There's speculation circulating about a potential collaboration between Meta and LG to develop a competitor for Vision Pro. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to visit South Korea this week to engage in discussions about launching a headset integrated with webOS by 2025.
(Photo : Meta)
The shipment of orders for Meta Quest Pro will begin on Oct. 25.
Meta, LG Partnership
Industry sources indicate that Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to meet with the Chief Executive Officer of LG Electronics to solidify the terms of their partnership.
As reported by The Korea Economic Daily, this visit marks Zuckerberg's first publicly acknowledged trip to South Korea since 2014 when he collaborated with Samsung to finalize the Gear VR smartphone headset partnership.
Six months ago, another South Korean news outlet revealed that Meta had joined forces with LG to develop upcoming Quest Pro headsets. However, this isn't the inaugural collaboration between Meta and a seasoned consumer electronics firm for a VR headset.
Previously, Samsung managed the hardware for Gear VR, Xiaomi manufactured Oculus Go, and Oculus Rift S were both manufactured and co-designed by Lenovo. All three headsets prominently displayed both the partner company's logo and Oculus branding.
The extent of LG's brand integration into Quest Pro 2 remains uncertain, as does whether it will retain this name. Another example of a software-focused Big Tech company teaming up with a Korean hardware manufacturer for an XR headset is evident.
Last year, Samsung announced its partnership with Google for a headset, with Google managing the software side. This headset is expected to be released later this year.
Potential Features
Meta is set to manage the software aspect of the new headset, while incorporating webOS, the operating system found in LG TVs. The specifics of this integration remain unclear, but it could potentially mean the headset will feature a virtual LG TV experience.
This integration has the potential to seamlessly bring over popular streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Hulu, Paramount+, and VUDU, without requiring additional developer efforts.
In contrast, while the Apple Vision Pro places a strong emphasis on media consumption and includes native apps for Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as support for iPad versions of platforms like Prime Video, the Quest currently lacks such comprehensive app support.
Although the Quest does have a Netflix app, it only supports 480p streaming and lacks features like downloads, passthrough, or hand tracking.
The upcoming Quest Pro 2 might introduce Codec Avatars, an extensive research and development endeavor by Meta. This project aims to transform remote communication by creating photorealistic avatars driven in real-time by headsets equipped with face-tracking sensors.
In contrast, Apple's Personas pursue a similar objective but are currently stuck in the uncanny valley and confined to a 2D display.
As Meta reenters the segment alongside LG and Google's collaboration with Samsung, the high-end headset market, previously dominated solely by Apple, could potentially evolve into a three-way competition next year.
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