Meta Unveils New VR Headset, AI Updates, and Futuristic AR Glasses at Connect Event

Meta unveils cheaper VR headset, AI updates and shows off prototype for holographic AR glasses

MENLO PARK, California -- Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday along with AI advances as it tries demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," he told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California headquarters. These holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses -- not a bulky headset. There are no wires and it has to weigh less than 100 grams (3.53 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "neural interface" -- it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device. There is no release date for Orion -- Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering and clapping crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, showed off a cheaper version, the 3S, that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected -- thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta -- which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and augmented reality glasses.

Meta unveils cheaper VR headset, AI updates and shows off prototype for holographic AR glasses

Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina.Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday as it tries to demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," Zuckerberg told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California, headquarters. The holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses - not a bulky headset. There are no wires and they have to weigh less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "wrist-based neural interface" - it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device, using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands. There is no release date for Orion - Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. "We are trying to build a future that is more open, more accessible, more natural, and more about human connection," Zuckerberg said. "This is the continuation of the values and ideas that we have brought to the apps and technology that we have built over Meta's first 20 years." An AI update aimed at influencers allows them to craft AI versions of themselves - for interacting with fans. On the keynote stage, an AI version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III appeared on the screen and answered a few questions just as the actual creator would. When Zuckerberg asked the AI creator about cattle ranching, it responded "my expertise lies in technology and design, not agriculture." An earlier version of this tool was text only. Other AI updates include live translation, which Zuckerberg demonstrated on stage. While wearing the smart glasses, Zuckerberg spoke in English to Mexican mixed martial artist Brandon Moreno replying in Spanish - the conversation was translated in real time. People can also dub their videos in another language so that it looks like they are speaking natively - even going so far as changing their lips movements to match. Meta AI now has 500 million users, the company said. Jeremy Goldman of the research firm Emarketer called the number "jaw-dropping." "Meta has transformed from just a social media company into an AI powerhouse. Zuckerberg's move to celebrity voices is not just for fun - it's a direct challenge to OpenAI, with an emphasis on real-world utility," Goldman said. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, also showed off a cheaper version of the VR goggles - the 3S - that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. "Meta is aggressively undercutting Apple's Vision Pro to dominate the middle-tier AR/VR market," Goldman said. Those VR goggles, which came out earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected - thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta - which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and AR glasses. "VR headsets, despite Meta's assertion, will not go mainstream," said Forrester research director Mike Proulx. "They're too cumbersome, and people can only tolerate them in short bursts." Glasses, on the other hand "put computing power directly into a common and familiar form factor. As the smart tech behind these glasses matures, they have the potential to disrupt everyday consumers' interactions with brands." Proulx said the Orion prototype "sets the stage for a future where a revolutionary 3D computing platform is within reach and can actually be useful to the everyday consumer."

Meta unveils cheaper VR headset, AI updates and shows off prototype for holographic AR glasses

MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday along with AI advances as it tries demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," he told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California headquarters. These holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses -- not a bulky headset. There are no wires and it has to weigh less than 100 grams (3.53 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "neural interface" -- it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device. There is no release date for Orion -- Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering and clapping crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, showed off a cheaper version, the 3S, that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected -- thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta -- which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and augmented reality glasses.

Mark Zuckerberg shows off holographic AR glasses prototype as Meta unveils cheaper VR headset

Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday as it tries to demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," Zuckerberg told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California, headquarters. The holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses -- not a bulky headset. There are no wires and they have to weigh less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "wrist-based neural interface" -- it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device, using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands. There is no release date for Orion -- Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. "We are trying to build a future that is more open, more accessible, more natural, and more about human connection," Zuckerberg said. "This is the continuation of the values and ideas that we have brought to the apps and technology that we have built over Meta's first 20 years." An AI update aimed at influencers allows them to craft AI versions of themselves -- for interacting with fans. On the keynote stage, an AI version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III appeared on the screen and answered a few questions just as the actual creator would. When Zuckerberg asked the AI creator about cattle ranching, it responded "my expertise lies in technology and design, not agriculture." An earlier version of this tool was text only. Other AI updates include live translation, which Zuckerberg demonstrated on stage. While wearing the smart glasses, Zuckerberg spoke in English to Mexican mixed martial artist Brandon Moreno replying in Spanish -- the conversation was translated in real time. People can also dub their videos in another language so that it looks like they are speaking natively -- even going so far as changing their lips movements to match. Meta AI now has 500 million users, the company said. Jeremy Goldman of the research firm Emarketer called the number "jaw-dropping." "Meta has transformed from just a social media company into an AI powerhouse. Zuckerberg's move to celebrity voices is not just for fun -- it's a direct challenge to OpenAI, with an emphasis on real-world utility," Goldman said. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, also showed off a cheaper version of the VR goggles -- the 3S -- that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. "Meta is aggressively undercutting Apple's Vision Pro to dominate the middle-tier AR/VR market," Goldman said. Those VR goggles, which came out earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected -- thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta -- which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and AR glasses. "VR headsets, despite Meta's assertion, will not go mainstream," said Forrester research director Mike Proulx. "They're too cumbersome, and people can only tolerate them in short bursts." Glasses, on the other hand "put computing power directly into a common and familiar form factor. As the smart tech behind these glasses matures, they have the potential to disrupt everyday consumers' interactions with brands." Proulx said the Orion prototype "sets the stage for a future where a revolutionary 3D computing platform is within reach and can actually be useful to the everyday consumer."

Meta unveils cheaper VR headset, AI updates and shows off prototype for holographic AR glasses

MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday along with AI advances as it tries demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," he told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California headquarters. These holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses -- not a bulky headset. There are no wires and it has to weigh less than 100 grams (3.53 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "neural interface" -- it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device. There is no release date for Orion -- Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering and clapping crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, showed off a cheaper version, the 3S, that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected -- thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta -- which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and augmented reality glasses.

Meta Unveils Cheaper VR Headset, AI Updates and Shows off Prototype for Holographic AR Glasses

MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday along with AI advances as it tries demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "The technical challenges to make them are insane," he told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California headquarters. These holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses -- not a bulky headset. There are no wires and it has to weigh less than 100 grams (3.53 ounces), among other things. And the beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a "neural interface" -- it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device. There is no release date for Orion -- Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering and clapping crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to "bring the future to everyone" with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, showed off a cheaper version, the 3S, that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15. While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected -- thanks in part to AI." Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand. "They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI," Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant "see what you see, hear what you hear" and help you go about your day. For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit. Meta -- which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and augmented reality glasses. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AR glasses and AI voices: Top takeaways from Meta Connect

The tech giant's latest event revealed a spate of new hardware, including the long-teased augmented reality glasses. Among the big reveals at Meta Connect was what CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims to be "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen". The event, which kicked off yesterday (25 September), showcased Orion, a set of augmented reality (AR) glasses were a decade in the making and were first announced five years ago. The Orion reveal comes a week after Snap announced its own attempt to break into the AR glasses sector. As well as claiming them to be the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made, Meta also says they will "enable digital experiences that are unconstrained by the limits of a smartphone screen". The glasses are designed to superimpose visualisations onto users' real-world environment. The glasses are still very much in prototype stage, which will be shared with company employees and "select external audiences" throughout the year. New AI features As well as its promise of AR glasses, Meta also announced new features for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, such as AI tools for reminders and the ability to record and send voice messages on WhatsApp and Messenger. The company also said the glasses will soon be able to translate speech in real time. Outside of its glasses technology, Meta also announced that it's AI tool now has a voice. "You can now use your voice to talk to Meta AI on Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram DM, and it'll respond back to you out loud," the company said. Users will be able to choose from a range of different voices including AI voices of familiar celebrities such as Judi Dench, John Cena and Kristen Bell. Of course, no major tech event would be complete without another new AI model and Meta Connect was no different, with the latest Llama model announced. Llama 3.2 is Meta's first "major vision model", which means it now has the ability to process images. This model comes just two months after Llama 3.1, but this new multimodal version will not be accessible in Europe. A new Quest Zuckerberg also revealed the company's latest virtual reality (VR) headset, Quest 3S, with many of the same features as Quest 3 but at a cost that matches the Quest 2's original starting price. However, in order to simplify its VR offering, Meta will discontinue the Quest 2 and Quest Pro, the latter of which was only announced two years ago. Forrester's VP research director, Mike Proulx, noted that there was a "stark contrast" in the Meta CEO's excitement around AI and AR glasses compared to the Meta Quest headset. "VR headsets, despite Meta's assertion, won't go mainstream. They're too cumbersome and people can only tolerate them in short bursts," he said. "Glasses, however, put computing power directly into a common and familiar form factor. As the smart tech behind these glasses mature, they have the potential to disrupt everyday consumers' interactions with brands." Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Meta's top five announcements at 'Connect' event

(Reuters) - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday unveiled an affordable mixed reality headset and the prototype of its first augmented reality glasses at the company's annual "Connect" conference. The company also showcased a series of features built on generative AI that will come to its devices and social media platforms such as Instagram. Meta introduced Orion, which the company claims to be the most-advanced AR glasses in the world and would weigh less than 100 grams. The see-through glasses allow users to see virtual objects superimposed on their environment. Wearers can access WhatsApp and Messenger, make video calls and retrieve information on things in their line of sight. Meta said Orion is powered by a custom chip and it is working on a consumer version of the glasses. AFFORDABLE MIXED REALITY HEADSET Meta unveiled an affordable Quest 3S mixed reality headset, which will be offered in two storage capacity sizes - the smaller one priced at $299.99 and the larger at $399.99. The headset is set to hit the shelves on Oct. 15. The company also dropped the price of its 512GB Meta Quest 3 to $499.99 from $649.99. Meanwhile, the older Quest 2 and high-end Quest Pro devices are being discontinued. MULTIMODAL LLAMA 3.2 Meta announced its first open-source multimodal AI model Llama 3.2, which can generate content from both image and text prompts. It also announced light-weight versions of Llama 3.2, capable of running natively on mobile devices. NEW VOICE CAPABILITIES TO META AI CHATBOT Meta AI will now support voice, with an option to select celebrity voices such as those of Judi Dench and John Cena. The capability can be accessed through Meta AI in Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram direct message. UPDATES TO RAY-BAN META SMART GLASSES Meta is updating Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses with AI tools for reminders, and the ability to scan QR codes and phone numbers with voice commands. The company will also add AI video capability and the ability to perform real-time language translation later this year. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

