Meta has officially announced that its Meta Connect VR conference will be held on September 27th, where it will showcase the latest developments in its expanding, and expensive, metaverse vision.
Mete first previewed the event back in June, as part of its Meta Gaming Showcase, where it outlined the technical specifications of its coming Quest 3 headset. Now, it’s shared some more info on what will be happening at Connect 2023, which will focus on its latest advances in AI connection.
As per Meta:
“Connect 2023 will have an in-person presence at Meta Headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., and we’ll stream the action live on various social channels so anyone can tune in, no matter where in the world they happen to be. The two full days of programming will include a Keynote hosted by Mark Zuckerberg, the Developer State of the Union, and breakout sessions covering a range of topics related to AI and virtual, mixed, and augmented reality. Those who attend in person will also have access to demo experiences, networking events, and more.”
While the metaverse hasn’t necessarily been a hit for Zuck and Co. just yet, they remain committed to the long-term vision, with Meta’s investment in VR continuing to grow, as it eyes the next stage.
Indeed, Meta’s currently on track to take a $15 billion loss on its VR bets in 2023, which would best last year’s $14 billion VR development hit. Initial responses to Meta’s VR experiences have been decidedly mixed, while its VR headset sales continue to shrink, showing that it hasn’t struck a chord with users just yet.
But all that money has to be going somewhere, and it could be that, at some stage, VR becomes a must-have, and that Zuckerberg looks like a genius once again for being well ahead of the curve on this front.
Meta’s certainly the most advanced on the VR front, and if it does become a thing, it’s best placed to win out. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but it’s not hard to imagine a world where more people are spending a lot more time in advanced VR environments within the next few years.
It’s possible, but not certain, and it’ll be interesting to see what Meta showcases at this year’s Connect event, as it looks to maximize interest in its controversial metaverse push.
You can register to attend Meta’s Connect 2023 event, in-person or online, here.
