Meta Connect is incoming. Set the date, September 27 – 28, 2023, because Meta and the firm’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, will likely look to impress following a busy year for XR, which saw Apple debut in the space, bringing new competition with its Vision Pro and spatial computing goals.
Meta will host a two-day event this year, primarily a virtual showcase ready for users to watch via Facebook and Horizon Worlds. However, the Menlo Park-based firm will host part of the event in person at its HQ.
The firm will discuss its emerging technologies during the two-day event, including the Quest portfolio, Ray-Ban Stories, Avatars, and Horizon Worlds.
Moreover, according to the event’s website, Meta will provide attendees with an in-depth look at upcoming Meta XR products, Horizon Worlds’ metaverse developments, emerging AI innovations, and hands-on opportunities for the company’s forthcoming immersive product portfolio. Additionally, the event will host sessions allowing attendees to learn from Meta’s community of developers, builders, and creators.
Meta Connect day one will start with a keynote with Mark Zuckerberg and a “Developer State of the Union.” Historically, these sessions hosted ground-breaking news, such as the firm’s rebranding.
Day two will feature developer sessions and product sneak peeks – most likely showing off the upcoming Meta Quest 3 MR device. Meta will reveal more details concerning the event as the date comes closer.
The Meta Quest 3
Meta debuted its Meta Quest 3 device just days before Apple’s WWDC event earlier this year.
The Meta Quest 3 is an MR device – much like its enterprise-grade and expensive predecessor, the Quest Pro – and promises high-quality passthrough and fully immersive visuals at a lower $499 price point.
📣 Meta Quest 3. Meta Connect. Sept 27. 📣 https://t.co/Zbh3ck2Tl3#MetaQuest3 #MetaConnect2023 pic.twitter.com/giOZElkKNf
— Meta Quest (@MetaQuestVR) August 1, 2023
At its introduction, Zuckerberg confirmed that the upcoming device would run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ chipset to provide users with “[twice] the graphics performance.” The device will also be compatible with all legacy titles, and the CEO noted that “more titles [are] coming.”
More recently, Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth revealed further details on the device via his social media channels.
The CTO revealed that the 128GB XR device would have roughly 2 hours of battery life, room for prescription glasses, 100-degree FOV, and the same weight as previous iterations.
Moreover, for Quest 3, Meta is not reincorporating controller designs from its two and Pro Quest models. Instead, the firm approaches the upcoming controllers with a new design outlook, leveraging invisible infrared LEDs and AI algorithms to track players’ hands and controllers. The advanced ecosystem of tracking technology allows for accurate tracking without the need for extra expensive or bulky design choices.
Meta is careful not to reveal much about its device before the Connect event. However, Zuckerberg noted that the Quest 3 will arrive with a “more comfortable” form factor and “better displays and resolution.”
More on Horizon Worlds
Alongside its Connect 2023 event, Meta looks to rebuild its Horizon – shared immersive environment where users can enjoy digital content as a group – product offering for the rest of the year, leading into 2024.
Meta has launched Ouro Interactive, a production studio that will create first-party VR gaming experiences for Horizon Worlds.
The studio’s first game, Super Rumble, was released last Friday. The game leverages the platform’s Metaverse framework and is available to play on Horizon Worlds.
Meta’s Vice President of Metaverse Vishal Shah said that Ouro Interactive and refocus on Horizon represents the “next generation” of the firm’s Metaverse service; he also added:
As consumers come to Horizon, we want to make sure there’s a bunch of compelling content that they can find on day one. We’re going to seed the ecosystem, bootstrap it with stuff that we build both in-house, but also with some studios that we’re working with.
Meta is committed to providing an XR UCG ecosystem, with Shah saying that Meta’s “long-term vision remains the same.”
Shah explained that Horizon will be a “UGC-powered ecosystem, built by creators.” This means that the platform will be driven by user-generated content, which will help to promote content growth and user scalability.
The VP also said that AI solutions will soon be introduced on the platform to help lower the entry barrier for budding Metaverse developers.
Shah said that the debut of Ouro Interactive and Super Rumble marks Meta “resetting the bar” for what the company thinks a great experience in Horizon can be.
He added that the refocus is a “meaningful step” towards a positive Horizon future.
