Meta Connect 2024: How to watch, Quest 3S, Meta AI, smart glasses, and more

Meta Connect 2024 will start on Wednesday, September 25, giving us an updated look at Meta's product line-ups and projects currently in the pipeline.

Wearables, mixed-reality, and AI are set to take center stage during Meta's conference and we'd like to take a moment to review everything we can expect from this month's event.

What is Meta Connect? Connect is an annual, two-day event by Meta highlighting the company's latest hardware and software advancements similar to Apple WWDC, Microsoft Build, or Google I/O.

This year's event will focus on Meta's latest offerings across its Quest VR/AR headsets, smart glasses/wearables, and AI divisions. Let's go over how you can watch the event and everything we expect (and hope) to see during Meta Connect 2024.

Meta Connect 2024: How to watch

The Meta Connect 2024 keynote, which will be presented by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, will kickstart the event and also be where the majority of larger announcements will be made.

However, builder sessions will continue throughout the event focusing on educating developers on how to build with and for the tools and products unveiled.

Want to watch the event live? You're in luck! Meta Connect is free for all to watch and can be enjoyed virtually by livestream and even from within the Metaverse through Meta Horizon Worlds.

Regardless of which method, the Meta Connect 2024 event will begin with the Connect keynote on Wednesday, September 25 at 10 a.m. PT or 1 p.m. ET. Watching from another time zone? See below for when the Connect keynote takes place in your region.

How to watch Meta Connect 2024 online

Meta advertise that Connect 2024 will be live streamed on Meta's event page. However, it's normal for the event to be broadcast on other platforms simultaneously.

As such, you'll likely find the event stream on the Meta Developers and Meta YouTube channels. You can also watch through previous year's Meta Connect events on these channels, including last year's Meta Connect event, which showcased the Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

How to watch Meta Connect 2024 in VR

You can watch the Meta Connect 2024 event live in the Metaverse should you choose by diving into Meta Horizon Worlds on the day of the event.

Aside from enjoying the unique experience of attending the Connect keynote in VR, these events typically have fun little challenges to complete that will net your avatar with exclusive rewards.

You can register your interest for the Meta Connect 2024 event in Meta Horizon Worlds by heading to the Connect event page or by searching for "Connect 2024" in Horizon Worlds or the Meta Horizon mobile app.

Meta Connect 2024: What to expect

This year's Connect event is expected to unveil a new budget-friendly Meta Quest VR headset, advancements to Meta AI, and even a sneak peek at Meta's future hardware goals with a brief glimpse of Orion — a pair of prototype smart glasses that some in the company have said "might be the most advanced thing we've ever produced as a species," at least in regards to consumer tech's domain.

Let's take a closer look at everything we expect to feature at Meta Connect 2024 in more detail.

Meta Quest 3S

The Meta Quest 3S is, at this point, an open secret thanks to several leaks and early sources of information — some of which have been sneakily revealed by Meta itself. This new price-conscious headset is likely to be a major factor of the Connect keynote as Meta seeks out more opportunities to get its Quest headsets into the hands of a wider audience.

The Meta Quest 3S is said to offer the same power and performance as the Meta Quest 3 while making certain cutbacks in terms of hardware around its optics and design that will draw similarities to the Oculus/Meta Quest 2 to secure an even more attractive price tag.

Read more about the Meta's Quest 3S and Quest headsets:

• Meta Quest 3S rumors: Everything you need to know about Meta's affordable mixed reality headset
• Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head
• Meta Quest 3S price leaks ahead of Meta Connect 2024
• How Meta's Quest 3S could spell disaster for the Apple Vision Pro
• What will the future of Meta Quest headsets look like?
• New Meta Quest headset said to have one major drawback

Orion AR smart glasses

While Meta will be positioning the Quest 3S as the major outcome of the Connect keynote, the company's Orion smart glasses could completely steal the show when it comes to wowing audiences with this preview of things to come.

Don't expect Meta's Orion smart glasses to arrive in stores soon, this will likely be a vertical slice of what's to come in the years ahead. However, Meta's future smart glasses have been building hype behind the scenes for some time now, and their unveiling could potentially cause interest in AR glasses to explode if handled right.

