Meta Quest: Inseye puts upgradeable eye tracking module on hold indefinitely
No eye-tracking add-on from Inseye for your Meta Quest: the start-up is focusing instead on "the next generation of intelligent eyewear".
Inseye has officially "paused" development of Lumi, their anticipated eye tracking add-on for Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets. The company informed early supporters who had placed $1 refundable deposits in June, hoping to secure the $160 module at a discounted price of $100. For those who placed deposits, Inseye is offering refunds of the $1 reservation fee upon email request.
The startup explained their decision by citing limited resources and a strategic shift toward integrating their technology into smart glasses and AR devices. As a startup with limited resources, they can't pursue both paths simultaneously.
However, they emphasized this doesn't mean they're abandoning VR entirely. "We remain convinced VR has massive potential, and we plan to revisit our VR projects when the time and resources are right," the company told supporters.
Lumi would have been particularly useful for PC VR
The Lumi module was primarily designed to enhance PC VR experiences with Meta Quest, particularly for games and platforms supporting OpenXR. The standalone Quest wouldn't have seen much benefit, since developers would have needed to implement Inseye's SDK into their VR apps first.
While Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth has ruled out an official eye tracking upgrade module, he believes eye tracking will eventually become standard in all Quest headsets. However, he noted there are still numerous hurdles to overcome before that happens.
Are you surprised by the discontinuation of the eye-tracking module for Meta Quest? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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