Meta Firmware Reveals Slim Project Phoenix Headset
Meta is developing Project Phoenix as a premium mixed-reality headset that sits between bulky Quest-style devices and smart glasses. The project surfaced in 2024 under the earlier codename Puffin, described as weighing less than 110 grams by moving its battery and computing hardware to a tethered puck. The approach could give Meta a sleeker platform for virtual screens, media and seated XR, placing it closer to products from Xreal and Viture while preserving the richer capabilities of a full Horizon OS headset.
UploadVR reported on Sept. 10 that clear images of Phoenix appeared in an update to HorizonOS Prescription Lens, a free package Meta released in August. The assets show glasses-style nose pads, sensors along the temples, prescription inserts paired by QR code and a cable running from the left temple to an external compute puck. The images are the clearest indication yet of the device’s industrial design, although Meta has not announced it. Internal documents previously cited by the publication targeted shipment in the first half of 2027, a timetable that could still change.
All Coverage
2 original reportsThe Backstory
The history behind this eventMeta Shifts Horizon Worlds Focus From VR to Mobile, Steps Up AI Investment
Meta changed its name from Facebook in October 2021 and opened Horizon Worlds to Quest users in North America that December, positioning the virtual world for creating, playing and socializing as a cornerstone of its metaverse strategy. The decision to separate Worlds from Quest VR signals that Meta no longer sees its own VR social platform as its primary growth engine. It is redirecting resources toward the broader mobile market and AI.
Meta announced on February 19, 2026, that Horizon Worlds would adopt a mobile-first strategy. Monthly mobile users quadrupled in 2025, while the platform had more than 2,000 mobile-exclusive Worlds. On March 19, Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth clarified that the VR version would retain existing content but would receive no new games or major investment. Meta is also planning capital expenditure of $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026 to support its superintelligence labs and core businesses.
Subscribe to Mark Radar Weekly
Every Friday, the week's strongest signals in your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
If you search news on Google, you can set Mark Radar as a preferred source—our coverage will show up more often in your results. Set as preferred source on Google →