Despite Meta's tumultuous year in the VR market so far, the company's CTO has reaffirmed that next-gen headsets are, in fact, coming. Andrew "Boz" Bosworth recently held an AMA on his Instagram page, during which he said, "We've talked openly about the fact that we're building multiple next-generation headsets." That's kicked up the rumor mill about the impending Meta Quest 4, and the next-gen VR headset could bring an end to the accessible pricing we've seen from the brand until now.

Some leaks have pointed toward the next Quest headset being delayed into 2027, while Boz said in the same response above: "Stay tuned for Connect and we'll have more to share then." This is pointing toward the annual Meta Connect conference, which takes place in September, and while it's been three years since the arrival of the Quest 3, I'd be surprised if we saw a successor arrive in the same year as Valve's imminent Steam Frame.

In any case, the latest whispers point to the Quest 4 being a "large upgrade" over the Quest 3, which will likely mean a large increase in the amount Meta will charge you for it. This is to be expected, since the company has closed its three biggest game studios and issued continual layoffs to its Reality Labs division in 2026.

Leaked memos spotted by Business Insider talk about a rumored Project "Pheonix" and "Puffin", either of which could be a hybrid between the Meta smart glasses we've seen in recent years and the typical Meta Quest headsets we know and love. This would point the Quest 4 toward being somewhat of an Apple Vision Pro-reminiscent device, but once again, that suggests a larger price tag.

As always with rumours and leaks, I'd take everything with a pinch of salt, especially because it's hard to know whether Phoenix is a new pair of smart glasses like the Orian AI prototype previously shown at Meta's Connect conferences.

Still, a move toward a more expensive type of headset could be on the cards, since that's the way the market is starting to go. Samsung and Pimax now have premium, Vision-Pro-like headsets on the shelves, and Pico is working on its own. We don't have a price for the Steam Frame yet, but it could be between $500-$1,000.

Meta raised the prices of its existing Quest 3 devices this year, with the flagship 512GB model of the Quest 3 now holding a $599 price tag. If the next headset is meant to be a bigger upgrade, it's more than possible it'll cost closer to that supposed $1,000 ceiling.

In fact, Meta may now be moving away from the "Quest" family of headsets entirely, as rumours of a switch-up in tactics from the brand's VR division have long pointed toward the next headset adopting a new name:

Either way, in an interview with UploadVR, Boz said that, "I think it's officially leaked we've got two devices on the roadmap that we're super excited about coming out over the course of a period of time." That was back in February

Questions were certainly raised over Meta's future in VR this year thanks to continual cuts to the Reality Labs division, as well as an apparent sunsetting of the Metaverse strategy so much of the Quest hardware was based around.

Still, if what Bosworth is saying is any indication, it'll be all eyes on Meta Connect this September to see what's next on the VR front.

For more, check out the best Meta Quest accessories and the best gaming PCs.