Meta Pivots to New Mixed-Reality Glasses After Leaving High-End Headset in the Dust 

Key Takeaways

• Meta is planning a mixed-reality device that resembles a pair of glasses. 
• The new product is not touted for release until 2027.
• Enthusiasm for virtual reality has wavered since the highs of the mid-2010s.

Meta is planning a mixed-reality device that resembles a pair of glasses to provide an alternative to its slow-selling bulky Quest headsets. 

According to recent reports, the glasses will not arrive until 2027—if the project is actually completed. 

Meta Wants To Attract a Wider Market to Mixed-Reality

Known internally as Puffin, Meta is taking another shot at making a mix of virtual and augmented reality attractive to a broader market. 

Puffin would be a much smaller device than Meta’s existing Quest headsets. It will rely on hand gestures and eye movements than on hand-held controllers. 

The headset is rumored to have an external pack containing its battery and processor to keep its size as small as possible. 

If you’ve thought about the Apple Vision Pro while reading this, that’s because the Puffin sounds extremely similar to the iPhone maker’s product. 

Meta’s Fledgling Quest

When Meta acquired Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion, there was widespread anticipation that virtual reality would become a transformative technology.

Meta quickly positioned itself as a leader in this space.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that the company would focus on building a “metaverse” where people could interact in immersive virtual worlds. However, Meta’s journey has been more difficult than anticipated.

One key issue has been lower-than-expected sales of virtual reality hardware. While the Oculus Quest series, mainly the Quest 2, has been more successful than previous virtual reality headsets, it failed to achieve the mass-market adoption that Meta had hoped for.

The Quest 2 received a relatively strong reception due to its affordability, wireless design, and ease of use, but it still needs to achieve widespread consumer adoption.

In 2023, Meta stopped producing its Quest Pro after encountering weak sales and poor reviews. Despite its impressive specifications, the product’s hefty launch price of $1,000 was widely criticized.

Despite a history of losses in virtual and augmented reality, Zuckerberg continues to pursue his ambitious plans to bring the technology to the mainstream.

What Is Mixed Reality?

A mixed-reality headset is a device that allows users to experience and interact with both the physical and digital worlds simultaneously. 

Unlike traditional virtual reality headsets, which fully immerse users in a completely virtual environment, mixed reality headsets blend virtual objects with the user’s real-world surroundings. 

These devices are equipped with advanced sensors, cameras, and displays that enable this seamless integration.

Mixed Reality Is In, And Virtual Reality Is Out

Excitement for virtual reality reached a fever pitch during the 2010s as several key developments brought the technology back into the mainstream spotlight.

Big tech began to invest heavily in the technology to ride the wave of hype. In 2016, Sony took its first step into the space with PlayStation virtual reality and brought the technology to the console gaming market for the first time.

However, despite the excitement throughout the mid-2010s, interest in the technology has faded somewhat. A combination of high price tags, the lack of killer apps, and overall technological limitations killed enthusiasm.

Virtual reality and augmented reality headsets declined 67.4% year over year  in the first quarter of 2024, according to a report from global market intelligence firm IDC.

Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC, believes that virtual reality headsets will fade in the coming years as mixed-reality products such as the Apple Vision Pro come to market.

“With mixed reality on the rise, expect strictly virtual reality headsets to fade in the coming years as brands and developers devise new hardware and experiences to help users eventually transition to augmented reality further down the line,” Ubrani said. 

About the Author

Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN with a diverse background across several prominent news outlets. Having transitioned into the world of technology journalism several years ago, Kurt has developed a keen fascination with all things AI. Kurt’s reporting blends a passion for innovation with a commitment to delivering insightful, accurate and engaging stories on the cutting edge of technology.

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