San Francisco, Sep 17 : Facebook has launched Oculus Quest 2, its next generation of all-in-one virtual reality headset that starts at $299. Weighing less than the original Quest, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform processor and 6GB memory. The headset offers newly redesigned controllers for better ergonomics and longer battery life, the social network said during its virtual 'Facebook Connect' conference on Wednesday. "Pre-orders open today and Quest 2 will ship October 13," it announced. Oculus Quest 2 is a culmination of years of collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Facebook to create the most advanced and immersive gaming VR experiences for consumers to date. Purpose-built for extended reality (XR), the Snapdragon XR2 Platform unlocks staggering improvements including twice the CPU and GPU performance compared to its predecessor. The chipset delivers more than 11 times the AI processing than its predecessor, allowing more perception algorithms to work concurrently with many other tasks, resulting in more immersive experiences for the users. "Qualcomm Technologies' worked closely with the team at Facebook to enhance and tailor the Snapdragon XR2 feature-set in Oculus Quest 2 and today marks an incredible milestone in VR," said Hugo Swart, VP and head of XR, Qualcomm Technologies. With a deep catalog of premium and unique gaming experiences at the heart of Oculus Quest 2, the product also provides a variety of engaging non-gaming experiences for all to enjoy, including fitness apps, unique entertainment and social places to connect with friends. "For Facebook, this collaboration represents our commitment to accelerating the VR industry," said Rafael Camargo, VP of Hardware for Facebook Reality Labs. /IANS