All the new tech you need to know about from Meta's Connect event

From the 'most advanced glasses the world has ever seen' to actors voicing its AI. Here's what happened at the Meta event. Meta has teased new augmented reality (AR) glasses and artificial intelligence (AI) that will be able to speak in the voice of actress Dame Judi Dench. The Facebook parent company unveiled a trove of new hardware and software at its annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California on Wednesday. Here is what you missed from the event. The most exciting piece of tech announced was the so-called Orion glasses, which is like a computer that you wear as a pair of bulky glasses. It can project digital representations of people and communications onto the real world. According to a journalist from The Verge who tested them out, the glasses could identify ingredients on a table to create a smoothie recipe and correctly place labels over the ingredients. There are no wires and are designed to weigh less than 100 g, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a crowd of developers and journalists. The glasses also have a "wrist-based neural interface" - it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device, using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands. The glasses have similar generative AI (GenAI) capabilities as Meta's current Ray-Ban smart glasses. Zuckerberg called them "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen". "The technical challenges to make them are insane," he added. While no release date has been set for the prototype, Zuckerberg called it a "glimpse of the future." "I am particularly excited to see the pace of developments with smart glasses, which naturally blend a virtual environment with the real-time physical presence. A huge leap forward compared to its predecessor," technology analyst Paolo Pescatore told Euronews Next. But he said, users are still wary of AI and need to be convinced of the merits and need help on the journey. "This is a marathon and there are no quick returns in this supremacy to own the user with AI," he added. While we wait for an Orion release, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are getting an update. The glasses, which launched last autumn will have more AI features, including reminders and live translation. Meta also said it was launching its first open-source model capable of processing both images and text. The new model, Llama 3.2, could allow developers to create more advanced AI applications. Another AI update will allow people To interact with Meta AI by speaking to it and it replying using voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina. "We are trying to build a future that is more open, more accessible, more natural, and more about human connection," Zuckerberg said. There is another AI update aimed at influencers that allows them to craft AI versions of themselves -- for interacting with fans. On the keynote stage, an AI version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III appeared on the screen and answered a few questions just as the actual creator would. As for virtual reality (VR), Meta will release the new Quest 3S, which is a cheaper version than its predecessor the Quest 3, which costs $299 (€260). Meta also said it would stop selling the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro by the end of the year.

Meta bulks up AI offerings with new headset, glasses, chatbot features

Meta Platforms announced a new entry-level version of its Quest line of mixed-reality headsets and a slew of software enhancements to the AI assistant that has driven interest in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses as it kicked off its annual Connect conference at its California headquarters on Wednesday. Set to hit shelves on Oct. 15, the Quest 3S will be offered in two storage capacity sizes, the smaller one priced at $299.99 and the other at $399.99. With the launch, the company is discontinuing its older Quest 2 and high-end Quest Pro devices, while also dropping the price of the more powerful Quest 3 it introduced last year from $649.99 to $499.99. The Facebook owner also is expected to preview its first augmented-reality glasses and announce updates to its existing virtual-reality and artificial-intelligence products. Among the AI updates announced was an audio upgrade to the digital assistant, called Meta AI, which will now respond to voice commands and offer users the option to make the assistant sound like celebrities including Judi Dench and John Cena. "I think that voice is going to be a way more natural way of interacting with AI than text," Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said. The augmented-reality reveal is a long time in the making for Zuckerberg, who positioned AR technology as a sort of magnum opus when he first pivoted the world's biggest social media company toward building immersive "metaverse" systems in 2021. However, Meta has struggled to overcome technical challenges with its AR project since then, prompting the head of the company's metaverse-oriented Reality Labs division to acknowledge last year that a product it could viably bring to market was "still a few years away - a few, to put it lightly." The company has been plowing tens of billions of dollars into its investments in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and other metaverse technologies, driving up its capital expense forecast for 2024 to a record high of between $37 billion and $40 billion. Its metaverse unit Reality Labs lost $8.3 billion in the first half of this year, according to the most recent disclosures. It lost $16 billion last year. The social media giant is planning for the first generation of the AR glasses this year to be distributed only internally and to a select group of developers, with each device costing tens of thousands of dollars to produce, according to a source familiar with the project. Meta aims to ship its first commercial AR glasses to consumers in 2027, by which point technical breakthroughs should bring down the cost of production, the source said. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss company plans. Zuckerberg appeared to confirm that approach, describing the AR work and telling an audience at a live taping of the Acquired podcast in San Francisco that Meta was "pretty close to being able to show off the first prototype that we have of that." Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the plans. In the meantime, Meta has leaned in to an unexpected interim success on the road to AR with its camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Riding a wave of excitement around emerging generative AI technology, the company announced at last year's Connect conference that it was adding an AI-powered digital assistant to the glasses, turning a once-forgotten device into the most popular AI wearable on the market. Although Meta has not disclosed sales numbers for the smart glasses, the CEO of Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica said this summer that more of the new generation sold in a few months than the old ones did in two years. Market research firm IDC estimates that more than 700,000 pairs of the glasses have shipped since the update last year. Meta recently extended its partnership with EssilorLuxottica and contemplated a possible investment in the eyewear company, prompting speculation that the AR glasses may also bear the Ray-Ban name. More immediately, Meta's road map for the smart glasses includes plans for a next generation that will feature a viewfinder capable of displaying basic text and images through the lenses. It has been shipping software updates this year enhancing the AI assistant's capabilities on the existing glasses, including an update in April that enabled the agent to identify and converse about objects seen by the wearer.

Meta Unveils Orion AR Glasses, Quest 3S, and More During its Connect Event - Decrypt

Social media and technology giant Meta unveiled a series of AI-powered features for its mixed and virtual reality products during its annual Connect event on Wednesday, showcasing some of its latest tech as the company attempts to catch up and overtake industry rivals. While a new Meta Quest headset and updates to its Horizon and virtual apps dominated the presentation, it was the company's new mixed reality glasses, Orion, that stole the spotlight. Orion AR Glasses Meta's Orion prototype augmented reality glasses, previously codenamed Project Nazare, include access to the company's flagship generative AI model, Meta AI, holographic displays, and hands-free communication. Instead of generating an image inside the glass, Orion uses projectors built into the arms of the glasses that shoot light into waveguides. Those waveguides feature nanoscale, 3D structures etched into the lenses to diffract light and put holograms at different depths and sizes into the world in front of the wearer. Custom-designed silicon and sensors control everything, with a battery embedded in the arm of the glasses providing power. Calling it the company's north star, Meta said augmented reality glasses combine "the convenience and immediacy of wearables with a large display, high-bandwidth input, and contextualized AI" in a comfortable form for everyday use. Users can control the Orion glasses through voice and AI, eye and hand tracking for gestured commands, and a neural interface in the form of a wristband. Orion has yet to be released to the public but will be tested among employees and select partners to work out any bugs for a release in the future. Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Meta's Ray-Ban line of glasses is also receiving an upgrade. That includes upcoming integrations with Audible and iHeartRadio, as well as an upgrade to the glasses' AI assistant. Wearers can now look at an object and ask Meta AI a question about the object instead of having to say "Hey Meta" every time they want to ask a question, the CEO explained. Cooler still, the glasses will have a reminder feature and can scan and remember objects the wearer looks at. There are also live translations, where two people talking to each other in different languages can understand what the other is saying in real time, as demonstrated live onstage between UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Zuckerberg. Meta AI Meta AI, meanwhile, is getting an overhaul with new features, including voice interaction across Meta's suite of apps, letting users ask questions and receive responses across platforms. "We're adding multi-modal video AI, so meta AI is now going to be able to give you real-time help as you were doing things like trying to figure out what outfit you want to wear for a party that you're going to," Zuckerberg said. Meta AI users can also ask the chatbot questions and edit photos, thanks to advances with Llama 3.2. In addition, an AI studio is being implemented, allowing creators to build their own AI Agents. Voice conversations for users interacting with AI will also be made available, responding in a number of celebrity voices, including wrestler and actor John Cena, Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina. Zuckerberg said that while AI updates would be available worldwide, they would not be available in the EU. Meta Quest 3S Headset The Meta Quest 3S, the company's latest virtual reality headset, also made its debut. Shipping on Oct. 15, the new Quest 3S headset is available for pre-order starting at $299 for the model with 128GB internal storage and $399 for the 256GB model. With the launch of Meta Quest 3, the company said it would begin winding down the sale of its Quest 2 and Pro headsets by the end of the year or until they sell out. Horizon OS Updates to Meta's virtual game and environment Horizon this year include photorealistic spaces called hyperscape, upgraded avatars, a new YouTube co-watching feature in partnership with Google, new exclusive games like Batman: Arkham Shadow, and an updated and more seamless travel between experiences. "We also keep improving the social experience in Horizon because that's kind of our thing," Zuckerberg joked, referring to the company's history as a social media company. "Because a lot of the magic and mixed reality is this technology that lets you feel a sense of presence." For developers, Meta is opening up Horizon OS to more third-party developers. Developers, including Xbox, Lenovo, and ASUS's Republic of Gamers, are already using Horizon OS, Meta revealed.

Meta debuts augmented reality glasses and Judi Dench-voiced AI chatbot

Mark Zuckerberg presents Orion, prototype that can project digital renderings of media, games and more onto real world Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented new augmented reality glasses at the company's annual developer conference on Wednesday, debuting a prototype of the next phase in its expansion into smart eyewear. Zuckerberg also announced that Meta AI will be able to talk in the voice of Dame Judi Dench. The glasses, named Orion, have the ability to project digital representations of media, people, games and communications onto the real world. Meta and Zuckerberg have framed the product as a step away from desktop computers and smartphone into eyewear that can perform similar tasks. "A lot of people have said this is the craziest technology they've ever seen," Zuckerberg boasted during his keynote speech, clad in a shirt that read "Aut Zuck aut nihil", Latin for "Either Zuck or nothing", substituting his own name into a motto coined by the Roman emperor Caesar. A pre-recorded demonstration showed some of the glasses' capabilities, including two people playing a virtual pong game and talking on a video chat through augmented reality. Meta also expanded its bet on artificial intelligence, announcing a raft of new product offerings for its ChatGPT-like chatbot and plans to start automatically injecting personalized images created by the bot into people's Facebook and Instagram feeds, as it kicked off its annual Connect conference at its California headquarters on Wednesday. Among the AI updates announced was an audio upgrade to the digital assistant, called Meta AI, which will now respond to voice commands and offer users the option to make the assistant sound like celebrities including Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell and Awkwafina. "I think that voice is going to be a way more natural way of interacting with AI than text," Zuckerberg said. The company said more than 400 million people are using Meta AI monthly, including 185 million who are returning to it weekly. The Facebook owner also debuted an entry-level version of its Quest line of mixed-reality headsets, the Quest 3S, and is expected to preview its first augmented-reality glasses and announce updates to its existing virtual reality and AI products. In keeping with its strategy of sharing the AI models powering its digital agent for free use by others, Meta released three new versions of its Llama 3 models. Two of the models are multimodal, meaning they can understand both images and text, while the third is a basic text-only model capable of running entirely on a user's device, a key privacy advantage. The augmented-reality reveal is a long time in the making for Zuckerberg, who positioned AR technology as a sort of magnum opus when he first pivoted the world's biggest social media company toward building immersive "metaverse" systems in 2021. However, Meta has struggled to overcome technical challenges with its AR project since then, prompting the head of the company's metaverse-oriented Reality Labs division to acknowledge last year that a product it could viably bring to market was "still a few years away - a few, to put it lightly". The company has been plowing tens of billions of dollars into its investments in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and other metaverse technologies, driving up its capital expense forecast for 2024 to a record high of between $37bn and $40bn. The social media giant is planning for the first generation of the AR glasses this year to be distributed only internally and to a select group of developers, with each device costing tens of thousands of dollars to produce, according to a source familiar with the project. Meta aims to ship its first commercial AR glasses to consumers in 2027, by which point technical breakthroughs should bring down the cost of production, the source said. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss company plans. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the plans. In the meantime, Meta has leaned in to an unexpected interim success on the road to AR with its camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Riding a wave of excitement around emerging generative AI technology, the company announced at last year's Connect conference that it was adding an AI-powered digital assistant to the glasses, turning a once-forgotten device into the most popular AI wearable on the market. Although Meta has not disclosed sales numbers for the smart glasses, the CEO of Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica said this summer that more of the new generation sold in a few months than the old ones did in two years. Market research firm IDC estimates that more than 700,000 pairs of the glasses have shipped since the update last year. Meta recently extended its partnership with EssilorLuxottica and contemplated a possible investment in the eyewear company, prompting speculation that the AR glasses may also bear the Ray-Ban name. More immediately, Meta's road map for the smart glasses includes plans for a next generation that will feature a viewfinder capable of displaying basic text and images through the lenses. It has been shipping software updates this year enhancing the AI assistant's capabilities on the existing glasses, including an update in April that enabled the agent to identify and converse about objects seen by the wearer. Scheduled to hit shelves on 15 October, the Quest 3S headset will be offered in two storage capacity sizes, the smaller one priced at $299.99 and the other at $399.99. With the launch, the company is discontinuing its older Quest 2 and high-end Quest Pro devices, while also dropping the price of the more powerful Quest 3 it introduced last year from $649.99 to $499.99.

