U.S. big tech company Meta Platforms Inc., which operates Facebook, has partnered with South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. to develop advanced Mixed Reality (MR) headsets. MR combine Augmented Reality (AR), which overlays virtual objects on the real environment, with Virtual Reality (VR), which creates a completely virtual world.

According to multiple information technology (IT) sources on Sunday, Meta has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with LG Electronics to develop advanced headsets with the goal of unveiling them in 2025.

“It will be the most premium product in Meta‘s headset series, Quest,” an industry source said. “But it is yet to be confirmed whether this fact will be revealed at the Meta Connect 2023 event on September 27.”

Meta has diversified its product lineup in response to the expanding metaverse market. Notable products include the Meta Quest 2, which was introduced in 2020 and priced at around 450,000 won ($339.90), and the Meta Quest Pro, released last year and priced at around 1.44 million won. Meta also teased some information about its next-generation model, Quest 3, just before Apple Inc. announced its high-end headset, the Vision Pro, in June.

“If LG Electronics successfully completes the development, the company can take charge of mass production,” the source added. “Since the product is in the high-end category in the AR and VR product lines, there is a high possibility that it will be named Meta Quest 4 Pro.”

LG Electronics, meanwhile, remained noncommittal about the development. “We are in the process of developing MR devices as we announced in our future vision of connecting various spaces and experiences,” an LG Electronics official said. “We are unable to disclose our collaboration partners at this time.”

With this collaboration, the high-end headset industry is expected to be divided into three major camps: Samsung Electronics Co.-Google LLC, Apple, and Meta-LG Electronics. Apple has already released a product, and Google is actively developing a product in partnership with Samsung Electronics. Meta, the top player in the field, appears to be aiming to fend off late-comer challenges by partnering with LG Electronics.

By Lee Sang-duk, Choi Seung-jin, and Yoon Yeon-hae

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