Yearly I wish to play the guessing sport for the Oculus/Fb/Meta Join making my listing of predictions… which aren’t at all times right, however they’re good as a result of they entice all of the group folks to play this sport with me and to inform how they’d like to see XR evolving. So let’s see collectively what are my predictions for tomorrow’s 2024 version!
AI, AI, AI
Final yr we discovered the arduous approach that the Meta Join just isn’t the Oculus Join: it isn’t an occasion solely centered on XR, but it surely’s an occasion about the entire expertise panorama Meta is investing in. And at this second, the expertise that has essentially the most hype and that buyers wish to hear about is Synthetic Intelligence and never XR. For that reason, I anticipate many items of stories about AI, particularly about some evolutions of LLAMA and a few AI brokers that Meta AI is ready to autonomously generate. I anticipate additionally extra integrations between AI and social media.
In fact, synthetic intelligence and XR are a tremendous match, so we may additionally see among the following issues:
- Extra integration of AI with Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses
- Extra integration of AI with Quest headsets (keep in mind that Quest 3 simply obtained help for Meta AI)
- R&D algorithms that use AI for surroundings understanding, which could possibly be used on all headsets and glasses
My guess is {that a} good chunk of the occasion might be devoted to synthetic intelligence.
Quest 3S
Greater than a guess, it is a certainty: Meta will announce at Join the Quest 3S, a tool meant to decrease the entry worth of VR and MR after the discontinuation of Quest 2. Quest 3S might be a mixture of Oculus Go, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest 3: it’ll have the lenses and the show of Quest 2, the processor and the combined actuality (nearly) just like the Quest 3, and a form {that a} bit reminds the Oculus Go. The launch worth needs to be $299 for the 128GB version, the preorders ought to open the day of the occasion, and the delivery may come round October, sixteenth.
We nearly know every part about this headset, so theoretically Zuck may simply go on stage and say “Oh, we additionally launch the Quest 3S, however every part about it, so let’s get again to talking about AI”, however I feel he’ll faux we all know nothing, so will do a daily launch. Final yr the Quest 3 obtained little or no consideration throughout the occasion, however contemplating that the Quest 3S is supposed for a extra widespread shopper attraction due to its low worth, I guess it’ll get extra glory on the stage.
Quest video games
This yr Meta had no gaming showcase, so I feel it might have just a few gaming information to share throughout the occasion. I don’t anticipate many introduced titles as a result of this isn’t the aim of the Join, however contemplating that Quest 3S is predicted to make nice gross sales within the subsequent Vacation season, they should communicate a bit about its upcoming content material, to entice much more folks to purchase this system. The launch of upcoming video games about Alien and Batman will already assist loads, but when Meta introduced one other large sport we should always anticipate for 2025 (Perhaps one other GTA? Lol), it may assist adoption much more.
It wouldn’t be unhealthy additionally if Meta introduced that whoever preorders the Quest will get a cool sport from certainly one of its associate studios without cost.
Combined Actuality content material
Combined Actuality is the phrase of the second and Meta needs to indicate that it’s sturdy at it. The Quest 3S might be in all probability marketed as essentially the most reasonably priced combined actuality headset available on the market, so Meta could wish to present that it might do Spatial Computing just like the Apple Vision Pro however at lower than one-tenth of the value. So I anticipate Meta to indicate extra “spatial computing” content material accessible for the Imaginative and prescient Professional like the chance to watch sports activities or motion pictures on the system or to make use of it for productiveness. The latest launch of Godot for Quest can also be a fantastic instance of this.
Among the many introduced video games, I anticipate there might be some in combined actuality to double down on this theme. Video games are a kind of content material the place Meta could be very sturdy whereas Apple has a missing ecosystem.
To be sincere, I anticipate extra deal with MR than on VR for this occasion.
There was a recent leak about an upcoming graphical overhaul for Meta Avatars, so I suppose this might be introduced at Join. I’m actually not an enormous fan of the brand new design proven within the photos, however it’s good to see that Meta is evolving its avateering system to make it at all times extra reasonable.
Final yr’s interview that Zuck did utilizing reasonable Codec Avatars obtained an enormous quantity of buzz, so I additionally anticipate that Meta could present some examples of hyperrealistic avatars used within the labs inside a modified Quest. This may be nice to indicate the imaginative and prescient that Meta has about avateering.
If the statistics of Horizon Worlds have improved with respect to some years in the past, in all probability Meta will present some numbers about it (e.g. “The Quest customers spent in complete 3 million hours in 2024 in Horizon Worlds”). I additionally anticipate an official launch of the brand new instruments that creators can use to make higher worlds in Horizon Worlds.
