Did Meta just leak the Quest 3s, just a month ahead of Meta Connect 2024?
According to leakers online, Meta will debut what appears to be a new MR headset based on the leaked images. Further leaked information reveals that the headset will have specifications such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chipset, a single fast-switch LCD of 1832 x 1920 per eye, a 90/120 Hz refresh rate, fresnel lenses with 3-position IPD/IA adjustment, a Meta Quest 2-tyle glasses spacer, 4 IR tracking cameras, two 4MP RGB passthrough cameras, 2 IR illuminators, inside-out body tracking, and Touch Plus controllers.
Over the weekend, reports from social media platforms like Reddit and X shared images and minor details of an upcoming Quest 3s MR headset. The news comes just ahead of Meta Connect 2024 when the firm is poised to unveil more details regarding its immersive technology portfolio.
Meta has not yet revealed the device’s price; however, it is expected to be lower than the firm’s previous MR products.
Interestingly, though, the most recent Quest 3s leaks reveal a yearly pattern surrounding Meta Connect, whereby each year, the firm’s to-be-expected headset announcement is trumped by a social media leak in the weeks leading up to the event.
Last year, a Twitter user showed a Quest 3 unboxing just ahead of Connect 2023, marking a series of headset leaks ahead of that year’s showcase. Moreover, in 2022, the Meta Quest Pro leaked online ahead of Connect 2022 when someone left a device in a hotel room.
The news comes just a month ahead of Meta Connect 2024. Meta will showcase its latest digital solutions from its social media and XR portfolio on September 25-26, 2024. Connect is an event where Meta historically reveals deep insights into its XR roadmap, among other things. Meta has not yet disclosed many details about the event, but it is expected to feature various sessions, technologies, and speakers, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Meta seems to suffer from leaks commonly before Connect, a marketing tactic, or is Meta too relaxed regarding information on its hardware development?
What is Next for Meta at Connect 2024?
The upcoming event is expected to showcase the anticipated Quest 3s, but Meta also has various other XR initiatives in the works, including smart glasses and headsets. During SIGGRAPH 2024, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed Meta’s future XR hardware plans and the role of AI in the technology.
Zuckerberg believes that XR devices won’t completely replace traditional devices like smartphones or laptops. When discussing future-leading XR devices, Zuckerberg stated, “When we think about the next computing platform, we break it down into mixed reality, the headsets, and the smart glasses.”
Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta’s use of AI, LLMs, and XR enables the company to create an open ecosystem, distinguishing its XR investments. With companies like Samsung showing interest in the XR space, their existing device ecosystems could enhance the potential of new Meta devices.
During the recent Big XR News Show, Cam Stevens, CEO and Lead Consultant at Pocketknife Group, discussed Meta’s broader ecosystem and explained how competitors have an advantage due to their device ecosystems.
Stevens noted:
Meta doesn’t have a hardware ecosystem number 1, but they’ve got a reputation. Unfortunately, in enterprises, they have a reputation whether you like it or not.Having said that, maybe what breaks down that reputation might be things like the Llama LLM that’s performing quite nicely. Where people are using Llama over Gemini or over CoPilot/OpenAI, large language models. Maybe Llama is what will break through as being that enterprise player that connects people.
Since their release in October of last year, the latest Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have experienced a surge in sales compared to the previous version. This has led to reports of Meta being in discussions to acquire a five percent stake in Ray-Ban’s owner, EssilorLuxottica. According to LSEG data, Reuters has estimated that the stake could be valued at $4.73 billion, considering the overall company valuation of over $94 billion.