Meta is working on an ultra-light XR headset: Report

According to a new report, Meta has switched tactics and is now working on a type of ‘ultra-light’ mixed reality headset.

It was only last week that Meta canceled the project for a high-end VR headset. Codenamed La Jolla and thought to be a potential competitor to the Apple Vision Pro, the lukewarm reception of Apple’s device made Mark Zuckerberg and Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth reconsider.

In its place is a new project codenamed Puffin. Reportedly resembling a bulky pair of glasses, the Puffin headset allegedly weighs less than 110 grams. Despite its lightweight construction, it comes equipped with pancake lenses and passthrough cameras like the Meta Quest 3.

Dexerto

To accomplish this, much of the hardware, including the battery and processing hardware has been shifted into a puck-like device which will be tethered to the headset. The aim, according to Meta, is to make this processing puck small enough to fit into a pocket.

The report comes courtesy of The Information, and if the data is accurate, Puffin would be the lightest fully functional VR headset ever made.

As a point of comparison, the Meta Quest 3 weighs roughly 400g, even without its straps and other accessories attached. The battery alone weighs around 70g.

Curiously, the Puffin is said not to include any controllers. Instead, it uses a combination of eye-tracking and finger-tracking to implement a gesture-controlled interface. This is similar to how the Apple Vision Pro is controlled.

The absence of controllers suggests that the Puffin is not intended for gaming use. Instead, it is more likely to be marketed as a media or productivity tool.

Lightweight VR and AR devices have several use cases in the industry, including training, remote collaboration, and remote IT or engineering support. It has also seen some positive uses in medical settings as a form of ‘distraction therapy’ for patients.