Meta Connect 2023: 4 things we expect to see at the Meta Quest 3 launch event

Date:
Mon, 14 Aug 2023 15:52:36 +0000

Description:
Here are some of the announcements we expect to hear at Meta Connect 2023.

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Meta has named the date for Meta Connect 2023 September 27 and we know that the highlight of the company's annual hardware and software showcase will be the full unveiling of the Meta Quest 3 headset.

Meta Connect is something of a mixed bag, in which well not only find out about the new products that Meta is releasing in the near future, such as the Quest 3, but also its plans for stuff we might not get our hands on for the best part of a decade, if not longer.

Here are four announcements and updates that we expect to see at Meta Connect 2023 as well as one announcement that we think Meta wont be making. More
Meta Quest 3 details

This isnt much of a prediction, as Meta has confirmed that it'll be
officially unveiling the Quest 3 during Meta Connect 2023. (Image credit:
Meta )

We already know a fair amount about the Quest 3 its a standalone VR headset that will succeed the Quest 2, its Metas most powerful headset yet, and it will start at $499 / 499 / AU$829. But we dont have many specific details about its specs, release date, and what different Quest 3 models will offer Metas starts at pricing suggests that more expensive upgraded versions of the Quest 3 will be available, and while we expect theyll just be different storage options (as was the case with the Quest 2), well have to see what
Meta unveils.

We also dont know if Meta will show off any new software to take advantage of the Quest 3s specs. It may announce new VR games and apps that will take advantage of the Quest 3's improved performance over its predecessors, as
well as mixed reality software that will be able to use the Quest 3s improved color passthrough (the Quest Pros color-passthrough was okay but very grainy, and according to people in the know the Quest 3s passthrough is significantly better). Microsoft Office on Quest

Speaking of Quest 3 software announcements, we hope that Meta and Microsoft will finally announce when native Office apps will be available on the Quest platform . During last years Meta Connect 2022 event, the companies announced that Office programs (like Word and Excel) were coming to the Quest headsets, but a year later they've yet to materialize the only way to access them is via a virtual desktop app thats synced with your real-world PC. Maybe the AI Copilot will come to Quest as well (Image credit: Microsoft/GTS)

The companies also said that Xbox game streaming would be coming to VR , but since the announcement details have been scarce. Meta Connect 2023 would be the perfect time to finally give us a release date and hopefully one thats
in 2023, as were tired of waiting.

Given that Apple is set to launch its Apple Vision Pro headset in early 2024, Meta only has a few months left to make its platform look as strong as possible before the new rival enters the space. This Apple headset will
likely include VR versions of Apples catalog of productivity apps such as Pages and Keynote so Meta would be smart to get Microsofts software onto its systems asap. The metaverse and AI

Horizon Worlds , Metas metaverse social media platform, usually gets a shout-out during Connect events, though the announcements are often a little lackluster last year it was the news that avatars would be getting legs. And to make matters worse, we just hopped into Horizon Worlds, and as of August 14, 2023 our avatars are still legless

Horizon Worlds doesnt need legs; it needs reasons for people to use it. Meta has been steadily building up a catalog of VR experiences in the app and making various graphical improvements to it, but theres still little reason
to use Horizon Worlds over other VR software. Hopefully, at Connect 2023 Meta will finally give us a reason to try its metaverse out and not walk sorry, bounce, away immediately. ChatGPT has stolen the metaverse's thunder (Image credit: Diego Thomazini via Shutterstock)

One way Meta in which could try to reignite interest is to combine AI with
the metaverse, and bring together two of techs biggest current subjects. Meta has been hard at work developing AI following the success of ChatGPT and
other platforms, and it may want to harness those efforts to try and make its platform more appealing perhaps by using AI to create bigger and better Horizon Worlds experiences, or to add NPC bots to make the service seem a bit more popular than it is.

With a smartphone version of Horizon Worlds also reportedly on the way for those who don't have a VR headset some kind of AI integration could give them a good enough reason to try out the app rather than ignoring it. AR hardware plans

At Connect 2021 and 2022 Meta has mentioned augmented reality (AR) tech and shown off things its working on but its all been in-development tech and prototypes rather than something that we regular folks will ever get our
hands on. We expect this might change at Meta Connect 2023.

Both the 2021 and 2022 events came with teases of hardware that would come in the following year; in 2021 this was Project Cambria (aka the Quest Pro) and in 2022 Meta teased a new consumer-friendly VR headset (the Quest 3). In 2023 we expect itll do the same but for AR hardware rather than VR. Could Meta announce the Ray-Ban Stories 2 at Meta Connect? (Image credit: Facebook / Ray-Ban)

One big reason is that we dont think Meta is ready to tease a new VR headset yet (more on that below), but even if it did we think an AR announcement
makes more sense.

As we mentioned Meta has been publicly talking about its AR plans for some time there are only so many times it kicks the ball down the road before we get tired of it teasing AR tech we cant use. Additionally, with Apple preferring to use augmented reality when talking about its Vision Pro headset (rather than virtual reality), Meta may want to release its own AR tech to
try and capture some of the renewed interest in the space that the Vision Pro has created.

If Meta does tease some kind of AR glasses, itll be interesting to see if theyre created in partnership with RayBan like its Ray-Ban Stories glasses or if theyre a completely Meta product. Well have to wait and see what
happens on September 27. No Meta Quest Pro 2 teaser

If youre hoping Meta will also tease a Meta Quest Pro 2 during the event, we wouldnt recommend holding your breath. While this isnt impossible, we feel Meta will keep its VR focus on the Quest 3 during the event (outside of showing us any prototypes for non-consumer products like its done in the
past)

Our reasoning here is twofold. Firstly, teasing another VR headset just after the Quest 3 releases could put an instant dampener on any excitement people have for the new headset it wont get its time in the spotlight, which could hurt sales.

Secondly, we dont think Meta is ready to commit to launching a new VR headset in 2024 which is when a Meta Quest Pro 2 teased at Meta Connect 2023 would arrive based on Metas usual tease-release cadence. The Meta Quest Pro likely won't get a sequel for a while (Image credit: Meta)

Thats because Meta reportedly recently canceled an in-development Quest headset prototype that leakers have said was the Quest Pro 2. While Meta has argued that the headset wasnt the Quest Pro 2, and was instead an
undesignated prototype, based on the leaks it sounds like this headset would have become the Pro 2 if development continued and it was given a proper
name. No matter what the project was or wasnt called Meta hasnt argued it was canceled, and it will take time for Meta to develop a new prototype to
replace it suggesting the Quest Pro 2 is too far from ready to tease anything.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/meta-con nect-2023-4-things-we-expect-to-see-at-the-meta-quest-3-launch-event


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