Meta may have abandoned its plans to release a Meta Quest Pro 2 in 2027, but that doesn't mean it won't offer mixed reality that year. According to a new report, we could be seeing a pair of lightweight mixed reality headsets, codenamed “Puffin,” and if the leaks are true, Puffin sounds like a fantastic alternative to the canceled headset.
Again, via The Information (behind a paywall), who also shared details of the cancellation of 'La Jolla' (the VR headset project that will likely be the Quest Pro 2), Puffin is described as a 110g device that will look like opaque glasses that offer VR and MR experiences using pancake-style lenses and pass-through cameras.
To cut weight so drastically (for context, the Meta Quest 3 weighs 515g), Meta would move the battery and most of the computing hardware to a puck that’s tethered to the headset via a cable that Meta “hopes” will fit in a person’s pocket. Additionally, Puffin won’t offer controllers in the box, as it will reportedly rely solely on hand tracking; The Information added that it could use a version of the Vision Pro’s gaze and pinch control scheme, suggesting Puffin will feature eye tracking.
This would be completely different to anything Meta has released before, but with Puffin seemingly focused on watching media and being used for productivity – much like the Apple Vision Pro – I wouldn't be surprised if this device launched using the Meta Quest Pro rather than adopting an entirely new title so it would have a 'Pro' name to mark it as a direct competitor to Apple's device.
I think the Vision Pro’s connected battery was a smart idea to save weight, and moving even more hardware from a headset to an external drive seems like a logical evolution to allow for even more weight savings. We’ve already seen something similar with some of the best AR smart glasses (like the Xreal Air 2) that work by being connected to a phone or device like the Xreal Beam Pro.
The idea makes more sense if the headset is intended for productivity tasks or more static entertainment. Wearing a 110g headset for a two-hour movie (or longer) or a workday would be a much easier task than wearing a headset that weighs over 500g. I should know. Over a year ago, I tried wearing the Meta Quest Pro for a full week and didn’t like the neck pain they caused me.
The only detail we don’t know is the cost, but considering La Jolla was apparently cancelled because Meta couldn’t keep it below the original price of the Meta Quets Pro ($999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,729.99) I suspect Meta is aiming for a similar goal with Puffin. Though as with all rumours, we should take these details with a grain of salt. Given recent reports of Meta’s La Jolla project being cancelled, there’s a chance that even if Puffin has been greenlit, it could face the same fate sometime between now and late 2027.
But I really hope Puffin sees the light of day. This bold redesign is exactly what I wanted to see in Meta Quest Pro 2, and if it launches under that name, Puffin looks like it could deliver on the promise of the original in a serious way.