Everything announced at Meta Connect 2024: $299 Quest 3S, Orion AR glasses, and more

Meta's new VR headset undercuts the Apple Vision Pro's price even more than the last. It also showcased its most advanced AR glasses yet. Meta's annual Connect conference is over, and if you're interested in all the new hardware and software, you're in luck. Along with a heavy investment in AI across popular Meta apps, several new pieces of hardware are on the way, including the affordable Meta Quest 3S and the company's most advanced AR glasses to date. Here's a look at everything unveiled during the Wednesday keynote. First, if you've been on the fence about trying out the Meta Quest 3, and the recent $25-a-month deal wasn't enough to tempt you, good news is coming: a more affordable, slimmed-down version of the Quest 3 is on the way. Also: Meta Quest 3S: Specs, features, and everything else we know so far The Quest 3S, which will cost $299.99 for the base 128GB model, runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, the same one that runs the Quest 3. It will have a pair of fast-switch LCD screens with 1832 x 1920 resolution (the same as the Quest 2) and a 120Hz refresh rate. The exterior is getting a slight retool, with a triangle-shaped series of "spider-eye" lenses, and it will come with Touch Plus controllers and Batman: Arkham Shadow. Preorders open today, Meta says, with the device shipping on Oct. 15. A 256GB model is available for $399.99. In addition, the 512GB model of the premium Quest 3 has dropped in price to $499.99 from $649.99, discontinuing the 128GB variant. Meta's biggest advantage over Apple's Vision Pro to date is the price difference, and this new device will only widen that gap. It looks a little bulkier than the Quest 3, but it appears to be a solid middle ground between that and the older Quest 2 and a very enticing option if you're looking to leap into AR/VR. Meta's other big hardware announcement involved its in-development augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. Glasses aren't new territory for Meta, as it has partnered with Ray-Ban to produce smart glasses -- but those devices don't use AR. A number of improvements for the current Ray-Ban glasses were showcased, including: A clear version of the glasses that shows off the circuitry was shown off, and new lenses were also announced, including EssilorLuxxotica transition glasses. As expected, a highlight of the event was a fully functioning prototype of AR glasses with a holographic interface. Zuckerberg says they're "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen," and it's hard to argue that. Orion applies holograms to your vision of reality instead of capturing and reimaging what's in front of you, a process commonly known as pass-through. The big benefit of this technology is the reduced latency, if any. Also: Orion are Meta's 'most advanced glasses in the world' and run on a neural interface The glasses rely on voice input, eye and hand tracking, and, uniquely, a wrist-based neural interface that responds to your intentions based on finger movements. The gestures then communicate with the glasses to display holograms of incoming messages, video call feeds, and other information. You can also play games, watch movies, and navigate multiple browsers. Orion is still far away from being available to the public, according to the Meta CEO, but it's a glimpse of a very exciting wearable future. Meta believes voice is a much more natural way to interact with AI, so it's bringing audio capabilities to its AI chatbot. Along with several generic options, like most AI assistants have, Meta is offering official celebrity options too, including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, John Cena, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key. In a live demo, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a voice conversation with Meta AI. The conversation was fluid, and Zuckerberg was even able to interrupt the AI as it spoke. A host of AI features took the stage at Connect, but one of the coolest was an automatic dubbing tool. Meta showed off a tool that takes Facebook and Instagram Reels recorded in another language and translates them to your preference, going so far as mimicking the original speaker's voice and syncing lip movement to match. Meta is testing the tool on a small scale right now, and it's not clear if this is coming to the public or just showing off the technology, but it was impressive.

Meta Unveils New Virtual Reality Headset as It Pursues the Metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg has spent billions of dollars, hired thousands of employees and worked for roughly a quarter of his life in pursuit of a vision: a future in which the physical and digital worlds are interwoven to connect people around the globe. The dream still seems far-fetched. But on Wednesday, his company Meta took one step closer. Meta introduced a series of new products during an event at its headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., including an updated, low-cost version of its Quest 3S virtual reality headset and a series of enhancements to its artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI. Those updates will bring a host of celebrity voices to the company's A.I. assistant -- including those of Awkwafina, John Cena and Dame Judi Dench -- that will respond to users when asked questions. The assistant is incorporated across most of Meta's largest apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook. The new products are Mr. Zuckerberg's attempt to meld his vision of what social networks can be with what is possible now. Though Meta has had some success selling its virtual reality headsets and a surprise hit in its Ray-Ban augmented reality glasses, Mr. Zuckerberg's metaverse is still years from reality. "We can start to see how the future of computing and the future of human connection are going to look," he said at the event on Wednesday. "It's happening." In the last few years, Meta has spent nearly $50 billion on its Reality Labs division -- the part of the company working on hardware. It does not stand to turn a profit any time soon. That is on top of the increasingly high costs of Meta's expansion into artificial intelligence and data centers. By building millions of smart glasses and VR headsets, Mr. Zuckerberg hopes to bring the many people who already use his apps into a different kind of social network. And by coupling those products with the Meta AI assistant, he hopes he can make them useful enough for people to want to come back to them regularly. This story is developing. Check back for updates.

New AI tools, AR glasses and more: everything Meta announced at its Connect event

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched Orion, the company's newest AR glasses, which the CEO dubbed "a time machine". Meta AI also launched new mixed reality headsets at a cheaper price, new tools to bulk up AI offerings and more. Let's take a look:At its annual Connect conference, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a variety of new tools and products, the most noteworthy of which is an affordable mixed-reality headset. Let's dissect the key announcements: Orion, the new glasses Meta introduced its new augmented reality (AR) glasses, Orion at the conference. The company claims these are the most advanced AR glasses in the world and would weigh less than 100 grams. "The right way to look at Orion is as a time machine," Zuckerberg said as he opened Meta's annual gathering of software developers at the tech titan's home campus in Silicon Valley. "These glasses exist; they are awesome, and they are a glimpse of a future that is going to be pretty exciting," he said. The glasses will enable users to view objects superimposed on their environment. It can be used to access WhatsApp and Meta's Messenger app, make video calls and get information about objects or text appearing in the users' line of sight. Orion also has eye tracking and uses voice as a method of control. Meta said Orion is powered by a custom chip and it is working on a consumer version of the glasses. Affordable mixed reality headset Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, showed off a cheaper version of the virtual reality goggles -- the 3S -- that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on October 15. This shows Meta taking on Apple's Vision Pro glasses head on. Affordability is a big factor for such technology, and cutting the prices is an aggressive move by Meta. Apple's VR goggles, which came out earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500. Meanwhile, the older Quest 2 and high-end Quest Pro devices are being discontinued. Multimodal Llama 3.2 In keeping with its strategy of sharing the AI models powering its digital agent for free use by others, Meta announced three new versions of its Llama 3 models. Two of these are multimodal, i.e. they can understand both images and text. The third is a basic text-only model capable of running entirely on a user's device, a key privacy advantage. Chatbot assistant upgraded Meta AI will now support voice, with an option to select celebrity voices such as those of Judi Dench and John Cena. "I think that voice has the potential to be one of, if not the most frequent ways, that we all interact with AI," said Zuckerberg. This comes months after OpenAI previewed its own ChatGPT voice feature, and was in hot water with Scarlett Johannason for similarity between their voices. Meta has obtained permission from the stars featured in its new voice tool, which will be available on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The company will also add AI video capability and the ability to perform real-time language translation later this year. However, Meta AI won't be accessible in Europe due to concerns about compliance with EU data protection laws and potential fines.

