Meta (META) kicked off its annual Connect conference Wednesday with a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who announced a lower-cost Quest 3S headset, Orion augmented reality glasses, new artificial intelligence (AI) features, and more.
Quest 3S Headset Reveal
Zuckerberg’s first announcement at the event was to unveil the $299.99 Quest 3S, with preorders opening Wednesday and the new headset launching Oct. 15. Another version with higher storage will be available for $399.99, still below the $499.99 price tag of the Quest 3 launched last year, and a fraction of Apple’s nearly $3,500 Vision Pro.
Zuckerberg said the Quest 3S will be just as technologically capable at launch as the Quest 3 was, able to perform all the same functions and use the same apps, with key differences including storage capacity and display.
Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Updates, Orion Unveiling
Meta unveiled new features for its smart glasses made in partnership with Ray-Ban as well, including live translation, expanded partnerships allowing users to control apps like Spotify (SPOT) with the glasses, and the ability to remember information the glasses see like phone numbers or parking spots. Zuckerberg highlighted a limited edition transparent design that he said showcases the technology that powers the device.
The keynote also included the unveiling of Meta’s Orion smart glasses, prototype AR glasses that Meta says could be “the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made.” However, Zuckerberg suggested it may be some time before the company releases a consumer version, and said Meta will use the glasses internally for software development for the time being.
New AI Features With Translation, Celebrity Voices
Zuckerberg demonstrated an AI translation feature on the Ray-Ban smart glasses, along with other new AI features like a voice for its Meta AI assistant, which comes with a number of celebrity options including John Cena. Other new features included enhanced AI photo editing and automatic language translation in Reels, Meta’s short-form video feature on Facebook and Instagram.
Zuckerberg Says Meta AI Is on Track To Become the Most Popular AI Assistant
Meta is also releasing its latest AI model, Llama 3.2, to power the new AI features and allow developers to use its models to build their own AI tools. Zuckerberg said during Wednesday’s keynote that Meta’s AI assistant currently has roughly 500 million monthly active users, and that it’s on track to be the most-used AI assistant in the industry by the end of 2024.
Meta shares finished 0.9% higher at $568.31 Wednesday, and have gained over 60% since the start of the year.