Meta’s leaked VR headset looks to be everything I’ve wanted since it made the Meta Quest Pro

Meta Connect 2026 is fast approaching, and it seems a big surprise hardware announcement has just been leaked — by none other than Meta itself.

It’s not much but our first official look at the so-called Project Phoenix has me very excited that we might finally get the Meta Quest Pro successor I’ve been begging for.

The leak was spotted by prolific Meta leaker Luna, who found a never-before-seen headset in the latest Horizon OS prescription lens firmware .

Because it only shows how lenses are inserted into the new design, we don’t get a full look at the whole thing, but it seems XR glasses might be a better description than XR headset.

That’s because the front of the headset looks incredibly slim.

Not quite Meta Ray-Ban levels, but a fraction of what the Meta Quest 3 and 3S were thickness wise.

There also appears to be no head strap.

Instead, we see the display unit supported by glasses' stems sitting behind the ears of the wearer.

First official visuals of Meta's Project Phoenix, found in the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package! pic.twitter.com/YmN0SCJNCD September 10, 2026 What this leak seemingly confirms is the rumors that Meta has been working on an ultra-lightweight headset design.

One where the battery and a chunk of the processing power are all moved to an external puck — something also teased by a cable we see extending from one of the Meta device’s stems.

Of course we should take all leaks and speculation with a pinch of salt, however considering some details are now coming directly from Meta itself, I suspect this may be a case of where if there’s smoke there’s fire.

If so, I couldn’t be more excited.

Following the disappointing start to VR in 2026, this launch might turns things around (at least somewhat). (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) What I've been waiting for XR hardware housing its battery in an external puck is nothing new; however, moving processing power in there too is far less common — the only one I’ve experienced is Xreal’s Aura glasses, though it works incredibly well.

By taking as much as possible out of the headset, you can significantly drop the weight of the machine, and, because you’re tethered to something in your pocket, your movement won’t be restricted as it can be when you’re connected to a PC or console.