Meta Unveils New AI Features, Quest 3S, Llama 3.2, Holographic Orion Glasses At Connect 2024: 'We Are Getting Closer To Achieving The Dream Of Reality Labs' - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Meta introduces its new prototype holographic AR glasses called "Orion." Meta Platforms Inc META's annual developer conference kicked off Wednesday with a slew of new product announcements from the Facebook parent's California headquarters. What To Know: The Meta Connect 2024 event got started with a keynote address from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who suggested the future has arrived. "A lot of the stuff we've been talking about for a long time, glasses, mixed reality, AI, it's happening. And we can start to see how the future of computing and the future of human connection are going to look, and it's pretty awesome," Zuckerberg said on stage at Menlo Park. Zuckerberg went on to introduce new products and features focused on Meta's AR/VR platforms, the metaverse and its open source generative AI platform Llama. Here's a look at some of the biggest announcements coming out of the event Wednesday afternoon. Meta Quest 3S: The newest version of Meta's Quest VR headset will come packed with features for $299.99. Several leaks had come out about the headset before the event and they appear to be accurate. The Quest 3S will offer the same mixed reality features and performance as the Quest 3. According to The Verge, it comes packed with the same Qualcomm Inc QCOM Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip and the same Touch Plus controllers. The new headset will offer longer battery life than its predecessor. "Quest is going to be able to be a natural extension of your PC," Zuckerberg said, adding that Quest is the "best mixed reality device that you can buy today." Preorders for the new device open on Wednesday. The Quest 3S will begin shipping on Oct. 15. See Also: Meta Connect Leaks Reveal Affordable Quest 3S, Batman Game Bundle: Report Meta AI: Zuckerberg announced several new updates for Meta AI and unveiled its first open-source model capable of processing both images and text. Meta's new Llama 3.2 is expected to allow developers to create more advanced AI applications. It includes two vision models and two lightweight text-only models. Meta also announced that it's adding conversational voice options from celebrities to its AI chatbots across its social media platforms, allowing users to talk to Meta AI and hear responses in celebrity voices such as John Cena or Kristen Bell. Users can also submit photos to Meta's chatbot and get answers to questions about the images. Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses: Meta unveiled a series of new updates for its Ray-Ban smart glasses at the event. Zuckerberg also noted that the company plans to release more features in the coming months that he's "really excited about." On Wednesday, Meta focused on software for the glasses that help create more real-world use cases including scanning QR codes you are looking at or calling phone numbers you see. The company also introduced a "Reminders" feature that prompts the glasses to take a photo of something and reminds you about it later on via notification. Meta also unveiled a new limited edition transparent edition of the Ray-Ban frames and announced that it will be releasing a new range of transition lenses. "As they get more and more useful I think a lot more people are going to want glasses that they can take indoors, outdoors, everywhere that they go. I think this is going to be a big deal," Zuckerberg said. From Last Week: Stock Of The Day: Is Meta On The Brink Of A Major Breakout? Meta Orion: Meta also announced its new prototype holographic AR glasses called "Orion," which Zuckerberg called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." "This isn't passthrough. This is the physical world with holograms laid on it," the Meta CEO said. Meta's new Orion glasses feature a completely new type of display architecture. It's not actually a screen that you are looking at, Zuckerberg said. Users will be able to interact with the AR glasses using their voice through AI and eyes and hands, but also through a neural interface that connects with a wristband. "With Orion we are getting closer to achieving the dream of Reality Labs, to create the next great computing platform that delivers a deep sense of presence like you are right there with another person. This is where we are going," Zuckerberg said. META Price Action: Meta shares were up 2.11% at $575.37 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: US Stocks May Stall After S&P 500 Hits Another Record; Micron Earnings, Meta Connect On Traders' Radar: Why This Strategist Is Optimistic About Q4 Photo of Meta Orion augmented reality glasses courtesy of the company. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta Connect 2024: the 6 biggest announcements from a packed keynote

Futuristic AR glasses, the Quest 3S, plus Meta AI and Ray-Ban updates While it didn't start on time, once Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at Meta Connect 2024 for the opening keynote it's safe to say that it was a fast-moving and news-making event. Zuck and co showed off a ton of AI tools - including new celebrity voices and live translation for Meta AI, new hardware in the shape of the Quest 3S and a futuristic-looking AR glasses prototype, and AI updates for the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. You can catch up with everything that was announced at our Meta Connect live blog, including some hot takes from our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff, who was at the event, but below, we're sharing the six biggest things that Meta unveiled at its Connect keynote. The honor of biggest surprise at Meta Connect goes to Mark Zuckerberg showing off its first fully holographic AR glasses, dubbed Orion. These take the familiar shape of glasses, much like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, albeit a bit thicker. There's a lot of technology packed inside, including a new display architecture. These glasses are fully see-through, and you'll control them through a neural-network-based hand gesture that requires a wristband. In several demos, we saw the Orion glasses being used for games and opening windows overlaid onto whatever you're looking at. We got a quick snippet of video calling using personal avatars as well. Suffice to say, the Orion prototypes were impressive, even from the pre-recorded demos and sizzle reel of folks trying them out. Folks mentioned the lightness of them, and Mark Zuckerberg waxed lyrical about the work that's gone into them. A magnesium frame is being used to ensure the glasses aren't heavy - at least in this stage of development - and rather than glass lenses, theyre silicon carbide, which light gets projected through for displays. They're still a few years away, and Meta noted that it needs to bring the price down, although it will be releasing early developer kits for a select few. It's been rumored for quite some time, but Meta made the Quest 3S officially, official. It's now the entry point to the Quest mixed-reality headset lineup, and given its place it has an affordable price to match, starting at just $299.99 / £289.99 for the 128GB model. Facing the world, the Quest 3S has a similar overall build to the Quest 3 with a redesigned front, notably with the camera stack, but the goal is to deliver "high-quality mixed reality" to the masses at a cheaper price point. In our early hands-on, the onboard Qualcomm processor was plenty to run through Horizon OS, which made it a breeze to play games like Batman: Arkham Shadow and multitask with multiple windows. We can't wait to spend more time with the Quest 3S, but in the meantime, check out our hands-on Meta Quest 3S review for what's shaping up to be a compelling and affordable headset. Meta announced some huge Meta AI updates at Meta Connect 2024, including the introduction of voice to the AI chatbot. Not any voice, however, celebrities like John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kristen Bell. Now, you can have realistic, human-like conversations with your smartphone using apps like Facebook, Instagram DM, WhatsApp, and Messenger. This brings Meta AI right up to date with the other big-name AI companies like OpenAI, Google, and Apple, which are all introducing voice modes to their AI products. While it's not as monumental as the prototype Orion glasses, Meta announced a laundry list of updates for its Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. First, these will now offer hands-free access to pulling your favorite songs, audiobooks, or even podcasts through services like Spotify or Audible. Instead of asking for a specific song, you could ask for a pop tune by Taylor Swift or maybe a classic folk song. Again, Meta AI is pushing towards more natural conversations. Beyond song requests, these smart glasses will be able to handle some language translation queries by the end of the year. You can look at something written Spanish, French, or Italian and ask Meta AI to translate it. We gave this a go, and it worked in a demo space. Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses will also score visual reminders, lenses that can transition into sunglasses faster, and Meta AI for video. All of these are due to arrive before the end of the year. An incredible new AI translation tool for Instagram and Facebook Reels allows content creators to reach a wider audience thanks to automatic dubbing and lip-syncing. The AI feature is currently in testing in the US and Latin America but Meta hopes to expand these translation tools to more languages in the future. Imagine a world where you can watch portrait video content from around the world and hear it in your language without the need for subtitles - this could be a revolutionary new AI feature for anyone who consumes video content on Instagram or Facebook. Meta is adding its Imagine features to Facebook and Instagram to compete with some of the best AI Image generators on the market. Similar to Apple's Image Playground or X's Grok LLM which allows you to create images of anything you can dream of. Built into Meta's social media platforms, you'll be able to easily share these AI-generated images with your friends as well as create posts for your feeds and stories to add a new dimension to your Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Everything Announced at Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S, Orion AR glasses and Meta AI updates

Although Meta Connect 2024 lacked a marquee high-end product for the holiday season, it still included a new budget VR headset and a tease of the "magic glasses" Meta's XR gurus have been talking about for the better part of a decade. In addition, the company keeps plowing forward with new AI tools for its Ray-Ban glasses and social platforms. Here's everything the company announced at Meta Connect 2024. Today's best mixed reality gear -- like Apple's Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 -- are headsets with passthrough video capabilities. But the tech industry eventually wants to squeeze that tech into something resembling a pair of prescription glasses. We'll let you judge whether the Orion AR glasses pictured above pass that test, but they're certainly closer than other full-fledged AR devices we've seen. First, the bad news. These puppies won't be available this year and don't have an official release date. A leaked roadmap from last year suggested they'd arrive in 2027. However, Meta said on Wednesday that Orion would launch "in the near future," so take what you will from that. For its part, Meta says the full-fledged product prototype is "truly representative of something that could ship to consumers" rather than a research device that's decades away from shipping. The glasses include tiny projectors to display holograms onto the lenses. Meta describes them as having a large field of view and immersive capabilities. Sensors can track voice, eye gaze, hand tracking and electromyography (EMG) wristband input. The glasses combine that sensory input with AI capabilities. Meta gave the example of looking in a refrigerator and asking the onboard AI to spit out a recipe based on your ingredients. It will also support video calls, the ability to send messages on Meta's platforms and spatial versions of Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest apps. This year's new VR headset focuses on the entry-level rather than early adopters wanting the latest cutting-edge tech. The Meta Quest 3S is a $300 baby sibling to last year's Quest 3, shaving money off the higher-end model's entry fee in exchange for cheaper lenses, a resolution dip and skimpier storage. The headset includes Fresnel lenses, which are familiar to Quest 2 owners, instead of the higher-end pancake ones in Quest 3. It has a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution (20 pixels per degree), a drop from the 2,064 x 2,208 (25 PPD) in the Quest 3. Meta says the budget model's field of view is also slightly lower. The Quest 3S starts with a mere 128GB of storage, which could fill up quickly after installing a few of the platform's biggest games. But if you're willing to shell out $400, you can bump that up to a more respectable 256GB. (Alongside the announcement, Meta also dropped the 512GB Quest 3 price to $500 from $650.) The headset may outlast the Quest 3 in one respect: battery life. Meta estimates the Quest 3S will last 2.5 hours, while the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours. Those ordering the headset will get a special Bat-bonus. Quest 3S (and Quest 3) orders between now and April 2025 will receive a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, the VR action game coming next month. The Quest 3S is now available for pre-order. It begins shipping on October 15. To celebrate the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, Meta is kicking two older models to the curb. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be discontinued by the end of the year. The company says sales will continue until inventory runs out or the end of the year, whichever comes first. The company now views the Quest 3S, with its much better mixed reality capabilities, as the new budget model, so the $200 Quest 2 no longer has a place. The Quest Pro, which never gained much traction with consumers, has inferior cameras and passthrough video than the two Quest 3-tier models. The Pro launched two years ago as a Metaverse-centric device -- back when the industry was pounding that word as hard as it's pushing "AI" now. The headset launched at a whopping $1,500 and was later reduced to $1,000. Although the hardware stays the same, Meta is adding new AI features to its tech-filled sunglasses. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will get an updated AI assistant. The assistant will now let you set reminders based on objects you see. For example, you could say, "Hey Meta, remind me to buy that book next Monday" to set an alert for something you see in the library. The glasses can also scan QR codes and dial phone numbers from text it recognizes. Meta's assistant should also respond to more natural commands. You'll need to worry less about remembering formal prompts to trigger it ("Hey Meta, look and tell me"). It will let you use more casual phrasing like "What am I looking at?" The AI can also handle complex follow-up questions for more fluid chats with the robot friend living in your sunglasses. According to Meta, the glasses' live translation is also getting better. While last year's version struggled with longer text, the company says the software will now translate larger chunks more effectively. Live translations will arrive in English, French, Italian and Spanish by the end of 2024. The company said Met AI now supports voice chats. Although this capability existed before, it was limited to the Ray-Ban glasses. Meta also partnered with celebrities to help draw customers into its chatbots. That's right, folks: You can now hear Meta's chatbot responses in the dulcet tones of the one and only John Cena! Other celebrity voices include Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell. Meta's AI can now edit photos with text prompts, performing tasks like adding or removing objects or changing details like backgrounds or clothes. AI photo editing will be available on Meta's social apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Meta's Llama 3.2 AI model introduces vision capabilities. It can analyze and describe images, competing with similar features in ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

