Meta has halted the development of a high-end mixed reality headset that was intended to compete with the Apple Vision Pro, according to reports from various anonymous insiders.
This headset, named La Jolla, was slated for release in 2027 and was expected to feature high-resolution micro-OLED displays, similar to those used in the Apple Vision Pro. However, the high cost of these displays made it impossible for Meta to achieve its goal of selling the device for under $1,000.
The decision to stop the project was made after a product evaluation meeting involving Mark Zuckerberg and CTO Andrew Bosworth. Employees in Meta’s Reality Labs department were instructed to cease work on the project. Meta has not officially commented on this decision, but Andrew Bosworth noted on Threads that the company develops many prototypes that are not always brought to production.
“We always have many prototypes in development, but not all of them make it to production. We move forward with some and let others go. Decisions like this happen continuously. Stories based on conversations about a single decision never give the full picture,” he stated.
The La Jolla project had been in development since last November, but Meta decided to pull all its employees from the project. This decision could be related to the challenges faced by the Apple Vision Pro, which, partly due to its high price of $3,500, has not attracted a wide audience.
However, Meta continues to develop other virtual reality and mixed reality headsets, including the Quest 4, expected in 2026, along with other innovations in augmented reality.
