Meta is reportedly working on a new style of virtual reality headset far smaller than a Meta Quest 3
According to the Information, a Meta headset codenamed Puffin will look more like a pair of glasses than a VR headset.
The Meta Puffin, which is not the final name but an internal one, is intended to weigh less than 110 grams. That is still more than double the weight of a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers, but dramatically lighter than the 515g of the Meta Quest 3.
How? The headset isn’t the only key component.
There’s also a tethered “puck” that has to be stashed elsewhere, perhaps in a pocket. This is home to the Meta Puffin’s battery and processor, leaving just the display tech in the headset part.
The Puffin pitch is an alternative to the Apple Vision Pro — and not just because there’s a battery part with which you have to contend.
The report suggests the headset will not have dedicated controllers — but will adopt the “look and pinch” control style of the Vision Pro. This relies on internal eye tracking cameras that determine where you are looking, and outer ones to recognise finger gestures.
Don’t assume because the Meta Puffin is described as being more glasses-like, this is a Ray-Ban Meta Glasses-style headset, though. That gadget is a pair of actual glasses that lets you take pictures and videos. The Meta Puffin is closer to a VR headset — with opaque lenses.
It will let you see the outside world, but uses external cameras much like the Meta Quest 3. This is why these headsets are often called mixed-reality devices.
The suggestion is the Puffin might be used for consuming media and work, perhaps checking emails. And it’s likely to be far less expensive than the Apple Vision Pro.
Whether Meta could fit anything like the display fidelity of the Vision Pro into such a headset is a key question here.
This news follows the reported cancellation of a Meta Quest Pro 2 headset. The original did not sell well and was swiftly bettered by the Quest 3 — at least in some respects.
It’s not the end for Meta’s more conventional VR headsets. The company has plans for two Quest 4 models in 2026, according to an earlier report by the Information, one affordable and another higher-end.
The Meta Puffin is also not expected until 2027.
Meta’s Reality Labs division, responsible for the company’s VR, mixed reality, and metaverse projects, has accumulated losses of an estimated £37 billion since 2020. This is despite selling upwards of 20 million units of the Meta Quest 2.
