Reducing the weight and boosting the performance of standalone XR headsets are crucial steps for advancing the technology. While Meta has introduced the Orion AR glasses prototype with a wireless compute unit, Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, believes this approach isn’t the ultimate solution for standalone VR gaming.
Earlier this week, Bosworth, who also leads Meta’s Reality Labs XR team, engaged in another round of his insightful Instagram Q&As, where he often touches on a mix of professional and personal topics.
In this latest discussion, he dove into the topic of wireless compute units, explaining why Meta doesn’t see them as the best match for their standalone VR headsets.
“We’ve considered this option numerous times,” Bosworth mentions. “Wireless compute pucks don’t really address the core issue. Even if they’re wireless, you’re still dealing with a battery in the headset, which adds significant weight. Sure, you get a bit more thermal room that might help performance, but you’re still limited by bandwidth because you’re relying on a radio signal,” he elaborates.
Beyond the technical challenges, Meta is focused on keeping their products affordable. Their recent Quest 3S, for instance, starts at just $300 for the 128GB model. Bosworth explains further:
“Adding these pucks significantly ups the cost. Even if the main processing silicon is in the wireless puck, you still need substantial onboard silicon to drive the display, make necessary local adjustments, and manage the data stream. So, when you crunch the numbers, it doesn’t add up. It doesn’t save you much weight, and it hikes up both cost and complexity.”
Interestingly, this stance contrasts with Meta’s Orion prototype, which does use a wireless compute unit. The Orion, however, isn’t headed for mass production due to its steep price tag, reportedly around $10,000, primarily because of its expensive silicon carbide lenses. Yet, wireless pucks can work in some contexts, particularly for AR glasses delivering less immersive graphics.
Bosworth noted that their upcoming consumer AR glasses won’t be priced in the affordable range of the Quest series when they eventually launch. Back in September, he hinted that the first consumer AR glasses won’t come cheap but aims to be accessible, drawing parallels to the price range of smartphones and laptops.
