Meta announced its annual Connect developer conference is set to kick off this year on September 25th-26th, which we’re hoping comes with a few key reveals and info drops we’ve definitely been waiting for.
There’s no schedule published for now, only a sign-up portal for future updates, which the company says could include “previews of our speakers, sessions and featured tech.” There’s likely set to be an in-person element for a select few, and a bunch of livestreams for everyone else to tune in to.
Historically, Meta typically does its big hardware showcases at Connect, which gives it a chance to motivate support among developers. Whether it’s an announcement or an official release date, Connect is just as important to consumers as it is developers.
At Connect 2024, we’re hoping to hear more about the recently leaked Quest 3S, which is rumored to be the company’s next affordable headset to supplant Quest 2. We haven’t seen the headset in question, so there’s plenty to learn between now and late September.
Between now and then, we’re also curious to learn more about how Meta will be handling its upcoming third-party release of HorizonOS, as it plans to release its XR operating system to third-party OEMs for the first time, which will include three initial partners: ASUS, Lenovo, and an Xbox-branded Quest device. We still haven’t seen any of those devices, and it’s a good bet that Connect could be the place to do it.
Connect isn’t the only place for game and app announcements—between now and then there is typically some sort of Quest Game Showcase as well as Gamescom in August—however its developer conference represents a historical opportunity to showcase upcoming content. We may see some heavy-hitting platform exclusives there which will help direct eyeballs to its growing third-party platform.
Among the sessions to likely look forward to: CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote outlining his vision for the near future of the platform as it grows beyond first-party hardware, CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth’s updates on the company’s social platform Horizon, and a prescient roadmap from Reality Labs chief scientist Michael Abrash, and possibly a good slate of developer talks that will dive into flushing out the platform’s mixed reality capabilities.
Less likely: any sort of update on GTA: San Andreas, which Meta announced at Connect 2021 would come to Quest 2 in partnership with Rockstar Games. But maybe not?
Whatever the case, we’ll be keeping an eye out for leaks, rumors, and of course the upcoming talk schedule Meta is set to release in the coming months, so check back soon.
What are you hoping to see at Connect 2024? Let us know in the comments below!