Meta figureheads have reiterated that the Meta Quest 2 will have a “long life”, and will not be replaced by the upcoming Project Cambria.
Consulting CTO John Carmack made that much clear in response to a new blog post from Meta’s VR/AR head, Andrew Bosworth. “An important point here is that the “project Cambria” product will *NOT* replace Quest 2, it will be sold alongside it,” Carmack said. “Quest 2 will have a long life.”
The note comes amongst concerns that Cambria, which is a new high-end standalone headset, will eventually take front and center for Meta, much in the same way that Quest 2 has slowly replaced Quest 1 over the past 14 months. Indeed, a number of apps that have released for Quest 2 this holiday season can’t even be played on Quest 1, including Resident Evil 4 and Medal of Honor.
But Cambria, which was announced at Connect a few months back, isn’t going to be a part of the Quest line of products, and new features like color passthrough and eye and face-tracking suggest the headset will be significantly more expensive than Quest 2’s $299 starting point. The project’s aim is less about widespread adoption and more concerned with implementing features that Meta believes will advance its vision of the metaverse among other uses.
Bosworth’s blog, meanwhile, reconfirmed that Cambria is planned for release sometime in 2022, though there’s still no specific window for that launch. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the headset as we move into the new year and will bring you all the latest.
