A comprehensive look at Meta Developer Conference: Cheaper mixed reality headsets, holographic AR glasses, AI assistants can now speak

On Wednesday, September 25th, Meta showcased its AI and VR capabilities at the Connect annual developer conference, unveiling the new generation of more affordable mixed reality headset device Quest 3S, the price reduction decision for last year's Quest 3, and the prototype of the first Orion holographic AR smart glasses. Meta also released the latest multimodal AI model LLAMA 3.2, which can simultaneously understand images and text.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Meta is committed to "bringing the future to everyone" through headsets, glasses, and AI systems. Analysts believe that Meta is attempting to demonstrate its AI capabilities today and the next generation computing platform that surpasses smartphones and computers.

The above news drove Meta's stock price to touch a daily high after the midday break, rising by 2.4% at one point. Although the gains halved by the closing, the stock price reached a historic high.

Quest 3S is priced almost half of Quest 3, with no compromise in performance, positioned as a "multi-tasking computer"

The newly launched Meta Quest 3S officially joins the Quest 3 product line, sharing the same mixed reality features and fast performance as Quest 3, but at a lower price. It is referred to as the "most affordable mixed reality headset device" by the company, suitable for beginners who are just starting to experience mixed reality and immersive experiences, as well as loyal users who have been waiting for price reductions on Quest and Quest 2.

The "S" in Quest 3S stands for "Start," and it is now available for pre-order, with an official launch on October 15th. There are two versions available, with the 128GB memory version priced at $299.99 and the larger 256GB version priced at $399.99.

At the same time, Meta also announced that the Quest 3 512GB version, introduced last year as the "best headset device for tech enthusiasts and gamers," has been significantly reduced in price from $649.99 to $499.99, while the 128GB version has been reduced from $499.99 to $429.99.

Image source: Meta official website

It is worth noting that Meta emphasizes the multitasking capabilities and ability to run applications of the Quest 3S mixed reality headset device, positioning it as a "multi-tasking computer" rather than just a gaming and entertainment device. Meta's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Quest can do everything a general-purpose computer can do, "it is a complete computer with a full set of equipment."

For example, in the demonstration, up to six applications can run simultaneously on the floating screen within the Quest 3S field of view, including YouTube videos, web browsers, Amazon Music, and the Meta app storeHowever, some people also claim that the demonstration experience is not smooth, the Amazon Music app will crash, window controls will disappear, and if you don't press the button, the Meta controller will go to sleep after a few minutes.

Meta also highlighted the improved experience of the "full-color passthrough mode", mainly by adding a physical button "Action Button" on Quest 3S to specifically activate this feature, used to switch between the passthrough mode and the immersive mode where the external world is not visible, which previously required a "double tap" on Quest 3 and Quest Pro.

Passthrough mode refers to synchronously displaying the external physical world in the digital experience through the VR headset's cameras and sensors, making it easier for users to interact with the real world. Some analysts believe that adding a physical button may make it easier for users to switch more frequently to view the surrounding reality.

Reports have stated that Meta's latest headset is aimed at getting consumers to spend more time on VR and AR games, videos, and chats, which will directly compete with Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset priced as high as $3,500, as many new features of Quest 3S are directly comparable to Vision Pro.

For example, users can immerse themselves in watching TV shows on a cinema-sized screen, have personal fitness trainers anytime, anywhere, use the headset on a plane, Quest 3S even comes with the more expensive Quest 3's Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 second-generation chip, with longer battery life. Meta claims, "With multitasking and gaming, there is no better mixed reality device on the market at this price."

Image from Meta official website

Meta also released an updated version of the Meta Horizon OS operating system to achieve "spatial computing", better supporting basic 2D applications like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, adding better spatial audio, improving the contrast and color of the passthrough mode to make it more realistic and provide an immersive experience.

In terms of appearance, Quest 3S is consistent with rumors, slightly larger overall than Quest 3, with the front sensors arranged in two triangles, while Quest 3 is arranged in three pill-shaped cutouts. Quest 3S lacks the depth sensor of Quest 3, has a lower display resolution similar to the old Quest 2, and a narrower field of view than Quest 3, but with an average usage time of 2.5 hours, greater than Quest 3's 2.2 hours.

