They Fail to Address the Issue

Shedding weight and boosting performance are key priorities in evolving standalone XR headsets. Meta might have flaunted its Orion AR glasses prototype featuring a wireless compute unit, but Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, remains skeptical about such a configuration being the ultimate solution for standalone VR gaming.

As the leader of Meta’s Reality Labs XR team, Bosworth frequently hosts Instagram Q&A sessions. These aren’t just typical run-of-the-mill chats but rather a mix of professional insights and personal reflections. In his most recent session, Bosworth shared his thoughts on wireless compute units, explaining why they might not be the best option for their standalone VR headsets.

“We’ve explored this idea multiple times,” Bosworth mentioned. “Wireless compute pucks don’t truly address the root issue. Even with wireless, the headset still needs a battery, which significantly adds to the weight. Yes, you may gain some thermal efficiency, potentially enhancing performance, but you’re hit with bandwidth limitations since you’re relying on a radio.”

Beyond these technical obstacles, Meta’s primary focus is to make their products consumer-friendly and affordable. The latest Quest 3S model, starting at a price tag of $300 for the 128GB version, reflects this goal. Bosworth elaborated further, “The costs skyrocket, because even if a major chunk of the processing happens in the wireless compute puck, considerable processing is still necessary within the headset to power displays, manage data streams, and perform local corrections. At the end of the day, the numbers don’t add up. The weight reduction isn’t substantial enough to justify the increased costs and complexity.”

This stands in stark contrast to the Meta Orion prototype, which incorporates a wireless compute unit. Although Orion is far from being ready for market due to its staggering production costs—allegedly $10,000 per unit largely because of the intricate silicon carbide lenses—it demonstrates that in certain circumstances, wireless pucks can be beneficial, specifically for less demanding graphics seen in AR glasses.

However, Bosworth has hinted that the first consumer-ready AR glasses won’t come with a price tag as friendly as the Quest series. Back in September, he mentioned that these glasses won’t be “cheap,” but Meta’s goal is to offer them at a price range comparable with phones and laptops.