New Augments Creation framework
At Meta Join final yr, Meta teased Augments, some AR widgets you can put in your house and that may enrich your bodily surroundings. The unique plan was to make creators use Spark AR to develop them, however then Meta realized that it was not possible and it even shut down the entire Spark AR program.
What we anticipate is that Meta will launch a brand new framework to create augmented actuality content material, in all probability one thing that unifies the creation of AR content material for cellular, MR headsets, and AR glasses. Ideally, it might be usable by artistic folks with out understanding how you can code, however must also permit them to put in writing scripts to make one thing extra complicated. It could possibly be a bit just like what Snap introduced just a few days in the past for Spectacles.
I feel Augments have numerous potential each on the artistic and the enterprise facet: sooner or later, all of us can have AR widgets in our home (e.g. for the time, the climate, and many others…), so there are all of the premises to create a profitable retailer for them. That’s why I feel that Meta could speak about them at Join.
Orion AR glasses prototype
Meta has clearly said that it’ll present a prototype of AR glasses at Join. Meta’s executives have hyped them with daring statements like “Within the area of shopper electronics, it may be essentially the most superior factor that we’ve ever produced as a species”, so they need to be excellent. These glasses might be very costly, so gained’t be placed on sale, however will solely be given to chose associate corporations and to some Meta workers.
They may serve to promote Meta’s imaginative and prescient about augmented actuality, so I additionally think about some R&D demos that present cool issues that these AR glasses can do and that could possibly be reshared by the press or by the group in some viral video snippets. I wouldn’t be shocked if certainly one of these demos would additionally work with the help of a bracelet that may learn the impulses the mind sends to muscle groups (the expertise that Meta acquired due to CTRL+Labs). Meta discovered from Apple that it has to promote a imaginative and prescient (pun meant) greater than some scrappy XR devkits. See the distinction that Zuck had in response to its ridiculous selfie in Horizon Worlds (criticism a couple of present-time product) and to its interview made with the Codec Avatars (hype for a future tech).
I actually don’t suppose that any of us within the XR group could also be overly shocked by this system: all of us already know what AR glasses are, and one thing that has a bigger subject of view and a better decision than Magic Leap 2 just isn’t sufficient to make us go WOW. However I feel we’ll all nonetheless be intrigued by them as a result of they may have specs no different AR glasses have.
Truthfully, these AR glasses are the one cause why I really remorse not being at Join. After a lot teasing, I might have needed to strive them. And since they gained’t be offered available on the market, there might be few public events when it will likely be potential to have a hands-on with “essentially the most superior factor that we’ve ever produced as a species”…
Ray-Ban Meta has been a really profitable product, and a few little fowl instructed me they may have offered tens of millions of items. For that reason, Meta and EssilorLuxottica have simply struck a partnership to proceed their collaboration till 2030. I can think about that at Join there could possibly be a tease of what could possibly be the evolution of the good glasses the 2 corporations are engaged on collectively.
There’s a rumor about Meta launching at Join a pair of good glasses with a show that may present easy notifications. In line with this rumor, Meta did them with out Luxottica and I don’t know what to consider it. On one facet, I agree that Meta could showcase a prototype of smartglasses with a show, whereas on the opposite facet, I don’t suppose that launching a pair of smartglasses with out the distribution energy and the cool design of Luxottica could result in the identical success of Ray-Ban Meta. In all probability if this launch occurs, it could possibly be extra of a devkit devoted to XR folks than a brand new business product.
One factor that I might like to see is Meta opening up an app retailer devoted to good glasses. Given the large success they’re having, it might be good to open them as much as builders who may develop their functionalities. However in all probability is a bit too early for that.
Some surprises
I really like surprises, so I might be very blissful if Meta would announce one thing I’m completely not enthusiastic about. I don’t know, a little bit AI-driven robotic with the face of Zuck that I may hold as a companion right here in my home that drinks BBQ sauce and supplies me focused commercials on a regular basis. Or Boz that goes on stage and says that his favourite sport on the Meta Retailer is The Unity Cube. No matter it will likely be, I hope that tomorrow I’ll let you know that one thing surprising occurred. Fingers crossed for this.
These are my speculations for tomorrow’s Meta Join 2024. As I’ve mentioned, the aim of this put up is to begin this hypothesis sport with you, so let me know what are your predictions, both right here beneath this text or by answering me on the social media channels! Who of you’ll make the most effective predictions?
(Header picture by Meta)
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