Meta announced its third annual Quest Gaming Showcase is arriving next month, coming only a few days before Apple’s rumored XR headset announcement at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Meta is livestreaming the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st, a bit unusual for the company, as it traditionally holds the annual event in late April.

Calling it their “biggest celebration of the depth and breadth of content across the Meta Quest Platform yet,” Meta is slated to share over 40 minutes of content, including a brand-new pre-show covering game updates and debut trailers, starting 15 minutes before the show begins.

Meta says to expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates to existing games, and more. There’s also set to be a post-show developer roundtable, which will feature conversation around upcoming games.

There could be at least one clue to what’s in store, as we get a brief glimpse at a horned helmet in the showcase’s promo video, which seems very much like Loki’s helmet from Rift exclusive Asgard’s Wrath (2019). Maybe Meta’s Sanzaru Games has slimmed down the Norse-inspired RPG?

Meanwhile, previous reports maintain Apple is finally set to unveil its long rumored mixed reality headset during the company’s WWDC keynote, taking place on Monday, June 5th.

Provided Apple indeed plans to announce its headset at WWDC, Meta could be looking to generate so called ‘strategic noise’ to better manage market reactions, and potentially offset any negative sentiment prior to Apple’s expected announcement—undoubtedly slated to be a pivotal moment for the entire XR industry.

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Meta recently released its Q1 2023 earnings report, showing a consistent investment of around $4 billion per quarter into its XR division Reality Labs. With Apple rumored to be unveiling their own XR headset and a host of apps, reportedly set to include everything from fitness to VR/AR gaming, Meta may want to showcase where some of that investment is going.

Who knows? We may even hear more about Meta’s promised Quest 3 at the gaming showcase, which the company has confirmed will “fire up enthusiasts” when its released at some point this year, notably targeting a higher price point than its Quest 2 headset.

To find out, tune into the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st at 10AM PT (local time here), livestreamed across the company’s various channels, including Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, and in Meta Horizon Worlds.

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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 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Hussain X

    After Apple’s event, the non VR initiated crowd will do some VR digging. Maybe will even get suggestions to other recent related articles when looking at Apple’s XR coverage on news sites. They then spot it, ‘Oh, Meta just had a VR gaming showcase only a few days ago. Let me go check it out’.

    Probably why Meta’s gaming showcase is happening a few days before Apple’s conference. The gaming showcase should get a lot more exposure after Apple’s event.

    • VR5

      Agreed. VR hype creates interest, and the customer’s wallet decides what they can actually afford. And if the customer’s interests are games, they will find a more suitable purchase with Quest.

  • another juan

    last chance for quest to get some exposure before apple reality pro sucks the air out of the room for months.
    let’s hope it won’t be a huge dissappointment, like the former ones.

    • VR5

      Lol, sure gamers will be all over this device they cannot afford and that doesn’t even have controllers.

      Apple’s entry into XR is very welcome and will broaden the audience. But this showcase is aimed at gamers and I don’t think Apple’s device is catering to them at all.

      Core gaming is a large niche that makes good money. Smart devices are a much larger market with more stingy customers (but due to the size of the market, there is still more money to be made, also via advertising). Apple’s device is a step toward that large mainstream smart device market and so is Quest 3. But they’re still far off to actually reaching that market and it will require small AR glasses to eventually achieve that.

      VR gaming is a tech that is available now. It is much smaller than smart devices and gamers tend to be conservative and haven’t really abandoned screen gaming in droves but with the caveat of offering a much smaller payoff, gaming is a field where Meta (and PSVR2) can actually be successful now.

      Apple’s device is just paving the way for later.

      The rumored Playstation Showcase expected in May is a more direct competitor to this Meta Gaming Showcase, although of course, a success for Meta will position them well in comparison to Apple. It’s just not a direct competition for the exact same audience, there is more crossover with Playstation.

    • gothicvillas

      I understand Apple VR is not a gaming device.. so not sure how can it compete with Quest in terms of gaming experience.

      • Mattphoto

        The iphone wasn’t a “gaming device” when it was released. But here we are. Developers will focus on it in droves. period.

  • Damn, it’s during AWE!