Image from Meta official website, top left is Quest 3, bottom right is Quest 3SIn addition, Meta has announced that it will discontinue the $999 Quest Pro headset scheduled for release in 2022, and sales of Quest 2 will continue until the end of this year or until inventory is fully cleared. The company stated that in the future, it hopes to expand the "travel mode" to trains, support lying down while using the headset, continue to improve the Meta AI assistant on Quest, and enable the "Hey Meta" wake word to activate it.

Some tech media reviewers have mentioned that although some Quest 3S games play poorly, the Y-shaped split headband worn on the head makes it more comfortable to wear. Additionally, Quest 3S is closer to Quest 3 than expected, with a price almost half that of the latter, making it a very attractive purchase choice for those who have never owned a mixed reality headset device.

Orion Glasses dubbed as "the first true AR glasses" and "the most advanced AR glasses to date," currently unavailable

Meta also showcased the prototype of the first Orion augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, previously codenamed "Project Nazare," which are not currently available for consumers but are intended for internal company employees and specific external audiences to access, aiming to continuously learn, iterate, and build a consumer-level AR glasses product line at some point in the future.

Image source: Meta official website

Meta emphasized that this is the company's "first true augmented reality glasses" and "the most advanced AR glasses to date," which will be paired with the Wristband bracelet to support users in hand control, stemming from Meta's acquisition of CTRL-Labs in 2019:

"Orion combines the appearance and wearing feel of ordinary glasses with the immersive functionality of augmented reality, which is the result of almost all breakthrough inventions in the modern computing field. Orion connects the physical world and the virtual world, is user-centric, allowing users to be more immersive, more interconnected, and more powerful."

Image source: Meta official website

The company stated that the Orion prototype is a "window into the future," not a particularly early research prototype, but "one of the most exquisite product prototypes we have developed, truly representing a product that can be delivered to consumers. However, we have decided to focus on internal development for now, and in the next few years, we will launch new devices based on our R&D achievements."

In terms of functionality, the Meta AI assistant can run on the Orion AR glasses, understand what users see in the real world, and help with useful visualizations, such as providing recipes based on existing ingredients in the refrigerator or "adjusting the digital home calendar while doing the dishes, and even making a video call to a friend at the same time." Image from Meta official website

Similar to the previously launched Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, the Orion AR glasses also allow users to talk to AI assistants, make hands-free video calls, stay in touch with friends and family in real-time, view and send messages through WhatsApp and Messenger apps, take photos, etc., aiming to create a "new immersive social experience", but the Ray-Ban glasses have no display screen.

The company stated that although Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses have opened up a new category of glasses powered by AI without a display screen, the XR industry has long dreamed of true AR glasses, products that combine large holographic displays and personalized AI assistance, with the appearance of regular glasses that are comfortable to wear all day. Orion can now meet these demands:

"Orion is a feat of miniaturization, with components compressed to a fraction of a millimeter, requiring dozens of innovations to turn the design into a modern form that allows you to wear it comfortably every day.

Orion has the largest field of view among the smallest AR glasses to date, unlocking truly immersive usage scenarios, from multitasking windows, large screen entertainment to life-size holographic figures, seamlessly integrating all digital content with the view of the physical world.

But what sets Orion apart is that, both in appearance and feel, it is undoubtedly a pair of glasses with transparent lenses. Unlike today's mixed reality (MR) headsets or other augmented reality (AR) glasses, users can still see other people's eyes and expressions, shaping the sense of presence and sharing experiences with those around them."

Image from Meta official website

The company also stated that "AR glasses are the key to the next major leap in human-centered computing", and the first prototype of Orion AR glasses offers an "unprecedented breakthrough in AR display experience":

"Defining the size and shape of the glasses, providing holographic displays, developing engaging AR experiences, creating new human-computer interaction (HCI) patterns, and integrating all functions into a single product, is one of the most difficult challenges our industry faces. This challenge is so great that we believe the chances of success are less than 10%. Until the birth of Orion."

