Meta Connect is Shaping Up to Be Very Much About Smart Glasses This Year

By
Scott Hayden
-
24

Meta has now released details of its upcoming Connect developer conference, which takes place September 17th – 18th. Following its success with Ray-Ban Meta, the company appears to again be putting smart glasses front and center this year.

The company has released brief descriptions of a few sessions, including the September 17th keynote featuring Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as well as the September 18th developer keynote, and a conversation on “the future of computing.”

Undoubtedly, the mention of its smart glasses (which Meta ‘AI glasses’) are high on the list, and it may be for good reason.

According to previous reports from a number of outlets and supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Meta is preparing a new pair of smart glasses with a display, codenamed ‘Hypernova’, which are expected to cost around $800.

Image courtesy Luna

Notably, a rash of leaks provided by data miner ‘Luna’ starting in late June seem to show the glasses in full (seen above), suggesting that Hypernova (aka ‘Celeste’) could be a solo project not marketed in conjunction with Ray-Ban and Oakley maker EssilorLuxottica.

They’re also said to include a single monocular heads-up display and a wrist-worn electromyography (EMG) based controller for input. As you’d expect, the information contained in these reports have not been confirmed by Meta, so we’ll just have to tune in and see for ourselves.

Still, something is coming, and a new pair of smart glasses is a good bet. As covered by UploadVR in early August, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth noted that Connect 2025 will include a “big wearables announcement”.

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Sessions will also (of course) feature the company’s progress on AI and well as its metaverse ambitions with social VR platform Horizon Worlds. You can check out the times and descriptions below:

Connect Keynote

  • Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00 pm PST (local time)
  • Join Mark Zuckerberg as he shares the latest on AI glasses and lays out Meta’s vision for artificial intelligence and the metaverse.

Developer Keynote

  • Thursday, September 18 at 10:00 am PST (local time)
  • Hear from executives across Meta on how our latest technologies are creating opportunities for developers to build new experiences for people. 

Spotlight conversation: the future of computing

  • Thursday, September 18 at 10:45 am PST (local time)
  • As Meta announces its latest line of new products and updates that takes the next steps on the journey to the next computing platform, we look even further into the future. Join visionaries Michael Abrash and Richard Newcombe as they reveal the exciting future of glasses with contextual AI, and how Meta is poised to transform the future of computing.

There are also a number of developer talks on the books, which Meta appears to still be filling out as we approach kickoff. You can check out all of the above on the Meta Connect website.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Rudl Za Vedno

    Glasses, glasses, glasses, AI, AI AI. Whatever makes shareholders happy nowdays, VR be damned. And don't give me sh@t about Zuck loving VR. What he loves is $$$ nothing else. He's willing to throw away VR like old socks the day AR becomes mainstream.

    • CURTROCK

      The Quest 3 is now hitting its stride as far as gaming goes, and there is no need for a hardware upgrade this year. Meta is surely not throwing away their multi-billion $$ investment in VR, as they are still leading and defining the industry. Your endless maligning and criticism towards Meta and EVERY SINGLE THING they do is quite transparent and easily refutable.

      • Octogod

        The Quest 3 is now hitting its stride…

        The data disagrees. It sold millions less than last year, the software is worse than last year, most VR studios have closed or moved out of VR.

        Meta is surely not throwing away their multi-billion $$ investment in VR…

        Maybe you missed that they no longer call this VR? These are mixed reality devices. So they did throw it away, just as they threw away their paid ecosystem for a Roblox clone that has had low adoption for several years.

        And Meta has been very open that they feel VR is a bridge to MR. That's why they're making the smart glasses.

        Your endless maligning and criticism towards Meta and EVERY SINGLE THING they do is quite transparent and easily refutable.

        People have opinions. You may be able to refute theirs. But the "evidence" you shared shows the opposite of your argument.

        • Arno van Wingerde

          Yes, hoping that Deckard can save VR gaming: with Steam selling games IS their main business!

        • XRC

          Meta has a huge hard-on for AI and is busy buying up the "big men" at ridiculous salaries and bonuses, putting noses out of joint

          Makes complete sense as the driving mission is glasses on faces; damn they are doing their utmost to avoid playing third fiddle to the existing Google/Apple smartphone duopoly during the transition from handheld to wearables

          AI assistant on glasses is already here with Google's deepmind backed AI adventure the current champion, Meta are in for a fight which will make the VR write downs a pleasant memory

          • Octogod

            I think you're spot on.

            Apple, Amazon, and Google have glasses-like devices in stores, so Meta wants theirs to continue to dominate in both sales and innovation.

            Meta has realized that their play of a single device hub for XR is just not viable. They took several swings at the plate and they did not hit that mass audience they need.

            The phone will be, for the forseeable future, the hub. And so the new model is augmented accessories, which have AI (and ad tracking) built-in. Lower effort with higher revenue potential.

          • XRC

            The unexpected feedback I had from sources at brand stores here in London is that social media capture is driving force behind Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glass sales with the AI features ramping up over time, it's general public not tech nerds buying them.

            Very smart to put that technology into prime retail locations with on demand demonstration.

            Perhaps the sheer value from hands free social media capture was under estimated by technically minded enthusiasts focused on LLM powered enhancement

        • CURTROCK

          Evidently, you can’t read, or you enjoy misrepresenting what was posted:

          “The data disagrees. It sold millions less than last year, the software is worse than last year, most VR studios have closed or moved out of VR.”

          What I actually posted:

          The Quest 3 is now hitting its stride as far as gaming goes.

          Nowhere did I mention “Sales” The software is starting to fully utilize the power of Quest 3, and the games are looking and playing better. For example, check out STARVAULT. (There are others too) Therefore, there is no need currently to release new hardware on this cycle. Just because Meta is expanding into wearable glasses, does not make the post I initially responded too, correct or even reasonable.

