Executives from Meta and LG are set to convene in South Korea on Wednesday to discuss a groundbreaking “AI-XR alliance,” as revealed by industry insiders. The meeting aims to solidify plans for collaborative ventures, notably the development of the Meta Quest Pro 2, a next-generation premium productivity XR headset.

According to insights from the Korea Economic Daily, Meta intends to leverage LG’s expertise in crafting the Meta Quest Pro 2, positioning it as a rival to Apple’s acclaimed ‘Vision Pro.’ The joint effort aims to unveil the most high-performance XR headset in Q1 2025.

Despite the ambitious timeline, the genesis of this collaboration traces back to September 2023 when initial whispers of a Meta-LG Quest Pro 2 emerged—accompanied by a speculated price tag of $2,000. This figure places it $1,500 below Apple’s Vision Pro but marks a significant $1,000 increment from the Meta Quest Pro, which experienced a pricing adjustment following lacklustre sales post-launch.

Reports suggest that Meta shelved a separate Pro 2 prototype – codenamed Funston – slated for release this year, opting instead for this LG-driven iteration.

The upcoming rendezvous between Meta and LG is anticipated to formalise arrangements conceived several months prior, charting a roadmap towards the projected early 2025 release. Key topics on the agenda include delineating the suite of services to accompany the product and formulating an effective sales strategy.

While LG will spearhead hardware development, Meta is set to contribute its expertise in software integration. Notably, the Meta Quest Pro 2 is slated to transition to a new operating system based on LG’s WebOS, complemented by Meta’s proprietary on-device AI technology.

Furthermore, Meta’s AI advancements are poised to extend beyond XR devices, with plans to integrate its technology into LG’s home appliances – such as televisions – potentially manifesting as a virtual assistant chatbot accessible via remote controls. However, the deployment of Meta’s touted “human-level AI” in commercial products may necessitate additional refinement and time.

(Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash)

See also: Samsung will bring Galaxy AI to its wearables

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Tags: ai, ai-xr alliance, AR, artificial intelligence, Augmented Reality, extended reality, lg, meta, metaverse, mixed reality, quest pro, quest pro 2, virtual reality, vr