Sources: Meta cancels a premium MR headset codenamed La Jolla, in development since November, that was meant to debut in 2027 to compete with Apple's Vision Pro

Meta Platforms has canceled plans for a premium mixed-reality headset intended to compete with Apple's Vision Pro, according to two Meta employees.

The Information 2024-08-24

Context & Ripple Effects

The cancellation follows a product split already visible in coverage: Meta was pursuing true AR glasses and a cheaper Quest while Apple worked to make Vision Pro more comfortable. That made a high-end, Vision Pro-style device one option within a broader set of XR bets, rather than Meta’s only route into the category.

Subsequent coverage of Apple ending its Mac-connected AR-glasses project reinforces how difficult it is to turn advanced AR/MR concepts into a broadly viable shipping product. Meta’s reported interest in display-equipped smart glasses points to a potentially more focused form factor.

First-order effects

Meta drops a premium MR program intended for a 2027 launch, ending a direct planned challenger to Vision Pro and redirecting the associated product-development effort.
Apple loses a prospective premium-headset rival from Meta’s roadmap, while Vision Pro remains the named benchmark for this canceled effort.

Second-order effects

Meta’s XR portfolio is more likely to be judged by its lower-cost Quest and glasses initiatives than by a flagship premium headset; those programs now carry more of the company’s hardware positioning.
The move strengthens the practical distinction between premium spatial-computing headsets and lighter AR/smart-glasses products, a divide already suggested by Meta’s earlier cheaper Quest and true-AR-glasses plans.

Third-order effects

If major platforms keep shelving technically ambitious XR devices, the market may consolidate around form factors with clearer comfort, cost, and everyday-use trade-offs rather than a rapid premium-headset arms race.
That would make ecosystem differentiation—software, content, and existing consumer hardware channels—more important than matching a competitor device-for-device; the durability of that shift remains uncertain.

The trend: XR companies are narrowing hardware bets toward products with more manageable cost and wearability constraints while keeping longer-term AR ambitions alive.

Discussion

@ambich0o Amber Choo on threads
we also learn from each prototype made, and those learnings get passed onto the other devices! no shelved hardware prototype is truly shelved in it's entirety.
@jaymayo_vrtist Jay Mayo on threads
Honestly doesn't surprise me. I think Meta's focusing more on “affordable” so they can build up on a healthy install base and ecosystem. Once they reach “critical mass”, I think they'll reintroduce the “Pro” back again. For now, we have Quest Normie and Quest Lite.
@daveleebbg Dave Lee on threads
Meta declined to comment on The Info's story, naturally... RE: https://www.threads.net/...
@golan_lewkowicz Golan Jason Lewkowicz on x
@SadlyItsBradley @theinformation what other companies provide 👀tracking features?
@ibrews Alex Coulombe on x
@Heaney555 frustrating that Meta refuses to build a proper premium enterprise headset when they have all the tech to do so— Oculus Quest Pro was NOT that headset, but honestly if all they did now was update the passthrough and Qualcomm chip it would be well on its way.
@cixliv @cixliv on x
For productivity purposes or “spatial computing” like pitched by the Vision Pro and Quest Pro. Comfort and weight has to be sub 300 grams (or less) or people will simply sweat it in and take it off while working. Missing the forest for the trees. [image]
@spatialbiggs Biggs on x
@Heaney555 It is a good move. Focus on the price point the 3s is about to prove and expand platform while the competition is stuck trying get under $2-3k. I'm continually impressed by Meta's moves following their platform play compared to the past. Builds a solid Developer confid…
@aidan_wolf Aidan on x
@cixliv we wanted cheap plastic iPods before we ever dreamed of the iPhone, I see a similar path for Meta. Focus on games, the core use case that sells units, until the form factor is good enough to be an everything device
@boztank Boz on x
Just your regularly scheduled public service announcement: we have many prototypes in development at all times. But we don't bring all of them to production. We move forward with some, we pass on others. Decisions like this happen all the time, and stories based on chatter about
@chafkin Max Chafkin on x
wild, in retrospect, that so many ostensibly smart people convinced themselves this was a good idea against all available evidence https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@da_real_hugo Jonathan Chavez on x
If Meta is serious re: licensing their OS to third party OEMs - this was necessary IMHO. It's a challenging proposition enough given that they are already dominating the lower end of the VR market; to launch a device into the mid-to-high end segment, while simultaneously trying …
@infilm360 @infilm360 on x
@SadlyItsBradley @theinformation Even Meta doesn't understand the AVP and it's place In the market - it's not really a consumer product, it's a dev kit with added hype building functionality. The Apple Vision Air is going to eat their lunch.
@niclasj Niclas Johansson on x
@Lunayian Yup. The business/non-consumer (education..?) offer needs to be just a software/license layer on top of consumer hardware, just like Quest For Business already works (in theory at least).
@rengle820 Ryan Engle on x
@Heaney555 This is the right move IMO. The high end VR space is totally unproven. Low end is here to stay. Double down on what's working.
@lunayian Luna on x
[Meta plans to use key technologies from La Jolla, including its “display and eye-tracking features”, in unspecified “other future devices"] IMO the consumer line is where Meta's focus should be. I feel a Quest 4 “Plus” would be the better move over Pro 2 if targeting <$1000.
@hmltn Ian Hamilton on x
@boztank You're still committed to real-time embodied presence as codec avatars in headsets? Is this something we're likely to see demonstrated in WhatsApp soonish?
@physwiz Dr. Simon Albright on x
This is unexpected, the astonishing success of the metaverse surely shows how much demand there is for such things.
@rudezlogan Logan Rudez on x
@SadlyItsBradley @theinformation Isn't their competitor to the AVP just a continually upgraded Quest Pro line of headsets? Why would they do 3 cost and quality tiers of the quest and have the “s” line as well. This feels like a nothing headline.
@justinpbarnett Justin P Barnett on x
@SadlyItsBradley @theinformation Cancelled headsets don't help the industry...
@newdsfox @newdsfox on x
@Lunayian Talking from experience, the Apple Vision Pro doesn't feel $3,000 more expensive to use; Quest 3 with eye-tracking would be quite comparable in practical terms and substantially more affordable. I'm sure that'll be even more true with the Quest 4, so it just makes sense…
@ericpresidentvr @ericpresidentvr on x
@Lunayian They are focusing imo on younger audiences which is fundamentally correct for XR as a whole Those wanting QPro2 almost all fit the same demographic when you check profiles
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
Meta canceled plans for their Apple's Vision Pro competitor according to @theinformation It was supposed to launch in 2027. And like Apple Vision Pro, It was going to contain micro-OLED displays They plan to use its developed display and eye tracking features in other devices
@heaney555 David Heaney on x
I'm now sure Meta learned all the wrong lessons from the original Quest Pro.
@katebevan Kate on x
Nobody wants a headset*. Stop trying to make the metaverse happen. (*I think there are some useful VR/AR use cases for industry, and also for entertainment, but ordinary normies aren't buying stupid headsets.)
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
This market is a LONG LONG ways away.
@fmanjoo Farhad Manjoo on x
AR seems to be going the way of 3D tv
@waynema Wayne Ma on x
Meta has canceled plans for a high-end mixed-reality headset due in 2027 that was meant to be a competitor to Apple's Vision Pro in part due to the high cost of the displays. Check out @SylviaVarnham and my latest scoop for @theinformation https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
r/technology r on reddit
Meta just cancelled its Apple Vision Pro competitor, reportedly it was too pricey to ‘sell well’

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