Meta Quest Pro: a VR headset for an unknown customer

The Meta Quest Pro is powerful and full of features, but, as Alex Hughes discovers, unless you’re already a full believer in the metaverse, it’s probably not for you

- Alex Hughes

It’s fa ir to say that, so fa r, the metaverse hasn’t been the resounding success that Mark Zuckerberg and his team at Meta had hoped for. At a time when most people are trying to save money, a VR headset and a patch of virtual land fall low on most people’s shopping lists.

That’s why Meta isn’t gearing its new Quest Pro headset towards most people. As well as being packed with a host of new features, the Quest Pro has higher specs, a sleek new look and a huge price tag of £1,499.99. So who would pay that sort of money for a VR headset? Apparently the famously rich creatives, teachers and office workers of the world… ahem.

Where the cheaper Meta Quest 2 was the fun uncle of the headset world, intended for playing games or learning a VR sport, the Meta Quest Pro is all business, kitted out with virtual offices, desks and art studios.

So is the Meta Quest Pro the future of the office? Or even the ultimate tool for creatives looking to enhance their art? We spent some time with it to see if this VR headset could justify its lofty price.

A BLENDED WORLD 

The Meta Quest Pro is stylish, futuristic and incredibly uncomfortable. For short periods, it is as comfortable as a chunky VR headset can be; for longer stretches of time, it soon starts to feel heavy.

It also lacks full immersion – you can very clearly see out of the bottom, even when you clip on the eye covers. When I was deep into a game or experience, it wasn’t too bad, but it was hard to ignore at other times.