We've come a long way since the first home-use Oculus Rift, which was an exercise in motion sickness and screen sickness. Now we have untethered portable headsets like the Quest 2, all-view high-resolution products like the Pimax 8k (opens in new tab), and even cool VR treadmills like the Kat VR C2+ (opens in new tab). There is always something new in VR, whether it be headsets, glasses, or a rumored collaboration between Meta and Apple.

As reported by The Verge (opens in new tab), Meta's Reality Labs division shared a new roadmap showing future plans for AR and VR at the company; the Meta Quest Pro (opens in new tab) is not actually a gaming device but a Metaverse workplace It's nice to see that there is room for gaming in the company's VR future, even if Meta loses $4 billion (opens in new tab) a quarter due to its strong push into the

The roadmap confirms that Meta is looking to launch a new flagship Quest 3 (opens in new tab), codenamed "Stinson," later this year. The headset appears to be trying to take the place of the current Quest 2 lineup; the Quest 3 is said to be at least twice as powerful and twice as thin as the previous model. Of course, it will also be priced higher than the Quest 2.

The experience with Quest 3 is said to be more focused on augmented reality as opposed to VR. The current Quest pass-through feature, which uses a camera on the front of the headset to show the viewer the real world, will be significantly upgraded and will be a major focus of the device. In its current form, it is very convenient to switch to a coarse black-and-white view of the living room during a game without having to remove the headset; it makes sense that Meta is trying to build on this in their goal to keep people experiencing longer.

Meta's other new headset, codenamed "Ventura," is described as a more accessible option. [As Techradar (opens in new tab) points out, the Ventura name has caused quite a stir, with many suspecting it has some connection to Apple's new macOS of the same name. The name is consistent with Meta's tendency to use California beaches in its codenames, but there is little else to suggest an Apple connection.

Both companies appear to be heavily focused on augmented reality, with Apple looking to enter the AR and VR headset scene (opens in new tab) itself, particularly smart glasses as opposed to headsets. Zack previously called AR and VR "the holy grail" of devices. Being able to advertise on a platform where users are unlikely to take a break must be incredibly attractive.

As part of its roadmap, Meta is about to release its second generation of smart glasses towards the end of the year. These will be the successor to the camera glasses created in collaboration with Ray-Ban. I have played with the Ray-Ban smart glasses quite a bit and they are actually quite nice, except that they force you to use an app. The ability to easily take photos and videos is pretty handy, but the ability to use them as both a microphone and speaker to make calls is where these glasses really shine.

These will be followed up with a third generation due in 2025, which is said to be the first to come with a screen for displaying text messages and possibly even translating text in real time. They are also said to come with a band called a "neural interface" that will allow users to control the glasses with hand gestures and will one day function as a virtual keyboard. Hopefully by then the battery will last a day and the frame will be thinner.

The roadmap is beginning to sound like a lot of big promises that may be a bit difficult to fulfill. I like the idea of bringing augmented reality into everyday life, but I don't like the idea of wearing a headset and being stuck in the metaverse (open in new tab) all day to work. What dystopian developments await us?