Facebook will focus on standalone VR headsets moving forward, starting with the Oculus Quest 2 launch on Oct. 13. The headset, with a starting price of $299, was the big reveal at this week's Facebook Connect. It's available for preorder now at Oculus’ site, as well as Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, and Target in the U.S., Currys PC World, and FNAC Darty in the U.K. and EU, and Amazon worldwide. It's shipping in 22 countries.

The Specs

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
• Screen: Fast-switch LCD, 1832x1920 per eye, up to 90Hz
• RAM: 6GB
• Storage: 64 or 256GB ($299 and $399, respectively)
• Operating system: Quest software platform
• Connectivity: Wifi 6, 3.5mm headphones socket, USB-C with Oculus Link, stereo speakers, microphone
• Headset weight: 503g
• Strap: Cloth by default.
• Headset dimensions: 191.5 x 102 x 142.5mm
• Controller dimensions: 90 x 120mm
• Controller weight: 126g (without battery)

What's New

• Compared to the original Quest, the Quest 2 has 50% more pixels, 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB, and the highest resolution display of an Oculus headset yet. The new display can support 90 Hz refresh rates.
• Facebook trimmed 10% of the weight from the original Quest.
• The Quest 2 has a built-in interpupillary distance adjustment mechanism with three settings.
• It comes with new Touch controllers that Facebook says have "better ergonomics." The controller tracking is apparently more efficient, with a battery life up to four times longer than Quest’s Touch controllers.
• It'll have Oculus Link capability to run more powerful VR games from a PC, meaning you can play Valve’s entire SteamVR platform and other experiences not in the Quest store. You can buy the Oculus Link cable ($79) or this less expensive Anker USB 3.0 Type-C cable on Amazon. Oculus Link will exit beta this fall with better fidelity and eventual support for 90 Hz.
• It’s the first headset to require a mandatory Facebook login rather than a separate Oculus one. With that Facebook login requirement, Facebook Messenger will become integrated into the Quest 2.

The Accessories

• These include customizable head straps and facial interface add-ons, like the Elite Strap with Battery ($129) accessory. The padded plastic Elite Strap costs $49.
• The Fit Pack ($39) has changeable facial interfaces for different head sizes and light blockers to block out a small light gap at the bottom.
• Logitech earbuds and headphones ($50 and $100).
• There's also a carrying case ($49) that fits the headset plus two controllers, a battery pack, and a charging cable.

Rift S and original Quest sales will end

• With a renewed focus on standalone VR headsets only, Facebook says it will end sales of the Rift S in spring 2021. The Rift Platform, however, will remain and grow with new PC VR experiences.
• Facebook will also end sales of the original Quest, though support will remain for that too.

New VR titles announced

Facebook also revealed plenty of new titles at Facebook Connect. These include Ubisoft's “Assassins’ Creed” and “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell," which will be exclusive to Oculus, and upcoming “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” games for the Quest.

Top announcements:

• Few actual details were revealed for "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell." Ubisoft said it's relying on four of its internal studios to develop the game. Facebook hasn't announced release dates or said if they're for the Quest and/or Rift platforms.
• "Jurassic World Aftermath" will take place two years after Jurassic World falls. Players will have to collect research materials and escape from the island of Isla Nublar as they're hunted by Velociraptors. It will be exclusive to the Quest and Quest 2. (No release date yet).
• Facebook revealed gameplay for the upcoming "Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge," also on the Quest and Quest 2.Made by the same developers at the Vader Immortal trilogy, the game is set between "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker" on the planet Batuu. Users will play as droid repair technician who crash-lands on Batuu after a pirate attack on the Black Spire Outpost outskirts. (That's the same outpost featured at the Disneyworld Florida and Disneyland California theme parks)...

Facebook also announced its first consumer non-AR “smart glasses," which will be released next year. The company partnered with European eyewear conglomerate EssilorLuxottica to make them a branded Ray-Ban product, confirming last year's reports. They aren't considered an AR device, but will mirror the display of a connected smartphone.

More:

• While few details were released, Zuckerberg described them as "the next step on the road" to AR glasses.
• The Verge reports they may be closer to Snap Spectacles or even Amazon Echo Frames.
• Facebook said the product name, pricing, specs, software capabilities, and more will be released closer to next year's launch.
• These are the first products to be released under the multiyear deal between Facebook and EssilorLuxottica, which will build on Facebook’s Project Aria. It will combine Luxottica’s brands (Ray-Ban, Oakley, Armani, etc.) and Essilor’s advanced lens technology with Facebook's tech and apps. Zuckerberg suggested they will accommodate many style preferences that people may have.
• In June, Google acquired smart glass manufacturer North to strengthen its ambient computing efforts. Microsoft also released its mixed-reality glasses Microsoft HoloLens 2 in 2019.

In similar news, Facebook introduced the research endeavor Project Aria to build AR devices. The project doesn't entail actual commercial smart glasses (yet), but is considered a sensor array for future glasses. Through the project, Facebook will research how to develop the software/hardware required for widespread use of AR glasses, which it says are about 5-10 years away.

More:

• Facebook says building glasses that can work with most face sizes and shapes, and creating the accompanying software, will require "several generations of breakthroughs." This includes contextualized AI, enhanced audio and visual, and light enough frames.
• Starting this month, ~100 testers in Seattle and the Bay area will wear a head-worn sensor array to start mapping the real world. Facebook's spatial scan known as LiveMaps will be the foundation for future AR glasses.
• Aria will essentially be a testbed to help Facebook engineers develop the AR ecosystem by "capturing both POV photos and video as well as tracking the wearer’s head and eye movements as well as location data."
• Zuckerberg said that a lot of people are trying to take shortcuts when it comes to building AR glasses by just showing some heads-up information. He said: "I call that 'putting an Apple Watch on your face.'"

MORE NEWS

• At Facebook Connect, the company also displayed an EMG bracelet, which is a wrist-mounted interface for users to control AR/VR apps with their hands. It's still in the research/testing phase.
• Facebook demoed its "Infinite Office" feature, with which users can work in a virtual multi-screen environment built on the Oculus browser. Facebook said that it would focus on individual productivity at the beginning with the "Infinite Office," not on group collaboration. It will launch in the winter.
• Facebook announced Oculus Move for Quest, which keeps track of fitness goals as exercise games like Beat Saber become more popular.
• Slack is gathering industry leaders and product experts at Slack Frontiers, a free virtual conference dedicated to digital transformation.*

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