          “People have opinions. You may be able to refute theirs. But the "evidence" you shared shows the opposite of your argument.”

          I didn’t present ANY evidence, I just shared my opinion. Although, if I was to present any evidence, I would point to the initial poster’s history, which shows he has been maligning EVERY SINGLE THING Meta has done, for over 3 years. So, I think it’s fair to call that out.

          • Octogod

            What you said:
            The Quest 3 is now hitting its stride as far as gaming goes.

            What I said:
            “The data disagrees. It sold millions less than last year, the software is worse than last year, most VR studios have closed or moved out of VR.”

            Can you not read or are misrepresenting what I was posting? My guess is that you can read and were not misrepresenting, just that you skimmed and wrote from emotion.

            My point here is that 2022 was the peak and it has been slowly downhill, where after this year it is likely to be quickly downhill.

            One thing you need to keep in mind is that game dev takes years. Many titles releasing this year started 2-3 years ago. That market would have been very successful for these titles. Today's market will ensure they do not survive.

            I have been part of the Starvault beta since it was debuted. This weekend they announced they are moving to PC because they're not seeing the traction they need on Quest in 2025.

      • philingreat

        nDreams announced they are working on a horizon world game called Top Hat. A game only playable on mobile, not compatible with VR. Pretty sure this was sponsored by Meta as they try to push mobile gaming of their horizon world games. If they would care about VR, they would not allow this.

        • Christian Schildwaechter

          I wasn't aware of that, and it is apparently already out. Even though I understand that they basically have to push Horizon Worlds on mobile if they want to have a chance to get to 100M+ users, I'm surprised that they are already going for (some) mobile-only content.
          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/816d299dc98d660902cdd228cc9a086c7486749551a745b1a9bfe114f79e7dfa.jpg

        • Octogod

          Great find. There is 0% chance this wasn't a contract project from Meta, as were other Quest games from nDreams.

          Meta purposefully reduces the reach of their store to paid content, floods the market with 4,000 games, and then yanks the chain on studios so they help build Horizon at a discounted rate. Gross.

    • sfmike

      I agree. We will have to look to China for future VR innovation as once profit slows on any product predatory capitalist companies just junk products as a smaller piece of the financial pie and concept of niche markets are no longer considered viable in the US market. Mass market financial windfall or failure are the only things corporations recognize.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    That's what I'm afraid of. I love the tech behind it and the eventual augmented reality on glasses to display important information, entertainment, etc.

    But at the same time, it could give corporations access to what we see, hear and say, all the time. Like the ring camera thing on steroids. Maybe you can opt out on some of it. But we know all that data collected from ease dropping without permission is what they are looking for to potentially sell more products and services and give authorities eyes on everything. It's crazy dangerous.

    It's like Google. Look up one thing on the browser, and somehow, products and commercials pop on YouTube and the Google browser when I didn't ask to be advertised to. Sometimes I even think the phone is listening because it can't be a coincidence that ads pop up from conversations I'm having with others. Not once. Multiple times.

    • Smokey_the_Bear

      they love your phone, they listen, all apps do, and we blindly click "Agree", and download the app.

  • JakeDunnegan

    It's already here. I imagine it's only a matter of time that people will invent some type of static interference that can be purchased to protect your image.

    But phones already film like crazy and it's not that hard to make it less obvious than most people already do.

    • ApocalypseShadow

      I saw recently that some guy created an ad blocker for future augmented reality ads in glasses The images for it are funny.

      I'm guessing he's saying no to a 2030 minority report society happening for real.

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        Ad blockers for augmented reality are probably more driven by Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One:

        This is the first of our planned upgrades. Once we can roll back some of Halliday's ad restrictions, we estimate we can sell up to 80% of an individual's visual field before inducing seizures, so picture this…

        And/or the HYPER-REALITY video that went viral in 2016. The top rated comment with close to 15K upvotes says "This Hyper-Reality need an Ad-Block app urgent." youtu_be/YJg02ivYzSs
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7a984c6bdd483cc2fef01ceb7f7fb8d6a031f3791b9db8ddcd9ca0d9f8c532ea.jpg

        • ApocalypseShadow

          I remember that video! I forgot all about it. Interesting but crazy at the same time. Too much visual bloat.

          But seems to be the future for the individuals that will be able to afford the glasses that will do that and the obvious subscriptions that will come with them.

    • XRC

      Check out Reflectacles amongst other brands offering anti surveillance sunglasses

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        Given that smartglasses with always-on object recognition will probably become widespread within a couple of years, the sole remaining option (other than living in a cave) for personally dealing with the problem of ubiquitous surveillance will be wearing a pair of Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses, designed to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger.

        • Nevets

          I suspect this is horribly accurate! (Edit, I guess they'll just be a jj200 app for that)

          • Christian Schildwaechter

            Hm, that might be a great business opportunity for future see-through smartglasses that can actually hide/overlay real world objects.

            An astonishing large number of people couldn't play Skyrim, because the frost spiders triggered their arachnophobia, until someone released the "Spiders Begone" mod that replaces all spiders with bears, because bears are much less frightening than spiders. youtu_be/gU5gcum9Pl4?&t=445

            So instead of just turning totally black whenever danger approaches like the original JJ200, smartglasses could get an upgraded app that replaces danger with something harmless, so all you see is a sweet puppy sitting in a web in the upper corner of the room. Just don't make it too cute, otherwise the human urge to pet everything might lead to some unforeseen consequences.

  • LazyFox

    The Quest 3 is due for an upgrade, and I really want them to bring OLED back.