The last two years saw the launches of the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S VR headsets, but it sounds like we'll have to wait a bit for the next one. It also sounds like the next one will be something a little different.
UploadVR reported that Meta's next head-worn VR device might launch in 2026, but it likely won't be a big, bulky VR headset like we're used to seeing from Quest devices. Instead, the new report claims it will be a more open, lightweight headset with a tethered puck for processing power, rather than putting all the hardware in the headset itself. That's not dissimilar to the Apple Vision Pro, but there is at least one big difference worth noting.
According to an older report by The Information that originally shed light on this new Meta device, codenamed "Puffin," it looks more like a pair of big glasses than a headset and weighs less than 100g. That would be significantly lighter than the Vision Pro, which by Apple's own admission is about a 600g device. Puffin would also allegedly not include controllers, instead opting for control via hand gestures. That would limit its viability as a gaming device, but the existence of Puffin may not necessarily preclude the existence of another, more traditional Quest headset somewhere down the line.
Whatever ends up happening, it seems pretty clear that VR companies are finally discovering what the rest of us figured out years ago: Most people just don't want to wear a big, bulky computer on their faces that much.
Plus, with Zuckerberg's focus on AR glasses as the next big frontier in tech, we're not surprised to see Meta shift away from headsets and toward more glasses-like wearables.
