Meta Connect, previously known as Facebook Connect and Oculus Connect, is Meta’s annual virtual reality developer conference – and it’s set to kick off tomorrow.
Historically, the yearly conference has been focused on virtual reality, but the focus has broadened to encapsulate both virtual and augmented reality over the past few years. The conference serves as a stage for Meta to showcase new technologies in the AR and VR space, and to reveal what it has been working on in the past year.
With Mark Zuckerberg confirming the existence of ‘Project Cambria’ – a new high-end VR headset – at last year’s Meta Connect 2021, and mentioning the release of a new headset in October during a September 2022 interview with Joe Rogan, it’s almost certain we’ll be seeing a new VR headset along with other AR and VR-themed announcements at this week’s event.
Here’s all you need to know about Meta Connect 2022, including timings, how to watch online and what to expect from this year’s keynote.
Meta Connect is set to kick off tomorrow and will exclusively be streamed online. The opening keynote – the part of the conference most people are interested in – is set to take place on 11 October 2022, 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST.
The opening keynote stream will be available primarily via the Meta Connect website, though it’ll also be available to stream via Facebook as in previous years.
If you’ve got a Meta headset like the Quest 2, you’ve got the option of watching the entire opening keynote in VR. Simply head to the Meta site to register, don your headset tomorrow, open Meta Horizon Worlds and get comfortable.
As alluded to above, the big announcement expected at Meta Connect 2022 is Project Cambria, Meta’s new ‘high-end’ VR headset that it has been working on behind closed doors for quite some time. It teased the headset as “the next Quest” at last year’s show, emphasising that it’s a “completely new, advanced, and high-end product” that’ll be “at the higher end of the price spectrum”.
Current rumours – most courtesy of extensive leaks over the past few months – suggest the high-end Quest headset will sport a new design, complete with improved optics, face- and eye-tracking and boosted processing power. It’s also said to focus more on AR, with colour passthrough cameras rumoured to be a main feature of the headset.
We cover all the latest Meta Quest Pro rumours separately if you’re interested in finding out more about the rumoured headset ahead of its announcement.
Of course, that’s not all Meta will discuss at tomorrow’s event. It also likes to provide updates on other AR and VR technologies, and though there aren’t specifics about what to expect at this point, it’s safe to say we’ll be treated to insights into Meta’s technological advances, and likely the Metaverse too.
What are you most looking forward to at Meta Connect 2022? Let us know on Twitter.
For more on VR, take a look at the best VR headsets. We’ve also got a selection of the best Meta Quest 2 games and best Meta Quest 2 accessories if you’ve already got your hands on the entry-level headset.
