Why Mark Zuckerberg is bullish on 'mixed reality work'

Mark Zuckerberg has made no secret that he believes the future of the internet lies in the metaverse, having spent $10 billion on the concept in 2021 alone. presenting the keynote for Meta's Connect 2022, Zuckerberg offered new insight into what his team has built with the unveiling of the Meta Quest Pro, a $1,500 VR headset that Zuckerberg says is specifically designed to be the first major step in the direction of a "mixed reality workplace. The headset's ability to switch between virtual reality and augmented reality, combined with the addition of dedicated desktop software, could point to a future in which you will wear your computer on your face.

"Work is really the next big category of experiences we want to unlock to take VR to the next level," said Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer at Meta. According to Zuckerberg, for virtual reality to reach its potential, the roughly 200 million people who buy new PCs each year for work will need to be convinced that they can perform even better in the metaverse. The Facebook founder said ongoing research at Meta to digitally recreate the feeling of being present among peers naturally led to the development of the Quest Pro, "a VR headset designed from the ground up to be great for work."

In his speech to consumers, Zuckerberg posed a number of questions: "What if you could collaborate with colleagues as if you were together, even if you were far apart? What if you could layer your work and the people you interact with, just above the physical world?"

Unlike other headsets, the Quest Pro uses multiple built-in cameras, combined with a depth-sensing system, to generate a live image of the physical world around the user. In effect, it allows users to see through the device as if they weren't wearing a headset. This technology, dubbed "Passthrough" by Meta, is available on Meta's more accessible Quest 2 headset ($400), but only in black and white. On the Pro, users can see the physical world around them in color. The Pro headset also enables "mixed reality experiences" in which the digital aspects can be overlaid on the physical world. For example, Meta featured an artist designing a 3D illustration with an AR app.

For business owners, this enhanced version of Meta's Passthrough technology could allow users to easily meet their teammates, wherever they are in the world, through an app that Zuckerberg calls "Magic Room". Essentially, Magic Room allows users to meet in mixed reality. Think of it like this: If you're in a work-from-home meeting with a Pro headset, you can see your employee's digital avatar sitting on your couch to your left, and to your right, a live video of your boss, who just zoomed into the meeting from the office.

In addition to these mixed reality workspaces, Zuckerberg also announced the launch of Personal Workrooms on the Meta's Quest 2 headset. In these digital workrooms, users can set up their workstations workspaces: "You may only have a 13-inch laptop in your physical space, but in your virtual office you can line up three giant screens. It's perfect at home or at work. , and even better when traveling,” Bosworth said.

Along with that, Zuckerburg announced that Zoom and Microsoft Teams would soon be available for use on the platform, and that Microsoft would also release Meta-compatible versions of Windows 365 and Office.

"At the end of the day, we think your Quest might be the only monitor you really need," Bosworth added.

"That will be awesome!" Zuckerberg replied.