Here’s Everything We Know About Project Cambria

Facebook recently teased what it’s calling Project Cambria — a new high-end virtual reality headset. Speculation quickly arose that this could be the long-rumored Oculus Pro. Facebook gave a sneak peek at Project Cambria at its virtual Connect conference on October 28, 2021.

The company, it seems, had its arm twisted, though. Official Project Cambria news only appears to have come to light after details were leaked online in the run-up to the event. Facebook had likely hoped to wait until a later date to unveil its newest Oculus-based virtual reality offering.

Unfortunately, and with that, the information shared by Facebook concerning Project Cambria was decidedly limited. Instead, CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke mainly to confirm that Project Cambria represented a high-end virtual reality product. Likely, it will be distinct from its existing Oculus Quest 2 headset and its predecessors.

He also confirmed that the resulting product would cost more than the Quest 2’s $299 price tag. Other than that, Zuckerberg and his team are, it appears, keen to remain as tight-lipped as possible.

However, between what Facebook Connect said and information already leaked, we’ve been able to put together a closer look at what to expect.

Project Cambria looks set to feature various capabilities that aren’t currently available anywhere else on the virtual reality market. Sensors in the headset, for example, will track eye movement and facial expressions. The faces of users’ avatars and in-game characters will then reflect these emotions.

Another area of apparent focus for Facebook and its Oculus team in the shape of Project Cambria appears to be mixed-reality experiences. Here, further sensors and a series of reconstruction algorithms should allow Project Cambria to offer a virtual reality experience that’s more immersive than ever.

And it’s not just new sensors and algorithms that Facebook hopes will set its next-generation virtual reality headset apart from the competition, according to what we know and suspect so far. Elsewhere, all-new optics are under development in an effort to offer unsurpassed visual fidelity when using the device.

With Facebook’s new project confirmed to be a costlier proposition than the Oculus range’s existing flagship, the Quest 2, we know that the finished product will cost at least $300.

In fact, right now, speculation points toward a price of around $1,000 or more. At over $1,000, that would make this one of the priciest virtual reality headsets on the market. It is in direct competition with the likes of HTC’s $1,300 VIVE Focus 3.

At its recent Connect conference and keynote, Facebook said to expect further details about Project Cambria in the New Year. However, third-party developers are already working on apps, games, and other experiences for the finished device.

We will have to sit tight for now as we wait to learn more at some point in 2022.

Whether Project Cambria evolves into the long-rumored Oculus Pro remains to be seen. What we do know is that the project employs technology that Facebook cannot currently work into the existing Oculus lineup.

As a result, it seems probable that the finished product will be wholly distinct. And thus they will name it differently from either the Oculus Quest or Oculus Rift in any previously seen guise.

Another possibility is that we could see an Oculus Pro or Oculus Quest Pro well ahead of the launch of the finished Project Cambria product. If this is the case, the Pro device would undoubtedly build upon the Oculus Quest 2 rather than being an all-new, high-end product created from scratch.

Whether you’re planning to wait for Project Cambria or you’re already in the market for one of today’s existing virtual reality headsets, a video gaming warranty is a great way to protect your purchase. Right now, consumers can safeguard a new or used Oculus Quest 2 or Rift S with a policy from Upsie.

All of Upsie’s Oculus Quest 2 and Rift S warranty solutions include protection against accidents, dead pixels, and power failures, among various other potential eventualities.

Further warranty solutions are also available for consoles, including Nintendo’s Switch, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Sony’s PlayStation. In addition to video game console warranties, Upsie also protects headphones, laptops and PCs, smartphones, TVs, and more.