The Meta Quet Pro headset and controllers. Photo: Ina Fried/Axios

Facebook's parent company on Tuesday launched the Meta Quest Pro, a $1,499 headset designed to be both more powerful and comfortable than past virtual reality devices.

Why it matters: Quest Pro is the first major product launch of Mark Zuckerberg's campaign to "build the metaverse," announced a year ago, and Meta is looking to the new device to prove that VR is the future of computing, not just a niche technology for gamers.

Details: The new headset uses so-called pancake optics to offer lenses that are thinner and lighter than those found in earlier headsets. It's also much more capable of blending the real and virtual worlds.

Reality check: While the Quest 2 is capable of showing the real world, it does so only in black-and-white and mainly for safety purposes.

Meta previewed the device in meetings with reporters, including a session with Zuckerberg and other executives held at the company's Reality Labs offices in Redmond, Wash.

Our thought bubble: The headset definitely looks and feels less bulky and also seems like it will be far easier to use in the real world.

The big picture: Even those who are bullish on the notion of the metaverse acknowledge it will take a decade for VR devices to offer a combination of price, comfort and battery life to appeal to the masses.

Between the lines: The challenge for Meta is continuing to advance and promote the technology without leaving customers disappointed.

To help bridge some of the gap between current devices and future possibilities, Meta showed reporters demos from its labs as part of the preview.

Other demos aimed to show the future of capturing real-world people and objects to bring them into a virtual experience.

Practical matters: The Quest Pro is available for pre-order now and will start shipping Oct. 25.

Go deeper: Axios AM's deep dive went Inside the Metaverse earlier this year. And check out tomorrow's Axios Login for more on Meta's VR effort.