An Oculus Quest successor is on the way, according to a report that appeared yesterday on Bloomberg.
Anonymous sources familiar with the matter noted that the Virtual Reality headset will be 10 to 15 percent smaller than the current Oculus Quest. The device should also be considerably lighter, weighing around one pound whereas the current VR headset weighs 1.25 pounds.
These two improvements should make for a much more comfortable VR headset. Additionally, the refresh rate is expected to be higher than the middling 72 Hz of the first-generation Oculus Quest. Testing is being done with screens capable of supporting up to 120 Hz refresh rate, but the final version might end up with up to 90 Hz refresh rate in order to save precious battery life.
On the manufacturing front, changes could include swapping fabric for plastic on the headset's sides and using more elastic materials for the straps. The physical IPD (interpupillary distance) switch should still be there, which is good news for those users who have smaller or larger than average IPD. Lastly, a new and more comfortable controller is also in development, and it looks like it will be compatible with the existing Oculus Quest, too.
The target release window is late 2020, with Oculus planning to announce it at the Oculus Connect and release the headset shortly afterward. However, supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic might force the company into delaying the new Oculus Quest into 2021.
It is presently unclear whether this next-generation headset will be sold alongside the first Quest or will replace it outright. As a reminder, the device was first introduced in September 2018 and launched in Spring 2019.
It has since become extremely successful, mostly thanks to its standalone nature. Speaking to Wccftech, Schell Games CEO Jesse Schell said that will be a critical feature for Virtual Reality headsets going forward.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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