Following the demise of smartphone-based headsets like Samsung's Gear VR and Google’s Daydream, virtual reality headsets have generally fallen into two camps: lightweight standalone systems like the Quest 2 and more sophisticated PC-based systems like the Vive Pro 2 and Valve Index.

But with the new Quest Pro, Meta is trying to combine the best things about both types of headsets into a powerful, but still very comfortable, self-contained unit. In fact, Meta believes so strongly in its next headset that prior to a demo session for press, Meta Product Management Lead Rupa Rao described the Quest Pro as “the beginning of an evolution in VR. It’s going to be our first multi-functional immersive computing platform that will enable the metaverse.” And after getting the chance to try it out myself, I can definitely see where that confidence is coming from.

Compared to the Quest 2, the Quest Pro is packing some major hardware upgrades including an all-new design, 10 sensors (both inward and outward facing) and completely revamped optics. The Quest Pro is also the first device to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ chip along with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 90Hz refresh rate, which Meta says delivers 50 percent better performance than the Quest 2.

But to me, one of the best things about the Quest 2 is how comfortable it is. Due to its increased horsepower, it needs a way bigger battery. But instead of cramming a big power pack up front and making the whole headset unbalanced, Meta used a curved cell that’s integrated into the Quest Pro’s headband. Putting on the headset is also dead simple, as it sits on your head more like a visor and less like a helmet. This design allows you to peek at meatspace using your peripheral vision, which was an intentional choice by Meta: One of the company’s goals was to create something that lets you interact in both VR and IRL simultaneously. That said, if you want total immersion, there are side-mounted blinders that come in the box, in addition to optional full light blockers (though you’ll have to pay an extra $50 for those).