Meta announced so much at its Connect 2024 conference that you may have missed some of it.
But never fear! Here’s a brief summary of every important Meta Connect 2024 announcement.
For full context and details, read the articles linked.
Headsets & Accessories
Meta launched a new headset, simplified its Quest 3 lineup, discontinued Quest 2 and Quest Pro, and launched new official accessories.
A New Headset: Meta Quest 3S
After months of leaks, Meta finally announced its new headset: Quest 3S.
Effectively, Quest 3S is a cheaper Quest 3 with a bulkier design, inferior lens clarity, and lower resolution.
Quest 3S Starts At $300 And Comes With Controllers
Meta just officially announced Quest 3S. Starting at $300, it features fresnel lenses, the XR2 Gen 2 chipset, mixed reality, and comes with controllers.
Quest 3S has the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and color passthrough mixed reality capabilities as Quest 3, but uses the old fresnel lenses and fixed single panel from Quest 2 to achieve a starting price of $300.
All purchases of Quest 3S until May will come with Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Quest 3 128GB Gone & 512GB Price Cut
Meta is discontinuing the 128GB base model of Quest 3 and cutting the other 512GB model to its $500 price.
Meta Cuts 512GB Quest 3 To $500, Will Discontinue 128GB Model
Meta is discontinuing the 128GB Quest 3 and cutting the 512GB model to $500. The 128GB model is now $430 “while supplies last”.
Until stock is gone, the 128GB model is on clearance sale for $430.
Like with Quest 3S, all purchases of Quest 3 until May will come with Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Quest 2 & Quest Pro Discontinued
Quest 2 and Quest Pro will no longer be available when stock runs out or at the end of the year, whichever comes first.
Meta Is Discontinuing Quest 2 & Quest Pro
Quest 2 and Quest Pro will no longer be available when stock runs out or at the end of the year, whichever comes first.
Quest 2 was the first mainstream VR headset and Quest Pro was an innovative failure.
Quest 3S will take Quest 2’s place in Meta’s lineup. But there’s no direct replacement for Quest Pro. When it’s gone, Meta will no longer offer a headset with eye tracking or face tracking.
Quest 3 Open Facial Interface
One aspect of Quest Pro that Meta will offer a replacement for is its open periphery design, because it’s releasing an official Open Facial Interface for Quest 3.
Meta Releasing Official Open Facial Interface For Quest 3
While Quest Pro is being discontinued, Meta is launching an official Open Facial Interface for Quest 3 – with a strangely unique design.
Instead of being a halo strap, the official Open Facial Interface still presses against your face. But the space between the interface and the headset itself is empty, allowing you to see the real world.
Quest 3S Breathable Facial Interface
Quest 3S is getting its own exclusive facial interface accessory.
Quest 3S Has “Breathable” Facial Interface Accessory
Meta is selling a “Breathable” Facial Interface for Quest 3S, which makes the tradeoff of not being opaque to “help you keep cool while working out or playing intense games”.
The “Breathable” Facial Interface makes the tradeoff of not being opaque to “help you keep cool while working out or playing intense games”.
Logitech MX Ink Now Available
You can now buy the Logitech MX Ink tracked stylus for Quest headsets.
Logitech MX Ink Tracked Stylus For Quest Headsets Now Available To Buy
The Logitech MX Ink tracked stylus for Quest headsets is now available to buy.
Logitech MX Ink is designed for both 2D drawing on a physical surface via its pressure-sensitive tip and for 3D creativity via full 6DoF positional tracking (via the headset cameras), multiple buttons, and a haptic feedback actuator.
Meta’s Simplified Lineup
When Quest 2, Quest Pro, and the 128GB Quest 3 are gone, Meta’s headset lineup will be:
- Quest 3S (128GB): $300
- Quest 3S (256GB): $400
- Quest 3 (512GB): $500
New Horizon OS Features & Apps
YouTube Cowatching
Official YouTube cowatching will finally launch as a beta next week.
YouTube Cowatching On Quest Will Finally Arrive Next Week
Official YouTube cowatching on Horizon OS will finally launch as a beta next week, more than two years after it was first announced.
YouTube cowatching will take place in Horizon Home, meaning you’ll see other people as their Meta Avatar alongside you.
Horizon Hyperscape: Photorealistic Scenes On Quest 3
Quest 3 owners in the US can try photorealistic scenes via Meta’s new Horizon Hyperscape demo app.
Meta Horizon Hyperscape: Photorealistic Scenes On Quest 3
Meta’s Horizon Hyperscape demo shows photorealistic 6DoF scenes on Quest 3, but is only available in the US.
UploadVR’s Don Hopper tried Horizon Hyperscape and found it to be significantly higher quality than Gracia, with a “stark difference” in visual clarity.
New Amazon Prime Video App With Downloads
Amazon launched an all-new Prime Video Quest app that supports passthrough and downloads.
New Amazon Prime Video Quest App Supports Downloads
Amazon just launched an all-new Prime Video Quest app that supports downloads for offline viewing.
Prime Video is the first major streaming service officially available on Horizon OS to support downloads, making it ideal for use on airplanes with the Travel Mode Quest headsets now have since May.
Automatic Pairing With Windows 11 Laptops
Quest headsets will be able to extend Windows 11 laptops by just looking at them, without installing any software, later this year.
Meta says this will be possible thanks to a partnership with Microsoft.
Quests Can Soon Extend Windows Laptops By Just Looking At Them
Quest headsets will soon be able to extend Windows 11 laptops by just looking at them, and without installing specific software.
Your laptop’s screen will turn off and be replaced by a giant virtual screen, and you’ll be able to spawn entirely virtual extra monitors.