Meta Connect 2024: Orion glasses, Quest 3S headset, Meta AI upgrades, Ray-Ban Meta real-time video and more | TechCrunch

Meta Connect 2024 is starting soon, and with it comes the expectation of reveals and updates to Meta's latest AI model and metaverse ambitions. The developer-centric event will feature a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, during which he will likely showcase new hardware and software to support two of Meta's big ambitions: AI and the metaverse. This could include anything from new Quest headsets, updates to Meta's Llama AI model, and changes to Meta's Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms. Meta Connect 2024 kicks off live at 10 a.m. PT. You can stream it from Meta Connect's site, on Meta's developer Facebook page, and you can even stream it in Horizon Worlds from your Meta Quest headset if you really want to feel the full immersion. We'll be compiling all of the announcements and reveals out of Meta Connect 2024 below and will keep it updated throughout the event and after as more reactions and analysis arrive. In a surprise announcement, Zuckerberg dramatically revealed Orion, which Meta aims to eventually become the company's "first consumer full holographic AR glasses," though they won't be arriving on any consumers' faces anytime soon. Touting Orion's light weight, compatibility for hand-tracking, eye-tracking and most ambitiously, a neural interface, Zuckerberg also touted some impressed, and famous, early testers (including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang). The Orion glasses were presented as the eventual the future of Meta's AR efforts, with our own ongoing coverage of the Meta Connect's final big reveal here. Meta's reveal of the Quest 3S was indicated by several pre-event leaks and confirmed during Connect 2024. The Meta Quest 3S comes as a less expensive alternative to the Quest 3, starting at $299 for a 128GB version and 256GB for $399. The entirely wireless headset is compatible with the existing library of Quest apps and games, though Meta was particularly enthusiastic about its mixed reality features. With the reveal of the Quest 3S, the Quest 3 will drop from $649 to $499. Get our early impressions of the new Quest 3S here, ahead of its October 15 ship date. "With Quest 3S on the shelf, we're officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We'll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they're gone, whichever comes first," Meta told TechCrunch about the discontinuation of two of their headsets in the wake of the Quest 3S announcement. Meta AI is finding its voice. Users can ask a question or otherwise chat with Meta AI out loud through Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get simulated vocal responses in return. The digital voice assistant will roll out with multiple voice options to choose from, including the AI voices of celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Awkwafina, Kristen Bell, and Keegan-Michael Key. The reveal comes a day after OpenAI announced the long-awaited rollout of its Advanced Voice Mode feature, with a new look and five new voices. And speaking of vocal announcements, Zuckerberg touted that Meta AI now has 500 million users. Meta's multilingual Llama family of models has reached version 3.2, signifying that several Llama models are now multimodal. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can interpret charts and graphs, caption images, and pinpoint objects in pictures given a simple description. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B might be able to look at a map of a park and tell you how long a certain path is, or when the terrain could become steeper. Or, provided a graph showing a company's revenue over the course of a year, the models can quickly spotlight the best-performing months of the bunch. Notably, Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can't be accessed in Europe due to the EU's Act restrictions. As a result, several Meta AI features available elsewhere, like image analysis, are disabled for European users. Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses are getting upgrades as the company continues to try and make the case that the smart glasses can become the next big consumer device. At the forefront of the pitch is the addition of real-time AI video processing, which enables you to ask the Ray Ban Meta glasses questions about what it can see in front of you. The sunglasses will also be getting a smartphone-like reminder feature, live language translation between English and French, Italian, or Spanish, as well as full integration with music streaming apps like Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart Radio. In a feature that will be familiar to anyone following OpenAI, Google, and Apple's application of image-based searches, Meta showcased its AI's capacity to respond to prompts based on images, as well as edit photos provided to the AI based on feedback given by the user. It can also share them to Instagram Stories. If you're on Facebook, you've probably seen a lot of AI recently, knowingly or unknowingly. There's an entire nascent industry around using it to generate engagement bait. The label noting whether content has been edited using Meta's own tools was shrunk down earlier this month. And now, Facebook will actually pitch you on AI content that it generates for you that it thinks you'll want to share or engage with. Going a step beyond just translating captions, Meta announced a test that would use its AI translation tools to take creator content, create a translated dub, and sync the creator's lips accordingly. So far, the experiment is limited to creator videos made in the U.S. and Latin America, with translations between English and Spanish. A number of new experiences were revealed for the Quest ecosystem at Meta Connect 2024, led by Batman: Arkham Shadow, which launches October 22 and will also be bundled with new Quest 3 and 3S purchases until April of next year. Beyond games with familiar concepts like Alien: Rogue Incursion for Xenomorph-filled horror and a remake of the zombie game Arizona Sunshine, Wordle of all things was announced for the Quest. The VR version of the daily puzzle will be free-to-play without a New York Times subscription.

Meta unveils Orion AR glasses prototype, new AI capabilities

Meta Platforms Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg unveiled 'Orion,' the company's first working prototype of augmented-reality glasses during its annual Connect conference on Wednesday. "It is a completely new kind of display architecture with these tiny projectors and the arms, the glasses that shoot light into waveguides, that have nanoscale 3D structures etched into the lenses so they can defract light and put holograms at different depths and sizes into the world in front of you." Users will be able to interact with the glasses through hand-tracking, voice and wrist-based neural interface. Zuckerberg said Meta plans to make Orion smaller, sleeker and more low-cost before releasing it to consumers. Zuckerberg positioned AR technology as a sort of magnum opus when he first pivoted toward building immersive "metaverse" systems in 2021. Delivering products, however, has been hampered by high development costs and technological hurdles. The company's metaverse unit Reality Labs lost $8.3 billion in the first half of this year, according to the most recent disclosures. It lost $16 billion last year. Meta also announced a slew of new AI chatbot capabilities. Meta AI will now respond to voice commands and users will have the option to make the assistant sound like celebrities like Judi Dench, John Cena and Awkwafina. ZUCKERBERG: "Are live demos risky?" META AI USING VOICE OF AWKWAFINA: "Live demos can be risky. Yes." ZUCKERBERG: "Thanks Awkwafina." Later this year, the company plans to add video-generation capabilities and the ability to perform some real-time language translations.

Everything Announced at Meta Connect 2024

Meta Connect 2024 introduced us to the Meta Quest 3S and our first look at it's long rumored 'Orion' prototype AR glasses. If there is one thing we learned from Meta Connect 2024 is that the tech giant is still in the “metaverse†game, even if it's not using that word as much as it did three years ago. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg got up on stage Wednesday and helped show off a new Quest 3S VR headset and revised Ray-Ban smart glasses. The big news, however, centered on the prototype "Orion," the company's first true pair of AR glasses. Like Meta Connect 2023, this year's conference featured Zuckerberg showing his company's efforts to combine AI with mixed reality ambitions. At the same time, Meta is hatching big plans to fill its social media apps with AI, whether you want it or not. If the $500 starting price of the Quest 3 puts you off, Meta’s hoping its $300 Quest 3S will be your ticket into the wonderful world of VR. It houses the same chip and RAM specs as the Quest 3, but the 3S has worse displays and lacks the depth sensor for better hand tracking. Still, Meta promises you’ll still have all the same software capabilities as its older brother. It will still support the Quest 3’s full game and app library, and anybody who orders a headset between now and next April will get the upcoming game Batman: Arkham Shadow. The Quest 3S starts at $300 for 128 GB, but a 256 GB version costs $400. Also, Meta is dropping the 512 GB Quest 3 price from $650 to $500. The big reveal for Meta Connect was a culmination of Zuckerberg's longtime "metaverse" dream. "Orion" is Meta's first real pair of AR glasses, though it's still in prototype form. They're thick-framed glasses with a single waveguide-type screen that shows a heads-up display. It's packing other AR capabilities, such as hand and eye tracking through seven sensors built into the frame. The device combines a wristband and a "compute puck" to handle all the gesture interpretation and processing for the glasses. Meta announced that it was working with Microsoft to allow any Windows 11 PC to cast the screen to Meta Quest devices. According to the short demo showcased at Connect, it should work like the Apple Vision Pro's Mac mirroring feature. Your mirrored Windows screen will appear in front of you within a movable window. You'll be able to use your mouse and keyboard to interact with your laptop as normal. As much as we might want it right now, Meta didn't offer an expected release date. Horizon OS implemented a travel mode earlier this year, seemingly to compete directly with the Apple Vision Pro. During Connect, Meta said it plans to expand the mode to work on trains. Meta said it will soon support video downloads for offline viewing to add to the travel capabilities. The company will also add official support for using the device when lying down. With the Quest 3S, Meta is discontinuing the previous cheapo Quest 2 headset alongside the ultimately too-expensive Quest Pro. Meta said it will sell both devices until the year's end, or they run out. Zuckerberg told the Connect audience that it was working on a "Hyperscape" beta app that will let users scan any room and then interact with it in a Quest headset. The app recreates environments using 3D volume rendering. We don't yet have an idea when it could be available, but the company is releasing a few demos showcasing replicas of spaces. The Meta Ray-Bans have proved a surprise hit to everyone, includingâ€"apparentlyâ€"even Meta. The social media giant previously upgraded the glasses with AI vision and speech recognition capabilities. The company will upgrade the glasses with Morse assistant features, like setting reminders. Users will soon be able to scan QR codes or phone numbers from the glasses, ostensibly allowing you to open them on your phone. Meta added that it will also integrate with some audiobook and music apps, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and Audible. A few more features are coming later this year. Users will be able to translate live between English and three other tongues: French, Italian, and Spanish. Meta hinted it’s working on a few other AI vision capabilities. This could work like other attempts at AI wearables like the Humane Pin. Users should be able to ask questions about their environment and receive AI-generated answers. Whether they’ll be accurate is another question entirely. Zuckerberg shared that the next versions of the Ray-Bans will integrate EssilorLuxottica's other types of lenses, like prescription and transition lenses for both indoor and outdoor use. The brands are also planning to release a limited edition clear plastic Wayfarer-type Meta Ray-Bans that might appeal to the older clear Game Boy owners. Those limited edition glasses cost $430, $100 more than typical Wayfarer glasses. Zuckerberg said he was working with the app makers behind Be My Eyes to integrate the accessibility app with Meta's Ray-Bans. The app works to connect low-vision or blind people with volunteers through video to describe their environment. This integration would make it work with the cameras on the Ray-Bans, allowing volunteers to see exactly what the app users are looking at. While its hardware game seems strong, Meta isn’t done putting AI into all its businesses, especially the social media apps that remain its main moneymakers. The first thing users will see when they try to search on their feeds is an AI voice feature. This will allow the AI chatbots to talk back to users like the recent ChatGPT voice assistant. That feature will roll out to US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand users next month. Meta AI is also getting vision features. You can use them in the various apps’ chat functions to describe photos. Meta offered the example that it could name the species of an unknown bird you sent to your friends. The chat function can even edit the image based on your prompt. Like Google’s Magic Editor, it can remove unwanted objects from your photos with pixel replacement. Those who have noticed their Facebook feeds were filled to the brim with AI slop know that Meta is testing ways to add even more AI-generated content. Meta said it’s working on a system that will generate content based on what you were already looking at. The company said this content will be “based on your interests.†Other content will “feature you†based on what Facebook already knows about your interests. The social giant is planning even more features. The main ones are automatic video dubbing and lip-syncing on Reels. When you’re mindlessly scrolling through videos on Instagram, Meta says you’ll be able to watch them in “your preferred language.â€Â Meta’s Llama LLM's next renditions include smaller and larger models. There are 11B- and 90B-parameter multimodal models capable of understanding images and text. In addition, smaller 1B and 3B models are made for running on mobile devices and not in the cloud. Meta said these models should work with Qualcomm and MediaTek mobile chips.

