Palmer Luckey’s next VR headset won’t go head-to-head with the Meta Quest

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has confirmed that he is still working on VR hardware, but his latest project is not for consumer use.

Virtual reality has been around in one form or another for many decades. Those who grew up during the 90s might remember things the bulky ‘Virtuality’ devices turning up in arcades. The modern incarnation of VR was arguably the result of a passion project by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and the creator of the Oculus DK1 and its successors.

On the AWE web series, Luckey clarified that he is working on a new VR headset, but it’s “driven by military requirements” rather than being a consumer-focused product.

Luckey began new ventures after Oculus was sold to Meta. His new company, Anduril Industries, does work for the US Government, and specifically, the Department of Defense. Their products include “unmanned aerial systems” and other defense-related products.

The AWE video is described as a ‘fireside chat’ between Luckey, Bigscreen CEO Darshan Shankar, and moderator Stephanie Riggs.

In the video, Luckey explains how he got started in VR and the early development of the original Oculus prototype, but also announced that he was, “Still very much in the hardware space,” and his current project involved building a new VR headset.

Those thinking that Lucky might launch a competitor to the Meta Quest will be disappointed, however. Luckey clarified: “It’s driven by military requirements, but it’s also going to be used for non-military stuff. It’s really cool.”

Luckey provided barely any details on the headset, but that could be due to NDA or other security concerns if the device is being developed for military use. Luckey also made an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast this week, where he echoed the same sentiments.