Photographs of Meta’s ‘Undertaking Phoenix’ blended actuality headset seem to have leaked forward of its anticipated unveiling at Join later this month.
The Information
Serial leaker ‘Luna’ seems to have discovered video inside Quest’s Horizon OS exhibiting off the headset’s prescription lenses, that are apparently set to be launched in partnership by Meta’s official prescription lens supplier, Zenni Optical.
It additionally offers us our first take a look at Phoenix following the leak of a setup video in July/ Though conveniently blurred, it’s unmistakably Meta’s forthcoming slim and light-weight standalone blended actuality headset.
Apparently, the brand new photographs seem to disclose that Phoenix can have each sideways and downward-facing sensors, current on the outer and underside of the headset’s temple. It’s unsure what the downward-facing sensors might be used for, though some recommend it might be utilized in face monitoring.
As beforehand seen within the July leaks, Phoenix additionally options impartial lens spacing, detachable nostril clips for particular person person consolation, and built-in hand and eye-tracking, which all however confirms there can even be front-facing sensors and sensors embedded near the person’s eyes as properly.
One other tacit affirmation: though Phoenix nonetheless lacks an official identify, worth and launch date, the pictures affirm we’re coping with Meta’s next-gen follow-up to Quest 3/3S; the headset provides a hybrid design, presenting a close to glasses-like profile by offloading compute to a cable-tethered unit—nonetheless to be revealed.
Notably, a picture close to the tip of the current video reveals the tether trailing off the left temple (the QR code seen under seems to be a mock-up).
If the cadence of leaks is any indication, we’re hoping to be taught extra at Meta Join later this month, which is about to kick off on September 23–24, 2026.
There, Meta can also be more likely to showcase a brand new pair of sensible glasses along with “the newest in VR, wearables, metaverse, and AI.”
My Take
I don’t count on to see Phoenix get the large ‘Quest 4’ naming badge when it launches, primarily as a result of the whole lot I’ve seen up up to now signifies the corporate is pivoting away from the its metaverse ambitions and game-focused shopper section, and looking out in the direction of prosumers and enterprise.
In addition, Meta has shuttered inside XR sport studios, cancelled a number of AAA VR video games in progress, and positioned its Actuality Labs XR division to work totally on AI wearables, together with Meta Glasses.
And whereas Phoenix might even come together with Contact controller assist, giving it de facto entry to Quest’s library of VR video games and apps, I really feel the corporate is lastly trying to make a normal computing platform that may rival Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional—if not in specs, not less than in its meant ethos.
As it’s, Meta seems to be decreasing the principle friction factors for XR customers trying to substitute their conventional displays, which is able to undoubtedly come at a worth properly past a budget and cheerful Quest 3S. Meta’s additionally more likely to make overtures to builders wanting to make use of Phoenix as a developer package for the creation of augmented actuality apps, as Phoenix is definitely set to entrance run any such devoted AR gadget from Meta.
We’re after all trying to affirm this (and much more) at Join from September 22-Twenty third, as we’ll have boots on the bottom at Meta’s Menlo Park HQ the place the occasion will happen.
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