Meta is holding its annual developer conference, Connect, next week, where it’s set to show off a ton of anticipated and possibly surprise new VR and AR hardware, as well as a big Meta AI exhibit featuring the company’s latest Llama large-scale language model and image generator that powers apps like WhatsApp.
And as Meta phases out its custom AR filter tools, we may see a whole new set of developer tools designed to power generative AI experiences. Perhaps all of this will culminate in Meta’s next big push into the idea of alternate realities in the Metaverse (and its namesake), with a major Horizon Worlds update in the works.
But the most anticipated products expected to be announced during the conference are a successor to the Meta Quest 3 and possibly some very cool smart glasses: updates to Meta and Rayban. Hopefully, the rumored “Orion” AR glasses will make an appearance, but we’ll have to tune into the Connect keynote to find out.
When is Meta Connect 2024?
This year’s Meta’s Connect developer conference will begin on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and end the following day on Thursday, September 26. The conference will kick off with the Connect keynote headlined by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at 1pm ET/10am PST, immediately followed by the Developer Keynote at 2pm ET/11am PST. The full program schedule is available on Meta’s Connect site.
How to watch MetaConnect 2024
The Meta Connect keynote will be streamed live on the official Meta Connect website, and for Quest headset users, on Horizon Worlds. After the keynote, you can join live developer sessions on Facebook for a deep dive into AI and mixed reality.
What to expect at Meta Connect 2024
The most exciting thing about Meta is that it holds the key to the closest thing to a mainstream VR headset with the Quest 2 and Quest 3. However, the latter was initially too expensive ($500 compared to the current $200 for the Quest 2) and didn’t have crystal clear AR video passthrough. Now, leaks suggest that a cheaper version, the Quest “3S,” could sell for as low as $299.99.
Meta also has other new VR headsets in the works, including a new Quest 4 for 2026 and a pro-level VR headset designed for spatial computing internally dubbed “La Jolla” for 2027. Recent reports suggest the latter plan may be on hold, especially as Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro has struggled to sell. While those models may not be visible at Connect, other planned models may make an appearance.
Connect will also see an update to the futuristic Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The current glasses have a sleek look and aren’t too chunky, but even without the AR capabilities, you can expect iterative updates. The glasses will respond to user commands with Meta AI, and a new chatbot assistant experience is coming soon.
Meta is also working on a new pair of mixed reality glasses, internally dubbed “Orion,” so we might get at least a glimpse of them. Snap recently let us try on their new AR Spectacles, which are for developers only and were described as “plainly bad” by a former Snap engineer who worked on the project. Here’s hoping Orion proves more interesting.
Meta’s VR strategy comes with the promise of new software and experiences, including a gaming future for Quest. Now, questions are being asked about what Meta is doing with gaming. The company is releasing a string of casual games like Wordle while shutting down Ready at Dawn game studio, which made immersive 3D games like Echo VR. Meanwhile, Meta recently released an app that lets you play console games on the headset via HDMI.
