While Meta may be making the lightest fully functional VR headset ever, Apple is reportedly working on a "non-Pro" Vision mixed reality headset expected to hit the market in 2025.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple's second headset is expected to retail for about $2,000, making it a more affordable option than the Apple Vision Pro. That model's price started at $3,499 when it launched in February 2024.
In the meantime, Meta's very lightweight headset in development is expected to be the first in a new line of headsets.
Apple Vision Pro and VR porn
The Apple Vision Pro was designed for VR users and developers, not for everyday use, due to its high specs and high price. Industry specialists speculated that because the model was seen as a "soft" introduction to the headset industry, the company may not have had high expectations for sales.
Also, people claimed they were unable to view VR porn on the Web shortly after the launch of the Apple Vision Pro. Sexually explicit material created specifically for the Vision Pro became available when the headset's compatibility issues were quickly resolved.
The Vision Pro's controversial front display, which shows the wearer's eyes on the front of the gadget, will reportedly not be included in Apple's 2025 headset. The Vision Pro's M-series CPU will reportedly be replaced in the new headset by an A-series chipset, similar to those in iPhones.
There are also rumors that the new Apple headset weighs 400 grams, a lot less than the 600-gram Vision Pro.
The second-generation Apple Vision Pro headset is expected to go on sale in 2026 and cost about the same as the original. An M5 chipset, an improvement over the M2 chipset in the current model, may be built into the next Vision Pro.
Meta's Puffin
With the headset coming to market in 2027 and codenamed "Puffin," Meta seems to be aiming for revolution rather than progress, unlike Apple. The model is reportedly in the "discovery" phase, meaning discussions are taking place about the cost and feasibility of the design. The model may move to the prototype phase if it is deemed feasible.
The design of the model seems to be focused on portability; according to The Verge, it has an attached puck that holds the hardware and battery. At just 110 grams, this makes the headgear the lightest fully functional VR headset on the market.
The Information claims that although the device looks like a large pair of glasses, it is actually an opaque VR headpiece with passthrough and pancake lenses. It reportedly uses the "gaze-and-pinch" input method, first used by the Apple Vision Pro, instead of handheld controllers.
The passthrough features of the Apple Vision Pro have received rave reviews. The experience of seeing virtual content over your "real" environment is known as "passthrough" and is usually achieved by capturing your environment on camera and sending it to your headset's field of view.
Passthrough, which often allows you to see porn actors as if they were in the same room as you, has quickly become more important in VR porn. VR porn sites such as SexLikeReal have invested significantly in improving passthrough methods, including AI, filming with gray backgrounds and dressing actors in chroma suits.
Ultralight Meta
Meta's incredibly lightweight mixed reality headset has the potential to revolutionize other areas of sex technology if it goes into full production. It makes it more likely that people will start using much more flexible and comfortable headsets for remote sex and sex rather than just viewing sex-related information.
The price of Meta's new Quest 3S mixed reality headset, which will be available on Oct. 15, 2024, may also have an impact on the sextech market. With a price tag of $299, this is Meta's most affordable headset to date, perhaps making VR porn more accessible to a wider audience.
Orion
A mixed reality headset that was supposed to be the second generation of the Meta Quest Pro headset has apparently been canceled by the company. When the model, a more expensive alternative in the Quest series, was introduced in 2022, Meta reported that public response was "lukewarm."
Additionally, Meta has just unveiled the Orion (seen above), which the company describes as its first "real" AR glasses. However, the glasses will only be made available to developers and will not be sold to the general public.
