On September 25, Meta held its highly anticipated event, Meta Connect 2024. Coverage of the event was provided through live updates by Karissa Bell and Devindra Hardawar, who captured the excitement as it unfolded. Below is a report detailing key aspects of the event and what was anticipated.
Historically, Meta’s fall event has been known by different names, such as Oculus Connect and Facebook Connect. Regardless of the name, the event serves as a showcase for Meta’s latest advancements in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). This year, focus was expected to fall heavily on developments related to artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).
Similar to other leading tech firms, Meta aimed to highlight its relevance in an AI-driven future. Seven months following Apple’s Vision Pro launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sought to present his plans for advancing augmented reality. Despite a shift away from Zuckerberg’s initial enthusiasm for the metaverse, the combination of AI and AR remains a strategic path for achieving persistent virtual worlds. The introduction of an updated, affordable VR headset was also anticipated to contribute to this vision.
Meta Connect 2024, which ran for two days starting September 25, commenced with a 1 PM ET livestream lasting approximately an hour. Key announcements from the event were expected to include the introduction of Orion AR glasses.
The Orion AR glasses were notable because Meta decided to pivot from developing a costly mixed reality headset, originally intended to rival Apple’s Vision Pro. Focus shifted instead to creating augmented reality glasses under the codename Orion, which take inspiration from chunky hipster frames. According to Zuckerberg, these glasses aim to seamlessly integrate holographic imagery with the real world, offering a more streamlined experience compared to prior technologies like Magic Leap and Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Zuckerberg confirmed the development of the glasses, stating in an interview on the Blueprint Podcast that prototypes were nearly ready for demonstration. However, the company prioritized developing a consumer-ready version rather than broadly selling prototypes. Insights into prior AR concepts were shared at Meta Connect 2022, which also showcased a wrist-based controller. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth emphasized the technological advancements, describing the AR glasses as potentially the most sophisticated consumer electronics ever produced.
A leaked Meta roadmap suggested that a new iteration of Ray-Ban smart glasses, incorporating a small screen along with a camera, speaker, and microphone, was planned for next year. This would precede the launch of Meta’s first consumer AR glasses in 2027. Other companies, like Snap with its fifth-generation AR Spectacles, are developing similar technologies targeted primarily at developers.
Additionally, a more economical variant of the Quest 3 headset, likely named the Quest 3S, was expected to be announced. Leaks from Meta’s Quest Link application and reports from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg indicated that this model would offer a similar experience to the Quest 3 but at a lower cost, potentially between $300 and $400. Recent leaks confirmed a starting price of $299 for a 128GB version.
The cheaper Quest 3S aims to bridge the performance gap between Quest 2 and Quest 3, simplifying development for game creators. There are also considerations for offering models without bundled controllers to further reduce costs.
Lastly, Meta was expected to highlight further uses of AI in its Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses. Existing AI features like multi-modal AI search capabilities, which allow interaction with objects or landmarks and perform translations, were anticipated to see improvements with the Llama 3.1 large language model. This model promises enhanced translation, mathematical calculations, and general knowledge functions. While these advancements could elevate AI capabilities in the smart glasses, their full potential may await more powerful and efficient hardware updates.
The report was contributed by Karissa Bell.