What to anticipate at Meta Join 2024 — the subsequent Quest VR headset

Meta is holding its annual Join builders convention subsequent week, and it’s going to showcase a bunch of anticipated and maybe some shock new VR and AR {hardware} — alongside what could be a heavy Meta AI showcase that includes the corporate’s latest Llama giant language mannequin and picture generator in apps like WhatsApp.

And as Meta sunsets customized instruments for AR filters, we may find yourself seeing a complete new set of developer instruments designed to harness generative AI experiences. Maybe it can all come collectively in Meta’s subsequent massive push into its different actuality concepts (and namesake) within the metaverse, together with important Horizon Worlds updates.

Nonetheless, probably the most anticipated merchandise anticipated to look in the course of the convention are the successor to the Meta Quest 3 and maybe updates to Meta and Raybans, that are very cool sensible glasses. Hopefully, we’ll see the rumored “Orion” AR glasses, however we might want to catch the Join keynote to search out out.

Meta’s Join builders convention this yr begins on Wednesday, September twenty fifth, 2024, and ends the subsequent day on Thursday, September twenty sixth. The convention will kick off with the Join keynote, headlined by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, adopted instantly by a Developer keynote at 2PM ET / 11AM PT. Meta has a full program schedule on the Connect site.

The Meta Join keynote will stream dwell on the official Meta Connect website. For those who’re a Quest headset consumer, it’s also possible to watch it on Horizon Worlds. Following the keynotes, you’ll be able to take part in dwell developer classes for deep dives on AI and blended actuality on Facebook.

Essentially the most thrilling factor about Meta is that it holds the keys to the closest factor to mainstream VR headsets with the Quest 2 and Quest 3. The latter, nevertheless, began at a worth that was too excessive ($500 in comparison with the now $200 Quest 2) and didn’t have a really sharp AR video passthrough. Now we’re anticipating a less expensive model, the Quest “3S,” which may promote for as low cost as $299.99, in accordance with leaks.

Meta additionally has different new VR headsets within the pipeline, together with a brand new Quest 4 for 2026 and one thing on the professional degree designed for spatial computing internally dubbed “La Jolla” for 2027. Current stories counsel plans for the latter may now be on ice, particularly as Apple’s $3,500 Imaginative and prescient Professional struggles to gain traction. We might not see these fashions particularly at Join, however different fashions within the pipeline might present up.

Count on an replace on the futuristic Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses at Join too. The present glasses look clear and aren’t too chonky, however they’re ripe for an iterative replace, even when no AR capabilities are coming. The glasses reply to your instructions with Meta AI, so anticipate contemporary chatbot assistant experiences on the best way.

Meta can be engaged on new blended actuality glasses internally dubbed “Orion,” which we are able to anticipate no less than a glimpse of. Snap not too long ago allow us to put on its new AR Spectacles, however these are developer-only, and a former Snap engineer on the challenge known as them “clearly dangerous.” Hopefully what we see of Orion is much more fascinating.

Together with Meta’s VR technique comes expectations of latest software program and experiences, together with the way forward for video games on Quest. Proper now, there are questions on what Meta is doing for video games: it’s shutting down the Prepared at Daybreak sport studio that made immersive 3D video games like Echo VR, whereas informal video games like Wordle are rolling in. In the meantime, Meta not too long ago launched an app that permits you to play console video games on the headset by way of HDMI.