look at the future. As previously discussed, Meta is currently working on a “lite” version of the Quest 3, but according to The Information, that’s not all that’s in the pipeline.
According to reports, two different versions of Quest 4 will be released in 2026, followed by a Quest Pro 2 in 2027. The news comes from Wayne Ma and Kalley Huang, who are writing for The Information, and they cite three sources that have all had a hand in making the new headsets.
In the past, Wayne Ma has accurately reported on Meta’s previous headsets before any official communications.
Elsewhere in recent news, information garnered from Quest 3S dev kits has been shared, giving us a better insight into what we can expect from the budget headset, which looks set for release soon. And, looking further into the future, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has shared the specs of the headsets he sees hitting the market in 2031.
Let’s take a deeper look at what lies ahead for Meta in the immediate, medium, and long term.
The Quest 3S
Recently, an XR enthusiast named Luna asked developers on X (Twitter) to share information about the Quest 3S devkit and got responses. Much of the information gathered from developers who have early access confirms that the new lite version will have the processing power of the Quest 3 but with the lenses of the Quest 2.
An infographic shared by Luna indicates that the Quest 3S will feature the following:
- A Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset
- A Single Fast-Switch LCD with 1,832 by 1,920 pixels per eye (20 PPD) display
- A frame rate of 90/120 Hertz
- Fresnel lenses with 3-Position IPD/IAD adjustment
- Quest 2 style glasses spacer
- 4 x IR tracking cameras, 2 x 4 MP (18 PPD) RGB passthrough cameras, 2 x IR illuminators for depth sensing
- A Touch Plus Controller
- The same software features as the Meta Quest 3 including space setup, inside-out body tracking, and multimodal hand tracking.
The Quest 3S is reportedly going to cost around £300, the same price as the Quest 2 at launch. Buyers of the Lite headset can expect much of the functionality and capability of the Quest 3 without losing too much else.
The trade-offs for the lower-cost headset will come in the form of a 30% reduction in resolution with a slightly narrower field of view. The use of fresnel lenses will lead to bulkier form factor in comparison to the Quest 3, but this will match that of the Quest 2.
But the headset will have the same processor as the Quest 3 while also retaining the same passthrough capabilities.
What remains to be seen is how switching from single depth sensors to two IR illuminators will affect performance. However, with the same software setup, users will be able to access a very similar experience.
The Quest 4
It won’t be long before we see the Quest 4. In 2026, Meta apparently plans to launch two different variants of the Quest 4 with premium and standard options currently codenamed Prismo High and Prismo Low.
The report in The Information doesn’t shed any light on the potential specifications of either variant of the Quest 4. Still, the article talks about how these new headsets are in the works despite Zuckaberg cancelling Reality Labs’ blank cheque and moving the big spending away from the metaverse and onto AI.
A 2026 launch date would leave three years between devices, which can seem quite short compared to the six—or seven-year gaps between consoles like the Xbox or PlayStation. But this is the same length of time between the launches of Quest 2 and 3.
The releases of previous headsets were actually closer together, and progressive generations have slowed primarily because of chip availability.
The Quest Pro 2
The original Quest Pro didn’t perform as well as some may have expected and has been quietly sidelined. Previously, reports suggested that the Pro 2 had been shelved. Elsewhere, there have since been rumours that the recently severed partnership with LG may have included work on a high-end headset to rival the Apple Vision Pro.
Now that Apple is in the market, Meta may be reconsidering its position. Although Zuckerberg has talked up the capabilities of the Quest 3 compared to Apple’s offering, appealing to the premium end of the market has obvious benefits.
According to The Information, a Quest headset with the codename “La Jolla” will ship in 2027. Ma and Qianer Liu claim work started on this device back in November, and it will be launched as the successor to the Quest Pro.
Again, the report doesn’t go into detail about the specs of the Quest Pro 2, but we do know that a leaked 2023 Meta roadmap indicated the Quest Pro 2 will have a higher resolution, keep the same rear-battery design as the Quest Pro, and feature Codec Avatars.
Meta has been developing the Codec Avatar for some time. The plan is to change how we communicate remotely using photorealistic avatars with real-time movements controlled by face-tracking sensors in headsets or glasses.
It’s a project that Meta first shared back in 2019, but earlier this year, a reference to Codec Avatars were found in the Quest firmware available to the public. This indicates that Meta has continued work on the project and is close to bringing the technology to the mass market.
Boz Shares His Predictions for XR Specs in 2031
The funding for Reality Labs projects may not be as high as it once was, but the dream of elevating mixed reality to the next level has not left the building at Meta.
In a recent interview with Matthew Ball, the author of The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything, Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth was asked how the specs of Meta headsets will evolve over the next seven years.
He answered that seven years was “probably about as far as I can credibly glimpse” before suggesting that he would expect to see at least 45 pixels per degree (PPD), if not into the 50s and 60s. Although these are available at a cost with the Apple Vision Pro, Bosworth suggests there’s a tradeoff in terms of field of view and brightness.
To put this in perspective, when the Oculus Go launched six years ago, it had 15 PPD in the centre, and the Quest 3 currently has 25 PPD.
Improving the field of view is on the agenda, with taller rather than wider field of view being the priority for immersion density. He goes on to say that “wider field of view is more important for us as a species in terms of information density, because our eyes do see more horizontal, but vertical is a good way of convincing you that you’re immersed in a space, in a way that’s kind of deceptive.”
The Quest 3’s vertical field of view is 96°. However, humans typically have a vertical range of 135° to 150°.
In terms of the technology to process this, Bosworth states, “it has to be standalone.”
Comfort is important and Bosworth sees the weight dropping by around 100-200 grams on headsets and better balance with a reduction in the distance the optical stack is from the eyes.
At the moment, the Quest 3 weighs in at 515 grams, meaning Bosworth hopes to drop the headsets of 2031 down to just 315 grams.
The headsets of 2031 will feature great stereoscopic audio. He states that there are limits to the capabilities of open ear, so this will likely be achieved with closed ear headphones. He hopes to give users the option.
The frame rates are likely to remain at around 120Hz, which isn’t as smooth as the 240Hz PC gamers see these days, but Bosworth sees that the increased frame rates are likely to be impact field of view and other specifications. Although Meta can achieve higher, it’s unlikely that this is an area they will make big changes in over the coming years.
Of course, these are only predictions. While Bosworth will have a deep insight into what’s in store for the Quest 4 and Quest Pro 2, a lot could change in terms of Meta’s focus, external factors like supply chain, and other areas of technology, all of which could impact the journey toward achieving these predictions.
Only Two More Years To Wait
While the Quest 3S will keep the market interested in Meta and increase demand for XR headsets overall, the Quest 3 will likely remain Meta’s flagship and highest-spec product for at least two more years. In the meantime, we will probably start to see several other leading manufacturers launch headsets running Meta’s Horizon OS with higher specs than the Quest 3.
