But what is Meta up to with Project Cambria? Shown stealthily during the “metaverse” keynote last fall, the next-generation helmet from Mark Zuckerberg’s teams is still planned for this year. The presentation of the firm’s quarterly results was an opportunity for Zuck to say a little more about this device.
“Later this year, we will be launching Project Cambria, a premium headset (at Meta Quest 2 editor’s note) which will be more intended for professionals and can replace your laptop or your work environment”.
An amazing little phrase! Admittedly, we already knew that Project Cambria was a more ambitious headset than the Quest 2. But Meta had never yet indicated that it could possibly act as a real productivity tool, capable of replacing your computer.
Infinite Office, the PC in VR already exists
Reality Labs, its division in charge of the metaverse, has already been working on this kind of use for a long time. Especially with his initiative Infinite Office, a series of functions deployed on the Meta Quest 2 to allow you to have a “real” desktop in VR. It is thus possible to define the exact position of your physical desk in virtual reality, to show your keyboard, your Windows desktop, etc.
However, the technical specifications of the Quest 2 (limited screen definition, low definition cameras, etc.) limit this use to experimentation, for the moment. Project Cambria will a priori fill many of these gaps. First, it would be more comfortable to wear over the long term, with a more compact design, in particular thanks to the use of flat “pancake” lenses, and an improved field of view.
Above all, Cambria will benefit from a pass through in color and high resolution, thanks to advanced cameras. As a reminder, this function makes it possible to see “through” the helmet and thus to mix virtual reality and the real world. Finally, as Zuckerberg reminds us, Meta implement [dans project Cambria] eye and facial movement tracking to improve the realism of avatar expressions and eye contact in virtual reality.
Advanced technologies, which will certainly make this helmet a very expensive device, which prefigures the metaverse that Zuckerberg calls for. Will it be attractive enough for you to imagine doing without your PC?