What to expect at Meta Connect 2024 — the next Quest VR headset

Meta is holding its yearly Connect developers league adjacent week, and it’s going to showcase a clump of expected and possibly immoderate astonishment caller VR and AR hardware — alongside what mightiness beryllium a dense Meta AI showcase featuring the company’s newest Llama ample connection model and representation generator successful apps similar WhatsApp.

And arsenic Meta sunsets customized tools for AR filters, we could extremity up seeing a full caller acceptable of developer tools designed to harness generative AI experiences. Perhaps it volition each travel unneurotic successful Meta’s adjacent large propulsion into its alternate world ideas (and namesake) successful the metaverse, including important Horizon Worlds updates.

However, the astir anticipated products expected to look during the league are the successor to the Meta Quest 3 and possibly updates to Meta and Raybans, which are very cool astute glasses. Hopefully, we’ll spot the rumored “Orion” AR glasses, but we volition request to drawback the Connect keynote to find out.

When is Meta Connect 2024

Meta’s Connect developers league this twelvemonth starts connected Wednesday, September 25th, 2024, and ends the adjacent time connected Thursday, September 26th. The league volition footwear disconnected with the Connect keynote, headlined by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, followed instantly by a Developer keynote astatine 2PM ET / 11AM PT. Meta has a afloat programme docket connected the Connect site.

How to ticker Meta Connect 2024

The Meta Connect keynote volition watercourse unrecorded connected the official Meta Connect website. If you’re a Quest headset user, you tin besides watch it connected Horizon Worlds. Following the keynotes, you tin enactment successful unrecorded developer sessions for heavy dives connected AI and mixed world on Facebook.

What to expect astatine Meta Connect 2024

The astir breathtaking happening astir Meta is that it holds the keys to the closest happening to mainstream VR headsets with the Quest 2 and Quest 3. The latter, however, started at a terms that was excessively high ($500 compared to the now $200 Quest 2) and did not person a precise crisp AR video passthrough. Now we’re expecting a cheaper version, the Quest “3S,” that might merchantability for arsenic inexpensive arsenic $299.99, according to leaks.

Meta besides has other caller VR headsets successful the pipeline, including a caller Quest 4 for 2026 and thing astatine the pro level designed for spatial computing internally dubbed “La Jolla” for 2027. Recent reports suggest plans for the second might present beryllium connected ice, particularly arsenic Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro struggles to summation traction. We whitethorn not spot these models specifically astatine Connect, but different models successful the pipeline whitethorn amusement up.

Expect an update connected the futuristic Ray-Ban Meta astute glasses astatine Connect too. The existent glasses look cleanable and aren’t excessively chonky, but they’re ripe for an iterative update, adjacent if nary AR capabilities are coming. The glasses respond to your commands with Meta AI, so expect caller chatbot adjunct experiences connected the way.

Meta is besides moving connected caller mixed world glasses internally dubbed “Orion,” which we tin expect astatine slightest a glimpse of. Snap precocious let america wear its caller AR Spectacles, but those are developer-only, and a erstwhile Snap technologist connected the task called them “obviously bad.” Hopefully what we spot of Orion is simply a batch much interesting.

Along with Meta’s VR strategy comes expectations of caller bundle and experiences, including the aboriginal of games connected Quest. Right now, determination are questions astir what Meta is doing for games: it’s shutting down the Ready astatine Dawn crippled workplace that made immersive 3D games similar Echo VR, portion casual games similar Wordle are rolling in. Meanwhile, Meta precocious launched an app that lets you play console games connected the headset through HDMI.