Mark Zuckerberg Unveils 'Orion': Meta's First Pair of AR Glasses

Meta unveiled its first real pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses "Orion" as well as updates to the company's Ray Ban smart glasses and Meta Quest headset at the company's developer event. Meta Connect 2024 -- the company's developer conference -- took place at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Wednesday. The event featured a keynote from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who showcased the company's slew of new hardware products. This included new Meta Quest headsets, upgraded Ray-Ban Smart glasses, and a prototype of the company's first real AR glasses -- the culmination of Zuckerberg's longstanding vision for the "metaverse." The Meta CEO presented Orion, a prototype he called "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen." While there is no release date for Orion, Zuckerberg says the product will eventually become Meta's "first consumer full holographic AR glasses." The smart glasses can project digital representations of media, people, games, and communications onto the real world. Orion interacts with the wearer's voice, typing, or hand gestures. But it also has a "wrist-based neural interface" which lets the wearer send a signal from their brain to the device, using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands. Unlike a bulky headset, Orion weighs less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and has no wires. Zuckerberg has framed the product as a move away from desktop computers and smartphones into eyewear that can perform similar tasks. "A lot of people have said this is the craziest technology they've ever seen," the Meta CEO told a cheering crowd on Wednesday. At the Meta Connect event yesterday, Zuckerberg also debuted an entry-level version of its Meta Quest line of mixed-reality headsets: the Meta Quest 3S. Starting at $299.99, the Meta Quest 3S is being positioned as the best headset for individuals new to mixed reality and immersive experiences, or who might have been waiting for a low-cost upgrade from Quest and Quest 2. The lower price point may also further intensify pressure on Apple's competing Vision Pro and its $3,499 cost. Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses are also getting upgrades with the addition of real-time AI video processing, which lets wearers ask the device questions about what it can see in front of them. Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses will also be getting a smartphone-like reminder feature; live language translation between English and French, Italian, or Spanish; and full integration with music streaming apps such as Audible and Amazon Music.

Meta Launches Llama 3.2, Beats All Closed Source Models on Vision

Meta launches Quest 3S VR headset, Orion AR glasses prototype, Ray-Ban smart glasses, AI avatars and more. Meta today announced the launch of Llama 3.2 to enhance edge AI and vision tasks, offering both small and medium vision LLMs (11B and 90B) and lightweight models (1B and 3B) optimised for on-device use, with robust support for Qualcomm and MediaTek hardware. "Llama 3.2 models bring state-of-the-art capabilities to developers without the need for extensive resources, enabling innovation and breakthroughs directly on edge and mobile devices," said Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg. Interestingly, it claimed to beat all closed source models on vision, including Claude3-Haiku and GPT-40-mini. Meta Connect 2024 Key Announcements In one of the most anticipated announcements, Meta revealed its first functional prototype of the Orion AR glasses, which Zuckerberg described as "the most advanced AR glasses the world has ever seen." These glasses represent Meta's multibillion dollar bet on the future of wearables, positioned as the successor to smartphones. Zuckerberg's unveiling of Orion signals the company's serious ambitions to lead the market in augmented reality hardware. The glasses, most likely powered by Llama, are expected to integrate with other wearables, such as wrist bands, offering users a comprehensive AR experience. Meta introduced a limited edition version of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses featuring clear, translucent frames, priced at $429 -- $100 more than the existing translucent models. These glasses, available only in a "standard" size, come with Transitions lenses and an exclusive custom designed black case. At Connect 2024, Meta demonstrated a new feature for its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses: real-time language translation. In a live demo with mixed martial artist Brandon Moreno, Zuckerberg spoke in English while Moreno responded in Spanish, with the glasses seamlessly translating between the two languages. "This feature could revolutionize how we communicate globally," he added. The live translation tool is expected to roll out soon. Meta rolled out a significant update to its avatars across its platforms, including Meta Horizon OS, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, starting October 1st. The new avatars will provide users with more customisation options, allowing them to fine-tune facial features such as eye size, nose shape, and body proportions. "We're giving users unprecedented control over their avatars with a focus on personalisation," said Aigerim Shorman, VP on the Horizon team, highlighted that the advancements are due to an updated avatar skeleton and underlying tech stack. This upgrade reflects Meta's ongoing efforts to enhance user engagement within the metaverse and provide a more immersive and inclusive experience. In an interesting turn of events, Meta made a major shift in its Quest app store by welcoming 2D and spatial apps, marking a significant departure from its focus on 3D and AR apps. "From today, the Meta app store fully welcomes 2D and spatial apps," said Horizon OS and Quest VP Mark Rabkin, saying that this expansion would allow developers to create more diverse experiences, integrating traditional 2D applications alongside virtual and augmented reality. Meta launched the much anticipated Quest 3S VR headset, priced at $299.99 -- almost half the price of its predecessor, the Quest 3. Despite its lower cost, the Quest 3S offers many of the same features, including mixed reality capabilities, Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, and compatibility with the same games and experiences as the Quest 3. The 3S boasts longer battery life, rated at 2.5 hours versus the Quest 3's 2.2 hours. "Our third era is a stable era. Quest 3S is the perfect platform for users and developers to build immersive VR experiences," said Rabkin. Meta announced the discontinuation of its high-end Quest Pro VR headset, which launched in 2022 but failed to gain significant traction in the market. The company will continue selling the remaining stock through the end of 2024. Despite the initial excitement surrounding the device, user feedback criticised its comfort and performance, particularly in professional settings. It is interesting to note that Meta acknowledged the limitations of Quest Pro but remains committed to refining future VR products. Meta said it is enhancing its AI chatbot experience by introducing celebrity voices in Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Among the notable personalities lending their voices are Awkwafina, John Cena, and Judi Dench. "Voice will be one of, if not the most frequent, ways we interact with AI in the future," said Zuckerberg. Meta, in collaboration with Logitech, officially released the MX Ink Stylus, designed for precision drawing and object manipulation in virtual reality. Priced at $129.99, the stylus works across 2D and 3D creative software on the Quest 3S, Quest 3, and Quest 2 headsets. Artists and designers will benefit from the pen-like experience that offers more accuracy compared to standard controllers. Meta's partnership with Logitech underscores its commitment to enhancing the creative potential of its VR platforms. The stylus is already compatible with popular apps like Open Brush and Adobe Substance 3D Modeler. Meta also announced its ambitious plans for the future of avatars. The company said that by 2025, users will be able to generate avatars simply by using AI prompts. "This technology will give people the ability to create lifelike avatars that reflect their personality with just a simple prompt," said Zuckerberg, highlighting the importance of integrating AI in the metaverse. This new development will allow users to create avatars simply based on text descriptions/prompts.

Meta Unveils $300 Quest 3S Headset and More at Connect Event -- What You Need To Know

CEO Mark Zuckerberg also highlighted new AI features for Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses and the introduction of celebrity voices for its Meta AI assistant. Meta Platforms (META) announced a number of new products on the first day of its annual Connect conference Wednesday, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiling a lower-cost version of the company's Quest virtual reality (VR) headsets, along with artificial intelligence (AI) updates. Preorders for the Meta Quest 3S open Wednesday, and will launch Oct. 15 at $299.99, Zuckerberg announced, along with a $399.99 version with more storage. Meta's Quest 3, which was announced at last year's Connect event, still retails for $499.99. The lower-cost model of Meta's VR headset was rumored heading into the event, as reports indicated that lackluster sales for Apple's (AAPL) nearly $3,500 Vision Pro led Meta to shelve making more expensive Quest models in favor of a more accessible option. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also revealed Meta's "Orion" augmented reality glasses at the event, as well as updated AI features like live translation for Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, celebrity voices for Meta's AI assistant, and more.

Everything announced at Meta Connect 2024

Meta's big event, called Meta Connect, took place on Wednesday and with it came lots of news. While it might not draw the same excitement as an Apple Event, it certainly wasn't without headlines and developments. Chief among them: the Meta Quest 3S and the Orion glasses. Mashable covered all the big news in detail. Here's everything that was announced as well as links to further coverage and more in-depth analysis. Meta announced its new headset that promised good performance at a reduced price. The Quest 3S starts at $299.99, which is hundreds of bucks cheaper than Meta's other headsets. You should be still be able to do all the main attractions of an AR-headset, however, like play games and watch movies. The Meta Quest 3S is available to preorder now. Didn't you always want an AI assistant with a celebrity voice? Well, even if you didn't, it's here. Meta AI will now be able to answer questions out loud in the voice of a number of famous folks like John Cena, Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kristen Bell. Mashable's Christianna Silva has all the details. Meta announced a number of improvements to their Ray-Ban glasses. The glasses already featured cameras for taking photos and videos, as well as the capability to listen to audio. But now the AI features should be able to help with things like remembering where you parked your car, record or send messages, and translate speech in real-time.

Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S headset, Meta AI upgrades, Ray-Ban Meta real-time video and more revealed | TechCrunch

Meta Connect 2024 is starting soon, and with it comes the expectation of reveals and updates to Meta's latest AI model and metaverse ambitions. The developer-centric event will feature a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, during which he will likely showcase new hardware and software to support two of Meta's big ambitions: AI and the metaverse. This could include anything from new Quest headsets, updates to Meta's Llama AI model, and changes to Meta's Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms. Meta Connect 2024 kicks off live at 10 a.m. PT. You can stream it from Meta Connect's site, on Meta's developer Facebook page, and you can even stream it in Horizon Worlds from your Meta Quest headset if you really want to feel the full immersion. We'll be compiling all of the announcements and reveals out of Meta Connect 2024 below and will keep it updated throughout the event and after as more reactions and analysis arrive. Meta's reveal of the Quest 3S was indicated by several pre-event leaks and confirmed during Connect 2024. The Meta Quest 3S comes as a less expensive alternative to the Quest 3, starting at $299 for a 128GB version and 256GB for $399. The entirely wireless headset is compatible with the existing library of Quest apps and games, though Meta was particularly enthusiastic about its mixed reality features. With the reveal of the Quest 3S, the Quest 3 will drop from $649 to $499. Get our early impressions of the new Quest 3S here, ahead of its October 15 ship date. "With Quest 3S on the shelf, we're officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We'll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they're gone, whichever comes first," Meta told TechCrunch about the discontinuation of two of their headsets in the wake of the Quest 3S announcement. Meta AI is finding its voice. Users can ask a question or otherwise chat with Meta AI out loud through Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get simulated vocal responses in return. The digital voice assistant will roll out with multiple voice options to choose from, including the AI voices of celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Awkwafina, Kristen Bell, and Keegan-Michael Key. The reveal comes a day after OpenAI announced the long-awaited rollout of its Advanced Voice Mode feature, with a new look and five new voices. Meta's multilingual Llama family of models has reached version 3.2, signifying that several Llama models are now multimodal. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can interpret charts and graphs, caption images, and pinpoint objects in pictures given a simple description. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B might be able to look at a map of a park and tell you how long a certain path is, or when the terrain could become steeper. Or, provided a graph showing a company's revenue over the course of a year, the models can quickly spotlight the best-performing months of the bunch. Notably, Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can't be accessed in Europe due to the EU's Act restrictions. As a result, several Meta AI features available elsewhere, like image analysis, are disabled for European users. Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses are getting upgrades as the company continues to try and make the case that the smart glasses can become the next big consumer device. At the forefront of the pitch is the addition of real-time AI video processing, which enables you to ask the Ray Ban Meta glasses questions about what it can see in front of you. The sunglasses will also be getting a smartphone-like reminder feature, live language translation between English and French, Italian, or Spanish, as well as full integration with music streaming apps like Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart Radio. In a feature that will be familiar to anyone following OpenAI, Google, and Apple's application of image-based searches, Meta showcased its AI's capacity to respond to prompts based on images, as well as edit photos provided to the AI based on feedback given by the user. It can also share them to Instagram Stories. If you're on Facebook, you've probably seen a lot of AI recently, knowingly or unknowingly. There's an entire nascent industry around using it to generate engagement bait. The label noting whether content has been edited using Meta's own tools was shrunk down earlier this month. And now, Facebook will actually pitch you on AI content that it generates for you that it thinks you'll want to share or engage with. Going a step beyond just translating captions, Meta announced a test that would use its AI translation tools to take creator content, create a translated dub, and sync the creator's lips accordingly. So far, the experiment is limited to creator videos made in the U.S. and Latin America, with translations between English and Spanish. A number of new experiences were revealed for the Quest ecosystem at Meta Connect 2024, led by Batman: Arkham Shadow, which launches October 22 and will also be bundled with new Quest 3 and 3S purchases until April of next year. Beyond games with familiar concepts like Alien: Rogue Incursion for Xenomorph-filled horror and a remake of the zombie game Arizona Sunshine, Wordle of all things was announced for the Quest. The VR version of the daily puzzle will be free-to-play without a New York Times subscription.

4 Key Takeaways From Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Connect Keynote

Aaron McDade is a breaking news reporter for Investopedia. He is an experienced journalist who has covered everything from the latest in business and tech news to sports and international news like the war in Ukraine for respected outlets like Business Insider and Newsweek. Meta (META) kicked off its annual Connect conference Wednesday with a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who announced a lower-cost Quest 3S headset, Orion augmented reality glasses, new artificial intelligence (AI) features, and more. Zuckerberg's first announcement at the event was to unveil the $299.99 Quest 3S, with preorders opening Wednesday and the new headset launching Oct. 15. Another version with higher storage will be available for $399.99, still below the $499.99 price tag of the Quest 3 launched last year, and a fraction of Apple's nearly $3,500 Vision Pro. Zuckerberg said the Quest 3S will be just as technologically capable at launch as the Quest 3 was, able to perform all the same functions and use the same apps, with key differences including storage capacity and display. Meta unveiled new features for its smart glasses made in partnership with Ray-Ban as well, including live translation, expanded partnerships allowing users to control apps like Spotify (SPOT) with the glasses, and the ability to remember information the glasses see like phone numbers or parking spots. Zuckerberg highlighted a limited edition transparent design that he said showcases the technology that powers the device. The keynote also included the unveiling of Meta's Orion smart glasses, prototype AR glasses that Meta says could be "the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made." However, Zuckerberg suggested it may be some time before the company releases a consumer version, and said Meta will use the glasses internally for software development for the time being. Zuckerberg demonstrated an AI translation feature on the Ray-Ban smart glasses, along with other new AI features like a voice for its Meta AI assistant, which comes with a number of celebrity options including John Cena. Other new features included enhanced AI photo editing and automatic language translation in Reels, Meta's short-form video feature on Facebook and Instagram. Meta is also releasing its latest AI model, Llama 3.2, to power the new AI features and allow developers to use its models to build their own AI tools. Zuckerberg said during Wednesday's keynote that Meta's AI assistant currently has roughly 500 million monthly active users, and that it's on track to be the most-used AI assistant in the industry by the end of 2024. Meta shares finished 0.9% higher at $568.31 Wednesday, and have gained over 60% since the start of the year.

The biggest news from Meta Connect 2024

Meta's annual Connect conference is getting started in Menlo Park, California, and we're expecting the company to debut its first AR glasses, codenamed Orion, alongside a whole lot of AI news. Over the past year, Meta has made a big push to integrate AI features into the platforms it owns: whether it be through its ChatGPT rival, Meta AI, custom creator chatbots in Instagram and WhatsApp, or AI-generated images powered by the company's Llama model. There are also Meta's smart glasses with Ray-Ban, which we expect to hear updates about. And then there's the Meta Quest line of headsets, which usually see big updates at Connect. The event is an opportunity for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to showcase his vision for social media, the metaverse, AI, and everything in between.

Meta shows off 'Orion' AR glasses, $299 Quest 3S, adds more features to Ray-Bans

Today during its Meta Connect event, Meta announced further expansions into augmented and mixed reality through updates to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, a new and more affordable Meta Quest 3S VR headset, and a first look at new "Orion" AR glasses. Meta has been pushing for improvements to augmented, mixed, and virtual reality experiences for a while now, and today's announcements bring improvements to all of them. This starts with Meta's smart glasses built in partnership with Ray-Ban. Several AI updates are coming, including the ability to continue a conversation with Meta's AI without needing to say "Hey Meta" to continue the conversation. You can also now ask the assistant to "remember" things such as your parking location or to set reminders for yourself. Other new actions include being able to send WhatsApp or Messenger messages and asking for specific songs, albums, artists, or audiobooks from services such as Spotify, Audible, and more. Meta AI on the Ray-Bans will also now support video input, allowing for real-time translation, or using video to improve the results from prompts. Today's reveals also showed off Meta's ideas for the future of smart glasses through "Orion." The new concept was revealed for the first time as a pair of AR glasses with the main element Ray-Bans are lacking - a display. These AR glasses use projectors to show content and apps in your field-of-view without blocking out the world around you, or showing that to you through a video feed. "Orion" can talk to Meta's AI and use pictures to help you get information, such as looking at a table full of ingredients and overlaying a recipe on top of those. Controlling the glasses is a "neural wristband" that senses your muscle movements when performing gestures to control what's on screen. Outward facing cameras also play a role in controls, while there are eye-tracking cameras inside that are further used. "Orion" won't be sold to the public, Meta says, but the "polished prototype" is a first look at the vision the company is working towards. The foundation laid with "Orion" will be used with future AR glasses with the goal of building a pair that can be sold at scale and made reasonably affordable. Finally, the new Meta Quest 3S is the company's latest VR and XR headset, designed with affordability in mind. Like the Quest 3 that launched last year, this new headset has more power compared to Quest 2 and the additional of full-color passthrough, enabling support for new apps and games that were exclusive to Quest 3. The main difference you'll notice is the displays, which are the same 1832 x 1920 resolution as Quest 2, and have a narrower field-of-view too. This latest headset will also debut alongside changes to apps on Meta Quest, where more 2D apps will be made available. This new headset will also support Meta's Travel Mode. Pre-orders for Meta Quest 3S are open now starting at $299 for 128GB, with units shipping in October. Today's announcement also brings an official end to the Quest 2, while the $999 Quest Pro will be discontinued at the end of the year.

Meta Connect 2024 live updates: News on the Meta Quest 3S, Orion AR headset and Meta AI features for Ray-Ban glasses

Get ready for an AI, AR and VR party and more about Meta's Orion headset. It's been a year since Meta launched the Quest 3, its first major attempt at integrating mixed reality into a consumer-focused VR headset. At Meta Connect 2024 today, we're expecting the company to further expand out its headset family with a cheaper Quest 3S (likely replacing the Quest 2). And judging from the slew of rumors this year -- and a bit of a tease from Mark Zuckerberg himself -- Meta will likely show off its Orion AR glasses. And don't forget about Meta AI, which was first announced last Connect. We also expect to hear more news about AI features in the Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as throughout the company's apps.

What You Need To Know Ahead of Meta's Connect Event

The tech giant could also provide updates on its spending plans regarding VR, and new AI features. Meta's (META) annual "Connect" conference kicks off Wednesday, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg set to give a keynote address at 1 p.m. ET that's expected to focus on developments in Meta's artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) products. At the event, the tech giant could unveil updates to the smart glasses it makes in a partnership with Ray-Ban, new augmented reality (AR) glasses internally dubbed "project Orion," or a lower-cost version of its Quest line of headsets, Bank of America analysts wrote Monday. The analysts said they will be watching for any new product announcements, along with new data from the tech giant on whether its existing AI products and services are driving people to use products like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp more often. Updates on how many people use Meta's various AI offerings, which have been integrated throughout many of its products, could also come with announcements of new features like new chatbots or collaborations with celebrities lending their voice to an AI product. The analysts also suggested Meta could unveil other new features like a subscription-based AI product or a third party headset using its licensed Horizon Worlds operating system. The company announced new versions of its Quest headsets at each of its last two September events, and the analysts said they expect a $300 Quest 3S could be one of this year's big announcements. That compares to a $500 price tag for the Quest 3, and $3,500 for Apple's (AAPL) Vision Pro, after disappointing Vision Pro sales reportedly led Meta to temporarily shelve plans for a higher-cost version. Meta shares were up 1.1% at $569.66 in early trading Wednesday and have gained over 60% since the start of the year.

