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Meta Connect 2023: How to watch and what to expect

Published: Sep 27, 2023, 7:35 AM

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Meta Connect 2023: How to watch and what to expect

Today, Meta will be live for its Connect event of 2023! The company famously produces some of the best VR headsets on the market, such as the Quest 2. But this year, we're expecting a brand new member of the family to get showcased during the event: the Meta Quest 3, which is sure to keep us warm until we get more juicy info on the upcoming Vision Pro headset.

This time around, though, the event isn't going to be all about XR technology. Meta will likely comment on its Metaverse, which recently got released as an app for smartphones — which is, by all means, some sort of indicator — but will also talk about its point of view regarding AI.

Now, as much as we'd love to see John Carmack make an appearance during the event, that will likely not happen. Mark Zuckerberg — famed creator of Facebook and CEO of Meta — will be leading the charge at the event. But, of course, more guests are planned to make an appearance.

Meta Connect 2023 featured presentations:

Keynote led by Mark Zuckerberg: unveiling the Meta Quest 3 and other Meta projects
Developer State of the Union: A first look at new tools across AI, VR, MR (or XR), AR and more Meta features
Meta Quest 3: Realizing your creative potential
Everything you need to know to build on Meta Quest

But what are the most impactful announcements that we can expect to happen during the event? We thought you'd never ask:

The Meta Quest 3 virtual & augmented reality headset

The most anticipated Meta Connect 2023 device (and most anticipated VR headset this year, arguably) is obviously the Meta Quest 3, successor to the wildly popular Quest 2.

Although Meta recently finally unveiled the Quest 3 in all of its glory, the full details on the device, such as some of its specs, are still up for debate. But we expect to be getting all of the information we need on the Quest 3 during the event.

Official image comparing the Quest 2 against the Quest 3

What we already know is – the upcoming Quest 3 is thinner and lighter than the Quest 3, has a new look with three pill-shaped camera modules up front, and a stronger focus on augmented reality (AR) as opposed to just (VR).

AR fans who already dabble with the Quest 2's passthrough feature will be happy to know that passthrough will be in color on the Quest 3, and presumably visually sharper and clearer.

The Quest 3 is also getting redesigned, and more compact controllers, as well as a charging dock for quicker and more convenient charging, although the USB Type-C port is still there also (since a dock won't be included with the Quest 3, but sold separately).

Although we're yet to get an official release date for the Quest 3, which we should during the Connect event, for now our speculations are aimed at October 10th, based on a recent unintentional Amazon leak.

The price? It starts at $499 for the base model with 128GB of built-in storage. We can probably also expect a 256GB model for $100 more, but that's yet to be confirmed officially.

"A two-day virtual event focused on AI and virtual, mixed and augmented realities"

The AR-centric, premium Quest Pro may have failed to meet Meta's expectations, and we know for a fact a "sequel" isn't coming, but the Quest 3 is clearly going to be its spiritual successor. Although, some recent rumors indicate the opposite.

It's quite obvious Meta wants people to start looking at its headsets as more than VR gaming devices, but potential AR productivity devices also. With that in mind, and based on Meta's marketing for the upcoming Connect event, we can expect plenty of new AR experiences to be unveiled, alongside the Quest 3 itself.

Meta says that AI (artificial intelligence) will be another focus of the event, which shouldn't be a surprise after the wild boom of popularity for ChatGPT, followed by Microsoft quickly integrating it in its search engine and services, along with Google attempting to swiftly create a competitor.

So what's Meta's plan for AI, and more specifically – what's Meta's plan for AI integration with AR and VR? We'll find out during the Connect event, but at the very least, a virtual assistant would be great to see be integrated into the Quest 3, no?

How can I watch the 2023 Meta Connect virtual event?

If you are interested in tuning in and seeing what Meta's latest innovations are, then we've got great news for you: it's absolutely free and entirely online. The event will take place starting September 27 and will carry on into the 28th as well. Unlike most online events, however, Meta Connect will be streamed live on Facebook, so you are going to need an active account on the social platform in order to watch the stream.

If you don't have the time to watch it live, you can also sign up on the Meta Connect official webpage to get a complete summary of the event sent straight to your mailbox. But if you are interested viewing the event more than just reading about it, then you should know that the sessions will be recorded and later on be made available for on-demand viewing. Meta hasn't specified where, per say, but we're sure that we'll find out as soon as the event is over.

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Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.