Meta Quest 4 rumors: Everything we know so far

It's hard to deny Meta is the undisputed king of VR right now, with its Quest 3 and Quest 3S being among the best VR headsets to get. So it's only fitting that a Meta Quest 4 is in the cards, and there's already a lot of talk about the rumored headset.

Making VR accessible to all with the release of the Quest 3S in October 2024, along with the recent Quest 3S Xbox Edition in June, Meta appears to be on track to evolve its VR headset offerings, but it may not be the Quest 4 that comes first.

With leaks of Meta smart glasses indicating it's pushed back the Quest 4 headset until a later date, along with a "high-end model that could eventually become a successor to the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it may be a while until we see what CEO Mark Zuckerberg has up his sleeve for its next VR headset.

However, it's been reported that Meta is already working on a new Quest 4, so it may only be a matter of time until we find out what the Quest 4 has to offer.

For the latest updates on Meta's highly anticipated VR headset, find out all you need to know about the Meta Quest 4 below

Meta Quest 4: Rumored release date

There's no official word when the Meta Quest 4 may arrive, but rumor has it we won't see it anytime soon.

The next trending device on the market is set to be smart glasses, almost an evolution of VR headsets. Meta is looking to beat its competition, including the rumored Apple smart glasses and upcoming Snap Spectacles in 2026, with its own high-end AR glasses that could arrive as soon as this year.

Because of this, the Meta Quest 4 is now rumored to arrive in 2027. Meta appears to be shifting focus for its upcoming VR headset plans, with notable leakers Brad Lynch and Luna on X stating that the company may switch the release of the Quest 4 from next year to 2027.

This is apparently due to two planned prototype headsets, codenamed "Pismo Low" (a budget model similar to the Quest 3S) and "Pismo High" (a high-end headset akin to the Quest 3), being canceled. That, and having another headset come in its stead.

Now, we've got a first glimpse of what the next headset, or smart glasses, will be. Leaker Luna on X revealed several photos and videos showcasing Meta's next glasses, which are codenamed "Meta Celeste." The specs also appear to include wristbands known as "Ceres," which can be used to interact with AR environments seen in the glasses' display.

Not exactly "virtual reality" as with a VR headset, and from the leaked video tutorials and image, along with the Ceres wristbands, it's looking like this isn't the Meta Quest 4 we've been hoping for. But for smart glasses, this is juicy.

While the Quest 4 may not arrive until 2027 now, there's still AR glasses that seem to be on the way, and this may give us a taste of what to expect when the Quest 4 looks to launch.

Meta Quest 4: Design

The Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S have been applauded for their design, with the former's pancake optics offering better display resolution (2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye), and the 3S featuring the same fresnel lenses as the Meta Quest 2 (1,832 x 1,920). Is there room for improvement? Sure. However, what's surprising is Gurman describing the future product as "Quest 4 VR goggles" rather than a headset.

This may just be another way of Gurman saying headset or a nod to the smart glasses instead. But having a more slimmed-down design with design cues of Meta's upcoming AR glasses makes sense.

While details on the Quest 4 (and a possible Quest Pro successor) are still up in the air, we may have some hints at what it may bring. For one, there's the rumored smart glasses come with "Ceres" wristbands along with a video tutorial leak of how they work.

Is this an indication of a move to wristbands over the Meta Quest 3 controllers? For one, many VR games like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Asgard's Wrath 2 rely on buttons for much of their gameplay, so translating this into hand motions would be difficult. However, we may see further intergration of hand-tracking, which is currently included on the Quest 3/3S.

Otherwise, there's still a lot to learn about the design of the Meta Quest 4, but with the success of the Quest 3 and 3S and with the 3S Xbox Edition making gaming the focus of VR, it's likely we'll see a similar design to the current VR headsets.

That said, we hope to see improvements on its head strap for comfort, which is why other brands deliver better models, like the Kiwi Design H4 Boost Halo and K4 Boost.

Meta Quest 4: Expected price

Compared to all other VR headsets on the market, the Quest 3 and especially the Quest 3S are the most affordable way to jump on the VR bandwagon. With prices at $499 for the Quest 3 and $299 for the Quest 3S, a lot of the success of these headsets rely on the price.

That's something we hope to see with the Quest 4. We already saw the Quest Pro fall off due to its $999 launch price, and the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro didn't fair much better. If Meta is to succeed with its upgraded VR headset, it still needs to keep the price right.

Seeing as the Quest 3 512GB version is set at $649, I wouldn't be surprised to see Meta's rumored headset to be around the same price at launch, especially if it delivers upgraded specs as assumed. This may drop further down the line, but we hope the Meta 4 price doesn't reach the heights of other headsets like the $999 HTC Vive Focus or $549 PSVR 2 (now $399), which you need a $499 PS5 to use.

We're still a while away from a Meta Quest 4, so there's no telling how much it will end up costing. However, considering the success of Meta's current VR headsets, it's likely it won't be overly expensive.

Meta Quest 4: Outlook

Reports that the Meta Quest 4 won't arrive until 2027 make sense seeing as the Quest 3S only launched in October 2024. With the Quest 2 launching in 2020 and the Quest 3 in 2023, the Quest 4 lines up with a 2027 release date after the tech giant has finally put its stamp in the AR glasses market.

But there's a lot to look forward to once the Quest 4 arrives, if recent successes are anything to go by. We've seen impressive games such as Batman: Arkham Shadows, Meta's partnership with James Cameron for upcoming exclusive mixed-reality content and a pair up between the Quest 3/3S with Windows 11 to offer three virtual displays. With these perks in mind, Meta could continue to offer more advanced features such as these on its Quest 4.

I've noted that Meta Quest saw its best year yet in 2024. Here's hoping the company continues that trend with its rumored upcoming devices.

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