Meta Unveils Zuckerberg's 10-Year Vision With Orion Glasses, Nvidia's Jensen Huang Rocks Them: 'The Field Of View Is Excellent' - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

The glasses will allow users to view browsers, respond to messages, and more Meta Platforms META unveiled a sneak peek of its new Orion holographic glasses at its Connect event. The company also announced new product updates for the Meta Quest and Meta's AI platform. Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA Corp NVDA, made a surprise appearance in a video teasing the Orion glasses. What Are Meta's Orion Glasses? Meta's Orion glasses are a piece of wearable technology, that will allow users to open browsers, respond to messages and more. The features, highlighted in a video shared on X, appear similar to what users are able to do with Apple Inc's AAPL Vision Pro, but are less bulky with Orion looking more like a normal pair of glasses. Meta is spending billions of dollars to purchase Nvidia's GPUs, which are seen as the gold standard in the AI and AR industries. Huang, who is now worth more than $100 billion according to Forbes, appears in a video wearing the Orion glasses. Read Also: Meta Unveils New AI Features, Quest 3S, Llama 3.2, Holographic Orion Glasses At Connect 2024: 'We Are Getting Closer To Achieving The Dream Of Reality Labs' "The head tracking is good," Huang said. "The brightness is good, the color contrast is good, the field of view is excellent." For Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Orion glasses have been a long time coming. Zuckerberg, who through Meta has invested billions of dollars in developing the Metaverse and other AR technologies, first had the vision for Orion 10 years ago. "About a decade ago, I started putting together a team of the best people in the world to build these glasses," Zuckerberg said. "The requirements are actually pretty simple but the technological challenges to make them are insane." Zuckerberg seemed to take a subliminal shot at Apple and its AR headset, the Vision Pro, saying that "they need to be glasses, not a headset" when speaking about Orion. Read Next: AI's Uneven Growth, Regional Bank Picks, And Beaten-Down Retail Stocks In Focus As Wedbush Analyst Shares Insights Photo: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta Connect 2024 live updates: Time to see the new Quest, Ray-Ban smart glasses and metaverse AI

Get ready for an AI, AR and VR party and more about Meta's Orion headset. It's been a year since Meta launched the Quest 3, its first major attempt at integrating mixed reality into a consumer-focused VR headset. At Meta Connect 2024 today, we're expecting the company to further expand out its headset family with a cheaper Quest 3S (likely replacing the Quest 2). And judging from the slew of rumors this year -- and a bit of a tease from Mark Zuckerberg himself -- Meta will likely show off its Orion AR glasses. And don't forget about Meta AI: Expect to hear more news about AI features in the Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as throughout the company's apps. Join us right here at 1PM ET, where we'll be covering the Meta Connect 2024 keynote live!

Meta Connect Leaks Reveal Affordable Quest 3S, Batman Game Bundle: Report - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Analysts expect a cheaper Quest 3S headset, AR glasses prototype, and new AI features for core apps, messaging, and subscriptions. Meta Platforms, Inc META is due to kick off its Connect 2024 event on Wednesday at 1 pm ET. The company will live-stream the event on the 'Meta for Developers' Facebook page with plans to showcase its mixed-reality headsets, smart glasses, and AI software updates. Prior reports indicated Quest 3S device for $299.99 and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Related: Meta's Apple Vision Pro Rival Reportedly Canceled After A Review Meeting Between Mark Zuckerberg, CTO Andrew Bosworth, And Others: 'Decisions Like This Happen All The Time...' Bank of America analyst Justin Post and Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett expect a cheaper virtual reality headset. They eye a prototype of next-gen AR glasses with a bigger focus on mixed reality and augmented reality. They expect AI product launches for core apps, announcements on Meta AI, new AI messaging capabilities, and an AI subscription product. According to a Tom's Guide report, a Walmart Inc WMT store display reveals details about the affordable headset, including its resolution, bundled controllers, and a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow. The headset could include both controllers and a game. The headset display highlights a resolution of 1,832 x 1,920 per eye, lower than the higher-end Quest 3's 4K displays. It also features 256GB storage, up from prior expectations of 128GB, as per Tom's Guide. The higher storage could cost $50-$100 more. The leak notes that the more expensive Quest 3 will only include the game. Meta Connect could also finally provide an official launch date for Batman: Arkham Shadow per Tom's Guide conjecture. Last year, at Connect 2023, Meta unveiled the Quest 3 mixed-reality headset powered by Qualcomm Inc's QCOM Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip with a Microsoft Corp MSFT 365 integration. The company also launched Ray-Ban smart glasses featuring a 2MP wide-angle camera, five mics, and built-in speakers. Connect 2023 also witnessed the debut of Meta AI and the revelation that Xbox Cloud Gaming was coming to Quest 3. One of the most hyped and premium AR/VR headsets, Apple Vision Pro, is also having trouble justifying its $3,500 price tag. Vision Pro's launch has been slower than anticipated due to developers dedicating their resources to platforms with billions of users. Price Action: META stock is up 1.29% at $570.67 at the last check on Wednesday. Meta Quest 3 Image via Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta Connect 2024 LIVE: Meta Quest 3S, smart glasses, Meta AI, and more

Welcome to Laptop Mag's live blog coverage of Meta Connect 2024. If you've not heard of Connect before, this is one of Meta's annual events that plays out similarly to Apple's WWDC or Google I/O. This means we can expect product reveals, updates to existing smart glasses and VR headsets, as well as the latest features heading to Meta AI. Meta Connect 2024 will kick off with an opening keynote later today at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), hosted by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, revealing the company's latest developments in wearables, AI, and AR/VR -- most notably through the reveal of the new Meta Quest 3S mixed reality headset. Stay with us throughout the day to learn more about Meta Connect 2024, the products we're expecting to see featured, those we hope to see more of, and our live reactions and follow-up coverage. Let's dive into things and get you up to speed with what to expect from Meta Connect 2024.

Meta Connect 2024 live -- Quest 3S, Project Orion and all the announcements as they happen

Meta Connect 2024 is here, and if you've been reading the many rumors and leaks surrounding the event, it's going to be a big one for VR, AR and AI. Today from 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST, Mark Zuckerberg will take the stage and we're anticipating three big topics for the show -- the announcement of Meta Quest 3S, updates to Meta AI that involve the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, and the grand unveiling of the company's AR glasses concept named Project Orion. And we will be reporting on everything that happens live right here, so keep it locked on live blog for each announcement and analysis.

What to expect from Meta Connect 2024?

Meta Connect 2024 is set to be one of the most anticipated tech events of the year, bringing together industry leaders, developers, and enthusiasts to explore the evolving world of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and the Metaverse. Hosted by Meta (formerly Facebook), the event showcases the company's latest breakthroughs in these domains, offering deep insights into how these technologies will shape our future. As the world looks toward what the next wave of digital transformation might look like, Meta Connect 2024 will be crucial in unveiling both the technology and philosophy behind the evolution of the Metaverse and the role of AI in making it accessible to everyone. While the Metaverse concept has faced some skepticism, Meta remains committed to building out the virtual world. And with AI and AR becoming more prominent across tech, Meta Connect 2024 will offer insights into how the company plans to integrate these technologies in new and innovative ways. Here's what you can expect from Meta Connect 2024: For those interested in VR, a more affordable version of Meta's popular Quest 3 headset -- likely named Quest 3S -- is expected to make its debut at Meta Connect 2024. Leaked images and rumors suggest that the Quest 3S could come in at a significantly lower price point, perhaps as low as $299. The Quest 3S is rumored to offer similar functionality to the Quest 3 but with some cost-saving adjustments. Meta may release it without bundled controllers or reduce the processing power slightly to make the headset more accessible. With the Quest 2 getting older and the Quest 3 sitting at a higher price point, the Quest 3S could hit the sweet spot for casual users and developers. Perhaps one of the most exciting prospects is Meta's highly anticipated AR glasses, codenamed Orion. These glasses, teased by Meta executives over the past year, could revolutionize how we interact with the digital world. Unlike VR headsets, which immerse you fully in virtual environments, Orion AR glasses will overlay digital information and holograms onto the real world, creating a more natural, augmented experience. Earlier hints from Meta's leadership suggest that these glasses will be lightweight, potentially resembling normal eyewear, but capable of delivering rich, interactive AR features. Zuckerberg himself has called them one of Meta's most exciting innovations to date. Although it's unlikely these AR glasses will be available to consumers right away, Meta Connect 2024 could give us a first look at what's to come. Meta is not just about AR and VR anymore -- artificial intelligence will also play a significant role at Meta Connect 2024. Meta's AI capabilities have expanded dramatically in recent years, particularly with the release of its Llama language models. At this year's event, expect more discussions around Llama 3.1, Meta's latest open-source AI model, which is being positioned as a rival to Google's Bard and OpenAI's GPT models. Llama 3.1 is rumored to offer major improvements in language translation, mathematical reasoning, and general knowledge. These AI advancements will likely be integrated across Meta's hardware, from the Ray-Ban smart glasses to VR headsets, allowing users to interact more intuitively with their surroundings. Meta Connect 2024 is scheduled for September 25 and 26, 2024. The two-day event will start with a keynote on September 25 at 1 PM ET, where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to showcase the company's latest innovations in AI, AR, and VR. You can watch the event live on the Meta for Developers Facebook page or through Horizon Worlds, where Meta is creating a virtual event space for VR users. If you're not able to tune in live, the event will be recorded and available to view on Meta's YouTube channel after the event ends. For AR, VR, and AI users, Meta Connect 2024 is a must-watch event, packed with product announcements, future tech insights, and development tools. Whether you're looking forward to new consumer hardware or want to see how AI will shape the Metaverse, this year's Meta Connect will provide a comprehensive view of what's coming next.

Meta Connect 2024: How to watch

Meta is ready to roll out its latest hardware and software trinkets this week, with Facebook's parent company set to host Meta Connect 2024. Here's how to watch this year's event. Previously called Facebook Connect (and Oculus Connect before that), Meta Connect is an annual event where the company shows off all its shiny new tech and what developers can do with it. It's been the venue for some pretty big announcements as well, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing Facebook's rebrand to Meta during 2021's Facebook Connect. We aren't expecting any similarly large revelations from the tech giant at this week's event. What we are expecting, however, are new product announcements, information about Meta's metaverse plans, and a whole lot of talk about AI. While we don't know the exact details of what Meta plans to announce this Wednesday, Facebook's parent company is expected to continue last year's heavy focus on AI. According to rumours, Meta's announcements may include updates on the company's artificially intelligent assistant Meta AI, as well as a more budget-friendly Quest 3 and a new pair of augmented reality glasses. If you want to know more about what to expect, Mashable's Kimberly Gedeon has provided a rundown of all the rumours circulating in the lead-up to Meta Connect 2024. Meta Connect 2024 is scheduled to start Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, with a keynote speech by Zuckerberg kicking off the event. This will be followed by a developer keynote shared by several Meta executives at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The livestream will be available to watch on Facebook via the official Meta for Developers page. People with a Quest VR headset will also be able to jump into Meta Horizon to watch Meta Connect in virtual reality. According to Meta, the VR experience will be inspired by the company's Menlo Park campus in California, and offer attendees the chance to unlock "exclusive rewards." Whether the promise of such nebulous incentives is worth it is a question only you can answer. Meta Connect 2024 will run for two days, featuring talks on how to use some of the tech giant's tools for developers. You won't have to stay glued to your computer for the entire event, as some of the sessions will be recorded and made available to stream once Meta Connect ends. Meta hasn't specified which parts of the program might be left out though, so you'd be best off catching it live if you're super keen on a specific session.