Orion will continue to iterate, focusing on adjusting the AR display quality for clearer visual effects; optimizing the size as much as possible to make it smaller, and mass production to make the price more affordable. The ultimate goal of the entire industry is to develop a product that combines the convenience and immediacy of wearable devices with large displays, high-bandwidth input, and contextual artificial intelligence, making people feel comfortable using it indoors and outdoors in their daily livesMark Zuckerberg said that the technological challenge of making AR glasses is very significant. Firstly, they must be in the form of glasses rather than bulky headsets, without wires, weighing less than 100 grams. In addition to interacting with the wearer through voice, typing, or gestures, Orion must also have a "neural interface" that allows users to send signals from the brain to the device:

"But they are the perfect form of artificial intelligence. Orion AR glasses can allow AI assistants to see what you see, hear what you hear, and help you get through the day. For example, you can have the glasses remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, see a pile of fruit and give you a recipe for making a smoothie, or help you pick out party clothes."

Reports suggest that the launch of the Orion prototype coincides with social media company Snap's announcement of its fifth-generation Spectacles AR glasses. Meta's thick-framed glasses will only be available to developers, who must commit to paying $99 per month and subscribing for a whole year.

In addition, Meta today also released the new Meta AI feature in collaboration with Ray-Ban smart glasses. For example, it can detect if the user is looking at Spanish text, and if the user requests, it can translate it into English through voice. The glasses' camera can also scan QR codes, extract book titles from photos, remember the user's parking location and hotel room number, among other information.

Zuckerberg is very excited about the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. According to market research company IDC, sales of these glasses exceeded 730,000 pairs in the first three quarters before their launch. In the July earnings call this year, he stated that the glasses "achieved greater success earlier than expected." Last week, Ray-Ban's parent company EssilorLuxottica announced an expanded partnership with Meta to develop more smart glasses.

Meta AI "speaks" and offers the voices of Hollywood stars, releasing the latest version of the large model Llama 3.2

In addition to mixed reality hardware devices, Meta also released the latest version of the multimodal AI large language model Llama 3.2, which can understand both images and text. Meta AI chatbots have also been upgraded to "speak," allowing users to interact with them directly through voice instead of written text. Just a day ago, competitor ChatGPT also offered more advanced voice features to paid users.

Reports suggest that this new Meta AI voice feature, similar to Apple's Siri, will be launched in October for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger users in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Users can engage in natural voice conversations with Meta AI through the mentioned apps, such as instructing Meta AI to launch the smartphone to take a photo.

Furthermore, the new chatbots are equipped with computer-generated voices of many Hollywood stars, including the first Asian Golden Globe winner Awkwafina, British veteran actress Judi Dench, and American actor John CenaZuckerberg said that voice could become one of the most common ways for humans to interact with artificial intelligence, even "the only one." It is reported that more than 1 million advertisers are using Meta's generative AI tools, with its AI chatbots being used by over 400 million people at least once a month and 185 million people weekly. The company is testing Meta AI translation tools to achieve automatic dubbing and lip-sync for English and Spanish short videos.

However, due to concerns about violating EU data protection laws and the possibility of fines, Meta AI will not be available in Europe. Its artificial intelligence relies on a large amount of user-generated content and data on the platform, which involves many obligations and safeguards in Europe. Like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, Meta AI is an artificial intelligence assistant that can answer questions, create images, write messages, and even provide companionship.

Some analysts point out that almost all of Meta's current revenue comes from advertising, with over $39 billion in revenue in the second quarter accounting for 98%. However, the company is also heavily investing in artificial intelligence and what Zuckerberg calls the "next generation computing platform," such as VR headsets and AR glasses. Including the acquisition of Oculus in 2014, Meta has invested over $65 billion in VR/AR hardware, but its metaverse division has incurred operating losses of over $50 billion, causing concerns among many investors, as the metaverse is still considered "non-mainstream."

In response, Zuckerberg stated that the significant investment in VR/AR is a strategic move to prevent Apple from controlling future hardware platforms. Meta's previous Quest devices benefited from aggressive marketing and prices lower than many competitors, successfully becoming the best-selling VR headset on the market with shipments of millions of units, while Apple's headset devices may have smaller sales volumes in comparison.

However, Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at consumer tech research firm Creative Strategies, pointed out that when it comes to artificial intelligence, Meta may not be the first brand that comes to mind for people, casting doubt on the logic behind its heavy investment in AR/VR, as it is unclear when tangible results in increased revenue and profit will be demonstrated:

"The biggest obstacle the company faces will be privacy and trust: many consumers cannot believe that this data will not be used for other purposes."