As we approach the official release of the Apple Vision Pro XR headset, there appears to be another entrant trying to shake up the market – LG.
According to comments made at CES, the company is working on its own headset, and it may just rival Apple’s.
Also: The best VR headsets right now (and they’re not just from Meta)
Virtually nothing is known about the device yet, given that the only official word so far is a quote from the LG CEO Cho Joo-wan to a South Korean media outlet saying the company will “launch an XR device as early as next year.” Cho added that LG had moved development of the device to its division that makes televisions to speed up the process.
It’s possible LG isn’t working alone though, as it was announced last year that Meta was teaming with the company to help design and build its newest headset, with the first product from this collaboration expected for 2025.
That product, which is likely a new version of the Meta Quest Pro, fits the timeline that LG’s CEO gave, so it seems plausible at least that the project his company is working on and Meta’s new project are one in the same. And if that’s the case, it’s not hard to imagine the two heavyweights uniting to offer something comparable to the Vision Pro.
But things get a little murky if you believe reports from last summer that the Quest Pro 2 has been delayed. If LG was providing the optics for Meta’s new headset that’s now in limbo, it could be moving forward with its own device.
Also: I tried Meta’s Quest 3 VR headset and the mixed reality experience was next level
There has been speculation that LG was working on an XR headset powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. If that’s the case, it would appear to be a higher-end option that would directly compete with Apple. When Qualcomm announced that chip, they mentioned several devices it would power – including ones from Samsung, HTC, Sony, and LG. It’s worth noting Meta was missing from that list.
So while it’s not clear if we’re getting a new headset from LG and Meta or an LG/Meta partner headset, it does seem evident that something big is on the horizon.
