Meta’s annual Connect conference took place this past week. And they spilled the beans on a bunch of cool new stuff over the two-day event, including their latest VR headset and even a pair of super-smart AR specs. Oh, plus lots of clever Ai stuff too.
We weren’t lucky enough to fly out to Menlo Park to see it all in the flesh. And chances are you couldn’t make the trip either. That’s why we’ve rounded up the biggest announcements from Meta Connect 24 here, so you can get clued up on everything in just a few minutes.
Meta Quest 3S mixed reality headset
It’s the end of the road for Quest 2. That’s because Meta’s new, affordable mixed reality headset is here — Quest 3S. And not only does it look similar to the excellent Quest 3 — it’s packing a few of its standout features under the hood too. Including the very same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and 8GB of RAM.
That means much sharper visuals and faster loading times than Quest 2, plus the ability to run Meta’s full catalogue of games and apps. And that’ll include the upcoming Meta Quest 3 and 3S exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow, where you’ll get to step into Bruce Wayne’s shoes and take on Gotham’s worst criminals in hand-to-hand combat.
The Quest 3 features pancake lenses and packs in a few more pixels than the new Quest 3S for higher-res images. But the 3S will still provide a great view with its fresnel lenses. And it’ll come with the exact same Touch Plus Controllers as Quest 3. So, whether you’re moving a piece in a digital board game or swinging a lightsabre — your hands will track just as precisely.
It’s not all about playing games though. With full colour passthrough cameras, you can still see the world around you and enjoy mixed reality experiences. Like catching up on your favourite shows on a cinema-sized screen or working out with a virtual personal trainer. You’ll even be able to extend your laptop with extended displays, so you can see and do even more.
All sounds great, but how much does Meta Quest 3S cost? The headset starts from just £289 for the 128GB version. Or spend a little extra and double your storage with the 256GB option. What’s more, if you buy a Meta Quest 3S before 30 April 2025 — you can claim Batman: Arkham Shadow for free!
Meta Quest 3S – 128 GB
Meta Quest 3S – 256 GB
Meta Quest 3 & 3S Charging Dock
Meta Quest 3 & 3S Carrying Case
Meta Orion AR glasses
Five years after they were announced, Orion’s finally here — dubbed the “the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made.” These smart specs are designed to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds by weaving AR and Ai into your everyday life. And they’re snazzy too — resembling a pair of regular prescription glasses.
These wearable wonders can beam multitasking windows right in front of your eyes, but let you stay connected to the world around you. Take a hands-free video call with your work colleague while you move around the room. View and send WhatsApp messages with your voice. Or browse the web without using your smartphone.
But how do you use the Meta Orion glasses? A custom eye tracking system lets you use your eyes and hands kind of like a mouse, but you’ll have to wear a neural wristband to click, scroll, and menu dive with specific finger movements. So, these glasses aren’t quite a standalone product — especially as they also need a wireless compute puck you’ll have to store in your pocket.
That aside, it’s Meta Ai that really makes these glasses special. It’s a smart assistant that understands what you’re seeing in the real world, which can then generate useful visualisations to help you out. Don’t know what to make for dinner? Just open up your fridge and ask the glasses for a recipe based on what you’ve got in there.
So, when will you be able to get your hands on them? For now, Meta’s trialling Orion with their employees and select audiences only. This is so they can learn a bit more and continue to push the tech forward. Meta just want to make sure that the final product hitting the shelves will be really polished, which they say will be coming in the near future.
New and improved Ai features for Ray-Ban Meta glasses
Let’s move onto some smart glasses from Meta that you can actually buy and wear. A year after they were launched, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are receiving a raft of new and updated Ai features to help you remember where you parked, translate speech in real time, and much more:
- Say “Hey Meta” once: Forget about getting Meta Ai’s attention every time you have a question. Just say “Hey Meta” once to kick off your conversation and ask whatever you want. Then if you’ve got a follow-up query, there’s no need to repeat “Hey Meta” again.
