While, in some ways, the move is routine — the Quest 2 is powered by the Snapdragon XR2 chipset — it could provide insight into Meta’s trade-offs as it faces declining revenue and tries to keep the rising costs of Mark’s metaverse project under control. . What Qualcomm’s deal indicates is that Meta’s upcoming handsets, which reportedly include a high-end handset codenamed Cambria and, later, new versions of the cheaper Quest handsets, won’t run on fully custom Meta-designed silicon . In April, The Verge reported that Meta employees were working with semiconductor fabs — the companies that actually make the physical chips — to make custom chips for the yet-to-be-announced AR headset. That same month, The Information reported that some of Meta’s efforts to create custom chips were hitting roadblocks, prompting it to use a Qualcomm chip for its second-generation Ray-Bay smart glasses instead of its own silicon. Qualcomm reference designs for Qualcomm wired and wireless smart glasses Tyler Yee, a spokesman for Meta, said the company doesn’t discuss details of how its roadmap has evolved and wouldn’t comment on any specific plans it might have for custom brands for Quest products. However, Yee shared a statement about the company’s “general approach to custom silicon,” saying that Meta doesn’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to the technology powering its future devices. “There could be cases where we use off-the-shelf silicon or work with industry partners for customizations, while also exploring our own new silicon solutions. There could also be scenarios where we use partner solutions and custom solutions in the same product.” he said. “It’s just a matter of doing whatever it takes to create the best post-event experiences possible.” Meta has a lot going for it in the metaverse, but some of its projects are reportedly on the block The backdrop to all of this is a company under a lot of pressure. Meta’s revenue fell for the first time (thanks in part to Apple’s changes to how apps are allowed to track users), and Zuckerberg made clear that he plans to turn up the heat on employees, admitting: “I think some of you may say that This place is not for you. And that self-selection is fine with me.” At the same time, it’s making a huge bet in the metaverse — the company is spending and losing billions of dollars a year on the project, which includes AR and VR headsets. It’s a high-stakes game that the Meta would probably want to play as close to the chest as possible. But for now, it looks like hardware customers with access to Zuckerberg’s Metaverse (if they do that, instead of just playing Beat Saber) will remain powered by someone else’s tokens.