New Meta Avatars
The new Meta Avatars system with overhauled graphics will launch on Tuesday.
The New Meta Avatars Launch Next Week
The new Meta Avatars system will launch on Tuesday, featuring overhauled graphics and deeper customization.
And some time next year, Meta will allow users to generate a new outfit by typing, leveraging generative AI.
In Horizon Worlds, Meta says it will also support “fantastical avatars”, non-human forms which users can unlock in specific worlds.
Passthrough API
In a surprise announcement, Meta revealed that it will give developers access to the passthrough cameras of Quest headsets via a new API next year.
Quest Developers Will Get Access To The Passthrough Cameras
Meta says Quest developers will be able to access the passthrough cameras next year, unlocking entirely new capabilities.
Meta hasn’t yet said whether there’ll be any restrictions to the Passthrough API, but we’ll keep a close eye on the company for any further details of this exciting upcoming capability, which could unlock entirely new use cases for Quest headsets.
AI NPCs In Horizon Worlds
Meta says Horizon Worlds creators will be able to add AI NPCs to their worlds next year.
These AI NPCs will be able to “engage in conversations, help people out, and even compete in games”.
Meta Horizon Worlds Is Getting AI NPCs You Can Talk To
Horizon Worlds creators will be able to add AI NPCs to their worlds next year, and you’ll be able to talk to them with your voice.
“Whether it’s a friendly fishing enthusiast or a fantastically evil boss, you will be able to customize NPCs using our avatar and voice tech, and it’s all multiplayer ready.
We’ll also support world understanding and complex action chaining, so NPCs can be a really rich part of the world you created.”
“The Future Of Horizon OS” Tease
Meta teased “the future of Horizon OS”, showing a concept of a complete redesign.
Meta Teases “The Future Of Horizon OS” With New Design
Meta teased “the future of Horizon OS” at Connect today, showing a concept of a complete redesign.
Meta didn’t give even a rough timeline for the new Horizon OS interface, and what was shown appears to be a concept.
Two New Games & Supernatural Multiplayer
Triangle Strategy VR Port
Triangle Strategy, a turn-based tactical RPG from Square Enix, is being adapted for VR this year on Quest.
Acclaimed Tactical RPG Triangle Strategy Gets VR Port Next Month On Quest
Triangle Strategy, a turn-based tactical RPG from Square Enix, is being adapted for VR this year on Quest.
On Quest, Triangle Strategy’s VR adaptation promises a “whole new look” across the battlefield, letting you reach out to units and issue commands directly.
Home Sports
Home Sports is a new mixed reality multi-sports game that rolls five sports into one collection on Quest 3.
Home Sports Is A Mixed Reality Multi-Sport Game For Quest 3
Home Sports is a new MR multi-sports game from Demeo’s studio that rolls bowling, hockey, and more into one collection on Quest 3.
An exact release date remains unconfirmed. Resolution states Home Sports “will be launching soon” for the Meta Quest 3 family.
Supernatural Multiplayer
Supernatural Together is a new expansion that adds group-based workouts to the fitness app on Quest.
Supernatural Together Adds Group-Based Workouts To The VR Fitness App
Supernatural Together is a new expansion that adds group-based workouts to the fitness app on Quest.
Team Workouts feature special Challenge Zones and Victory Tunnels that “require teamwork and coordination to complete.”
Horizon Store & App Development
2D Android Apps On Horizon Store
Meta Horizon Store, the app store on Quest headsets, will allow developers to submit 2D Android apps.
Quest’s Store Now Accepts 2D Android Apps
Quest’s Meta Horizon Store now accepts 2D Android apps, which could bring more apps and services to the platform.
Meta will be hoping this brings some of the most useful and entertaining apps from the Google Play Store. However, the lack of Google Play Services will make it challenging for some apps to be ported.
Meta Spatial SDK
Meta Spatial SDK lets developers easily build apps for Quest’s Horizon OS with traditional mobile development tools, without a game engine.
Meta Spatial SDK Lets Developers Easily Build Quest Apps
Meta Spatial SDK lets developers easily build apps for Quest’s Horizon OS with traditional mobile development tools, without a game engine.
It provides rendering, optional passthrough, controller and hand tracking, support for flatscreen and immersive media playback, physics, and spatial audio.
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are getting a swathe of new software features, as well as new transitions lenses styles.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Getting Live Translation & More
Ray-Ban Meta glasses are getting a swathe of new features, including live translation, reminders, QR code scanning, and voice-controlled Spotify.
New Software Features
The following features are coming “soon”:
- Meta AI Reminders
- More Natural Visual Meta AI
- Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart Controls
- QR Codes & Phone Numbers
And these features are coming “later this year”:
- Live Translation
- Meta AI Video Vision
New Transitions Styles
Further, EssilorLuxottica and Meta launched new style options with Transitions lenses:
- Skyler Shiny Black with Amethyst Transitions
- Headliner Shiny Caramel with Sapphire Transitions
- Headliner Low Bridge Fit Shiny Black with Sapphire Transitions
- Headliner Matte Black with Gray Transitions
- Wayfarer Matte Black with Graphite Green Transitions
Orion True AR Glasses Prototype
Meta showed off integrated prototype AR glasses with a field of view that’s remarkable given their form factor.
Meta’s Prototype AR Glasses Have Remarkable Field Of View
Meta showed off prototype true AR glasses at Connect, codenamed Orion, with a remarkable 70-degree field of view.
However, the Orion glasses won’t be sold as a product, as Meta admitted each costs on the order of $10,000 to produce. The company said Orion will be used as a demonstrator and internal development kit, describing it as “a time machine that lets us live in the future”.
