Credit: UploadVR
Just a couple of weeks before the Meta Connect conference scheduled for September 23, the publication UploadVR released images that reportedly reveal the design of the Meta Project Phoenix augmented reality headset. According to the publication, these images were “found in the HorizonOS firmware package for prescription lenses.”
Judging by the renders, the company has decided to radically change its approach to ergonomics and has created a device that is much closer in shape to bulky glasses than to the traditional VR headsets of the Quest series.
Nose pads instead of a face seal. Instead of a bulky face gasket, the device is held in place by adjustable nose pads, similar to standard eyeglasses.
Distributed design. Images show a cable extending from the left temple; it connects the glasses to an external computing unit that houses the battery and processor.
Sensors and tracking. Optical sensors are visible on the sides and undersides of the temples, indicating the active use of eye-tracking and hand-gesture tracking systems.
Detachable prescription lenses. The app demonstrates the process of attaching magnetic prescription lenses and quickly calibrating them by scanning a special QR code.
Development of Project Phoenix has been underway for some time, but the device is not expected to hit the market until next year. Google is also working on a similar project—Project Aura XR glasses—which involve the use of an external computing module connected to the frames by a cable.
