Meta Quest 4: Internal memo promises "big upgrade"

Two internal memos concerning Meta's hardware roadmap were leaked over the weekend. Rumors have been circulating since last year that Meta is working on a new type of mixed-reality glasses that offloads the processor and battery into a wired pocket computer, enabling a particularly compact and lightweight form factor. The tech magazine The Information reported on a prototype in 2024 that is said to weigh about 100 grams. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal from last summer, a corresponding product was planned for 2026, with a target price of under 1000 US dollars.

This timeline has now changed: According to an internal memo, which Business Insider has access to, the device has been postponed to the first half of 2027. A second memo also states the reason: the additional time is intended to give the team more breathing room to work out details.

"We are facing a tight schedule and far-reaching changes to the user experience, and we will not compromise on delivering a polished and reliable user experience," write metaverse executives Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns in the second memo. The user interface is considered one of the biggest weaknesses of the VR operating system Horizon OS and could be one reason why Meta poached Apple's interface design chief.

In the report, Business Insider refers to two Meta employees who have seen the current prototype codenamed "Phoenix" and confirm that the device has a glasses-like form factor and is operated via a pocket computer. According to earlier reports, Meta is focusing on media consumption and other use cases designed for seated use.

Reality Labs on a cost-cutting course: Meta Quest 4 could become more expensive

There is also news regarding a potential Quest 4. After Meta put development on hold in the summer and scrapped two Quest 4 prototypes to focus on the new, ultra-light MR glasses, work on a successor to the Quest 3 has resumed.

Meta executives write in their memo that Meta has begun development of a next-generation Quest device that will focus on gaming and represent a "big upgrade" compared to current products. The memo does not specify for which year the device is planned. Based on all known information so far, the Quest 4 is likely to be released after the ultra-light MR glasses, meaning earliest in 2027 according to current plans.

The development of the two new devices falls into a phase where Meta's VR division is being subjected to drastic cost reductions. One of the two memos states that the executives of Reality Labs, Meta's division for VR and AR products, have been asked by Mark Zuckerberg to "put the business on a sustainable footing." An estimated more than 100 billion US dollars have flowed into Reality Labs without this investment having paid off for Meta so far.

One of the goals Meta is pursuing with the Quest 4, according to the memo, is to "significantly improve the economic efficiency per device." A possible measure for this would be to increase margins and subsidize the hardware less aggressively than before. For consumers, this could mean that the next Quest generation will be noticeably more expensive.

Even though a new VR headset from Meta will probably not be released next year, a new limited edition wearable codenamed "Malibu 2" is planned, according to one of the memos. This is most likely another product from Meta's ever-growing AI glasses portfolio.

(tobe)