Meta Connect 2024 Unveils New Tech with a Focus on AI and VR Expansion

Meta Connect 2024 Unveils New Tech with a Focus on AI and VR Expansion

Although Meta Connect 2024 didn’t showcase a flagship high-end product for the holiday season, the event still brought significant updates. Meta introduced a budget-friendly VR headset and teased the long-anticipated AR “magic glasses.” Alongside this, the company continues to advance its AI technology, adding new features to both its Ray-Ban smart glasses and social platforms. Here’s a breakdown of the major announcements from Meta Connect 2024.

Orion AR Glasses: A Glimpse into the Future

While today’s top-tier mixed reality devices like Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s own Quest 3 are still largely based on headsets, the industry is inching closer to making augmented reality (AR) accessible via everyday wearables like prescription glasses. Meta’s Orion AR glasses represent a significant step in this direction. Though not available for purchase yet and with no set release date, Meta has indicated that they are much closer to a consumer-ready product than before.

The glasses will feature small projectors that display holographic visuals on the lenses, offering a wide field of view with immersive experiences. The glasses’ sensors will support voice commands, eye tracking, hand gestures, and input through electromyography (EMG) wristbands. They will integrate AI to assist with tasks like creating recipes based on what’s in your fridge, as well as facilitating video calls and providing spatial versions of popular apps like Spotify, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Meta Quest 3S: A Budget-Friendly VR Option

Meta also introduced the Meta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of last year’s Quest 3. At $300, the Quest 3S trades high-end features for cost efficiency. While it includes some lower-spec hardware, like the older Fresnel lenses and a reduced resolution compared to the Quest 3, it still offers a solid VR experience for those looking to enter the market at a lower price point.

The base model starts with 128GB of storage, though Meta offers an upgrade to 256GB for an additional $100. One highlight of the Quest 3S is its improved battery life, offering 2.5 hours compared to the 2.2 hours of the Quest 3. Pre-orders for the Quest 3S are now open, with shipments starting October 15.

Discontinuing Older Models

With the Quest 3S taking over the budget VR market, Meta plans to phase out two older models: the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. These models will be discontinued by the end of the year or once inventory runs out. The Quest 2, which once occupied the lower-end VR space, no longer fits into Meta’s roadmap, and the Quest Pro—originally launched as a Metaverse-focused device—failed to capture consumer interest. Meta announced that sales of both devices will cease by year-end.

Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Get Smarter

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are sticking around, but with some notable software updates. New AI-powered features allow users to set reminders for objects they see, scan QR codes, and dial phone numbers directly from the text they view. The glasses’ AI assistant is becoming more intuitive, with more natural voice commands and improved live translation features in multiple languages, expected to roll out by the end of 2024.

AI Updates Across Meta’s Platforms

Meta continues to invest heavily in AI, with several new features on the horizon. Notably, voice chat is expanding beyond Ray-Ban smart glasses, with Meta bringing the capability to more of its platforms. They’ve also partnered with celebrities like John Cena and Judi Dench to provide familiar voices for their chatbot interactions. Additionally, Meta’s AI photo editing tools are getting smarter, allowing users to edit photos with simple text prompts on apps like Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. The updates are part of Meta’s larger push to integrate AI more deeply across its ecosystem.

Finally, Meta’s AI model, Llama 3.2, now comes with vision capabilities, enabling it to analyze and describe images, a feature aimed at competing with other AI leaders in the field.

Stay Ahead with Meta’s Latest Innovations

Meta Connect 2024 brought a lot to the table, from AI advancements to hardware innovations in both AR and VR. As the company continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, it’s clear that Meta is committed to shaping the future of immersive technology and artificial intelligence.

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