- Remember stuff easily: If you’re forgetful, you can now rely on your Ray-Ban Meta glasses to keep track of things. Parked in a big multi-storey? They’ll remember your parking spot for you, so you can find your way back to your car in no time. And you can use your voice to set reminders too, like paying for your parking ticket before you leave.
- Record and send voice messages: Received a text when cooking dinner or washing the dishes? The last thing you’ll want to do is grab your phone with greasy hands to write out a text. When wearing these glasses, you can now record and send messages on WhatsApp and Messenger with your voice — so you won’t have to pause what you’re doing.
- Meta Ai with video: This can be really handy if you’re wandering around a new city. With Meta Ai tagging along, ask it questions about landmarks or for recommendations on what to visit next. Just like a personalised tour guide!
- Translate languages in real-time: This is a big feature coming soon. If you love going abroad but aren’t great with languages, your glasses will be able to act like an interpreter when conversing with someone speaking French, Spanish, or Italian. They’ll quickly translate what they’re saying into English through the open-ear speakers. More languages will be added over time too.
- Advanced app integration: Not only are Meta getting these glasses to work better with Spotify and Amazon Music — they’re also adding new partnerships with iHeart and Audible. Making it easier than ever to use your voice to play the content you want on the go. Ask to spin a song, album, artist, or audiobook. And you can even ask stuff like “Hey Meta, which album is this song featured on?”
Limited edition ‘Shiny Transparent’ Wayfarer frames
Ray-Ban and Meta have expanded their smart glasses range with new styles over time, but they’ve possibly just released their coolest look yet. These limited edition Wayfarer frames embrace the “essence of innovation through transparency” according to Meta, and show off all the amazing tech wizardry going on inside.
They come with cool transition lenses that look stellar too. And in fact, Meta are bringing EssilorLuxottica’s new range of UltraTransitions® GEN S™ lenses to their whole Ray-Ban Meta collection. Nice.
Meta Ai is getting even smarter
Meta has already introduced lots of Ai experiences across its products over the past year. To help you tick tasks off your to-do list, be more creative, and learn new things. And they’re not hanging around. Like lots of other leading tech companies, they’re investing heavily in artificial intelligence and have just announced even more stuff Meta Ai can do:
Talk to Meta Ai
That’s right, Meta Ai’s now got a voice. Which means you can talk to your assistant using Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram DMs with Meta Ai firing responses back to you loud and clear.
It’ll answer your questions and even tell a joke if you need a quick laugh. And the delivery might be on point too, as there will be a few different voices you can choose from. Including celebrities like Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, and Kristen Bell!
Share and edit photos with Ai
Want to learn something about a snap you’ve taken or downloaded? Just share it with Meta Ai in a chat and it’ll answer any question you have about it. Like what kind of pretty flower is behind you in a selfie, or what breed of dog photobombed your family photo at the park. You can even add a picture of a delicious-looking cake and your Ai sidekick will whip up the recipe for you in seconds.
But Meta Ai can now also edit your pics if they need a bit of a spruce up. Just post your photo in the chat and tell Meta Ai what you’d like added, removed, or tweaked. Swap out the background, change the colour of the outfit you’re wearing — it can do loads.
Ai updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger
Meta’s making their Imagine features even more, well… imaginative. Ever dreamt of being a superhero? It’ll convincingly dress you up in a mask and cape, and maybe even add some bulk. Then you can share that pic to your feed or Stories so your followers can see, react, and mimic it. Meta Ai can also suggest captions for your Stories on Facebook and Instagram, to make content creating even easier.
And while you can already change up your chat themes in Messenger and Instagram DMs, Ai’s now giving you even more ways to customise the look of your conversations. By tapping Themes in your chat settings, you can make the perfect personalised theme using the power of Ai.
Translate content on social apps
Meta is also trialling some innovative Ai to break down language barriers in social media content. Their tool can automatically translate the audio of Reels using dubbing and lip syncing, so your content can reach even more people across the globe. It’ll even simulate your voice in that different language!
Source: CURRYS.CO.UK