The Meta 2 augmented reality dev kit began pre-orders in March of 2016 and has apparently seen quite a bit of interest. By the end of 2016, the company says they began shipping the first Meta 2 dev kits, and by the end of 2017 they expect to ship some 10,000 headsets.

“There’s more Meta 2 pre-orders than there are HoloLens headsets in the world,” Ryan Pamplin, VP of Sales & Partnerships at Meta, told me during a recent visit to check out the latest changes to the company’s AR headset. The Meta 2 uniquely features an impressive 90 degree field of view that’s a huge step up in immersion from the company’s prior Meta 1 device and other AR headsets in its class.

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Actually, the Meta 2 was not originally going to be the headset to follow the Meta 1. Back in 2013 the company had announced and taken pre-orders for a $3,000 headset called the Meta Pro. But Pamplin says that that company heard resounding feedback from those working with the original Meta 1, saying that the 36 degree field of view was simply not enough. Meta Pro was only set to bump it up to 40 degrees; at some point the company realized that the Meta Pro was not the right move, and Pamplin told me that they never charged any pre-orders.

Then in March 2016 the company revealed the Meta 2, this time with a huge increase in field of view (and a more digestible $950 price tag), one that makes the headset the most visually immersive of AR devices in its category.

Photo by Road to VR

The big difference in field of view came from a total overhaul of the headset’s optics which is now using a dual large combiner approach rather than the waveguide approach of the Meta 1 and (would-be) Meta Pro. Waveguide optics are great because they’re thin and enable very small form-factor designs, but they have their drawbacks.

“Waveguide optics cap out around 50 degrees field of view,” Pamplin said. And while the hope is that one day we’ll be able to have AR glasses with an immersive field of view while managing to be no bigger than a pair of sunglasses, Meta realized that developers needed a wide field of view AR headset to begin building applications on today, in parallel with continued optical R&D; hence the bulky but functional Meta 2.

And it seems developers are in agreement with approach, with the company on track to ship some 10,000 Meta 2 dev kits in 2017, according to Pamplin, who says that all the initial pre-orders will ship in the next few months.

That’s a strong start when you consider not only the $950 price tag, but that these are ostensibly purely developers buying this device so that they can build stuff for other people to do with it. This traction reminds me of the early excitement of the first Rift DK1 development kit which would go on to sell around 56,000 units over roughly two years before being replaced by the Rift DK2 which would eventually double that figure.

Photo by Road to VR

Good developer traction at the outset is good not just for Meta, but for the entire AR space. VR in general would not be where it is today if Oculus hadn’t been able to generate early excitement and ship more than 175,000 DK1 & DK2 units to developers and early enthusiasts who were figuring out what works well in VR and what doesn’t. Having a hardware platform that’s good enough to stir the imaginations of developers cedes a foundation of conceptual and technical of knowledge that boosts other AR headsets and platforms too.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Meta 2 Could Do for Augmented Reality What Rift DK1 Did for Virtual Reality

Indeed, even though it may be a few years until we see widely available consumer-ready AR devices, the AR headset space is rapidly heating up. While Meta has raised a considerable $73 million in venture capital to fund their ongoing development, giants like Microsoft, Magic Leap, and perhaps even Apple loom.

Despite the competition, the benefit of having so much activity happening in the augmented reality space is not lost on Pamplin. “Bring it on,” he says, welcoming the developments and contributions that are sure to come from many different players.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Well, the “digestible” price tag has been important for such a good preorders number! The fact that they’re having more preorders than the number of HoloLens in the world, well, is something very important for the AR market.
    HoloLens made the choice to be something aimed at professionals and companies… Meta is positioning itself towards innovators and devs

    • 12Danny123

      The problem is that Meta 2 is tethered to a PC. So their ecosystem, SDK etc are stuck on PC. It won’t be desireable for devs who think that AR VR future is Mobile.

  • The only problem​ is Hololens still sucks as a device . For $3000.00 you get a device that overlays a “virtual world” onto your real world, in a limited space. Whereas in pure VR the possibilities are infinite. AR & MR enhance ones current space as an overlay. Not very practical at any price point over the cost of a smartphone.

    • Mark Stuart

      The HoloLens FOV will improve, remember that it’s the first version of the HoloLens.

      It’s also down to developers to design applications that embrace the FOV and make their experience pleasurable.

      Personally, compared to its competitors, I find the HoloLens great value for money, given what’s inside it, and we’re set to order our 2nd one. META 2 might be under $1,000, but you’ll need a decent machine to run it, so that’s an additional cost, plus you’re tethered and there’s no real spacial awareness.

    • vijay kumar

      Did you actually imply AR is not as awesome/more primitive than VR? Unbelievable!

      If you really think about it….most of VR technology is just technology that is ‘closer’ to your eyes than a normal screen. Thats all !!

      AR is much much more. It creates images and overlays them where it makes sense. It doesnt overlay a game when you are looking at a stove. Also images/videos can stay fixed even if you turn your head.

      The possibilities with AR are infinite (ofcourse with atleast 60 degree field of view, and which can actually be done as this article shows) but not with VR. You made your point in the reverse.

      The only advantage VR has over AR is in some kind of games (and there are games where AR makes a better experience) and a more improved movie experience…thats all. So basically improved movie experience. AR is much more. It will also have applications in education and training.

      If there was a nobel prize in consumer electronics alex kipman deserves it:)

      Hololens is even more awesome than what the iphone was when it launched. It is truly magical…not those apple products. If META company finds a way to make these glasses wireless they can earn hundreds of billions.

      That said, I dont want to take any credit away from palmer luckey. He too deserves a nobel prize in consumer electronics. He made possible what people have been trying for decades. VR is much much much more awesome than the current way of gaming and watching movies. It will also have applications in education and training.

      Both of them are super-genuises in my opinion.

  • Guest

    The gesture interface may be alright in Isreal or Italy, but it could cause fights in America.

  • Raphael

    I can’t believe how stylish and compact it is… Barely any bigger than my welding shield.

    • Sponge Bob

      that’s not the main problem
      the problem is that you also have to carry a computer on you

      • Raphael

        My computer is massive with liquid cooling. No way I can carry it.

  • Sponge Bob

    can anyone objectively compare meta headset to vrvana headset (https://vrvana.com/) ?

    price is not an issue right now

  • _Steve_

    They have had 2500 orders for the M2DK since June 2016 (when I pre-ordered) and some of them due to impatience cancelled. How are they going to sell 10,000 in ’17. I have been waiting 2 weeks since I paid them for my order and I don’t even have a ship date much less tracking . (Dec 4, 2017)