Read more about Meta's Orion AR glasses:

• Game-changing Meta AR glasses set to amaze at September Connect event
• Why smart glasses will be the death of VR headsets
• The biggest threat to Meta Quest headsets isn't Apple — it's Meta
• Meta to unveil new smart glasses this year after Threads post outs its AR frames

Third-generation smart glasses and neural wristband

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While there's plenty of talk surrounding Meta's Orion AR glasses, we still can't say for certain that they'll be the frames on display when Meta Connect 2024 takes place. In fact, there's a strong case to be made that we'll be seeing Meta's third-generation smart glasses during the event, either in place of Orion or alongside it.

Meta's third-generation smart glasses will follow the popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, reportedly featuring a heads-up display alongside its Meta AI integration, first-person camera, and audio playback capabilities. (Continued on next slide.)

While that's a pretty impressive leap in capabilities for the glasses, they may be outshone by the device used to interact with that heads-up display, Meta's neural wristband.

The neural wristband tracks electrical signals stretching from your brain to your hands using Electromyography, before converting those signals to inputs — allowing you to control the display of a pair of smart glasses without the use of an app, controller, or even hand tracking sensors.

According to a leaked AR/VR roadmap, both Meta's third-generation smart glasses and neural wristband (which may take the form of a smartwatch) are set for a 2025 release, which could line up nicely with an advance reveal later this week.

Read more about Meta's third-generation smart glasses and neural wristband:

• Major Meta Connect 2024 reveal may not be Orion AR smart glasses after all
• Meta secures vital smart glasses partnership ahead of Connect 2024 — Here's why it matters
• This Meta Connect reveal could change AR and gaming forever — and it's not a VR headset or smart glasses

Meta AI

Meta has made a major push on the AI front in recent years, and it's not without its payoffs. Meta AI is now available on multiple platforms in the US, including WhatsApp, Messengers, Web, and as an assistant within the company's Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses — more recently it was also added to the Meta Quest 3, beating the Apple Vision Pro as the first mixed-reality headset to adopt AI.

This year's event could announce even more features arriving in Meta AI, including a similar voice mode as ChatGPT's Advanced Voice mode and Google Gemini Live, with some reports suggesting that Meta is ready to heavily invest to secure celebrity voices for its AI assistant in future.

We could also see more about Meta AI studio, which allows users to create chatbots of their own and new information about the company's latest Llama AI models.

Read more about Meta AI:

• Meta looks to bring a much-desired ChatGPT feature to Meta AI
• Turn yourself into the next ChatGPT with Meta's new AI Studio tool

Horizon OS

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Horizon OS is Meta's virtual and mixed-reality operating system that powers its Quest headsets. It's also a likely candidate to make an appearance during Wednesday's Connect 2024 keynote as Meta reveals a host of upcoming features, apps, and games heading to the platform.

Not only are we expecting to hear more about release dates for games like Batman: Arkham Shadow, Metro Awakening VR, and Zombie Army VR to name a few, but we may also see Meta expand on some of the teased changes for Metaverse avatars. (Continued on next slide.)

Of course, Horizon OS isn't just the operating system that powers Meta Quest headsets — at least, it won't be for much longer.

As announced by Meta in April, Horizon OS is set to become the framework for many mixed reality or VR headsets going forward, with ASUS ROG, Lenovo, and Xbox all showing interest in adopting the platform as they develop their own hardware.

Meta Connect 2024 could be a great opportunity for Meta to showcase these partnerships further, potentially giving us our first look at a new wave of headsets from other brands with Horizon OS as their backbone.

Read more about Meta Horizon OS:

• Meta tease huge Metaverse avatar overhaul ahead of Connect 2024
• Meta just took a bold step to try to beat Apple Vision Pro with Horizon OS

More from Laptop Mag

• Samsung's mixed-reality smart glasses could bring Google's Project Astra to life
• This Meta Connect reveal could change AR and gaming forever — and it's not a VR headset or smart glasses
• Meta Quest headsets just became a vital accessory for PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles