This Meta Connect will be the most important in many years
The next Meta Connect is just around the corner. What we expect to hear and why it is the most important Meta Connect yet.
On September 25 and 26, Meta will unveil new products that will shape the future of the XR industry.
Meta Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and will be the most important Connect since the launch of Quest 2 four years ago, perhaps the most important ever.
Meta Quest 3S: Can it surpass the success of Quest 2?
The stakes are high for Meta. On the VR front, Meta will announce the Meta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of the Quest 3, which is aimed at the mainstream. The device is the successor to the Quest 2, which is expected to have sold over 20 million units by now. The Quest 3S needs to sell at least as many units to be considered a success and grow the industry.
After the failure of the Playstation VR 2 and the lukewarm response to Apple Vision Pro, it's up to Meta to get consumers excited about VR, with mixed reality and exclusive software.
A major VR focus of the conference will be Meta Horizon. We will probably see improved avatars for Horizon Worlds. We should also get a look at new APIs for Horizon OS, the operating system of Meta Quest, such as the spatial app framework. Hopefully, there will also be an update on the planned OEM headsets based on Horizon OS.
First look at Meta's AR vision
We also expect major announcements in the AR space. After more than ten years of R&D, Meta will finally unveil a prototype of full-fledged AR glasses. The device, codenamed Orion, will not become a product because it is too expensive to manufacture. For now, the AR glasses are something else entirely: a vision of the future to appease investors, inspire tech enthusiasts, and encourage developers to create the first applications for Meta's upcoming AR platform.
Hopefully, Meta will provide a glimpse into the AR roadmap for the next few years, both in terms of hardware and software. Even if it will be a long time before affordable AR glasses hit the market: It's time for Meta to get real. The hype around AR glasses has been dead for many years, and Meta has a chance to revive it with Orion.
What's already here and affordable are AI-powered smart glasses with useful features. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are also part of Meta's AR future and are likely to play an important role at the conference, especially as they have been a surprise success and an ideal form factor for artificial intelligence. Although no new iteration of the glasses is expected this year, Meta is likely to unveil far-reaching new AI features for the smart glasses.
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