“Welcome to Meta Connect”, displays the site announcing the next Meta event. Below the tagline, a live countdown counts down the time until October 11, when the event will be held. It will be on the theme of the metaverse and will explore the future of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
From Oculus to Meta
Meta Connect is not a new concept. The first dates back to 2014: following the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook, it was called Oculus Connect at the time. It was then renamed Facebook Connect, then Meta Connect – its current name.
The future of augmented reality and virtual reality are at the center of Connect events. They showcase industry leaders and encourage discussion around the topic.
The event’s presentation website gives more information on the topics covered, and the list of speakers should be available soon.
Cambria Project
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, had announced in August, in the podcast The Joe Rogan Experiencethat the “Project Cambria” VR headset would be launched in October.
Announced in 2021, Project Cambria is about Meta’s highest-end VR headset. Like its most popular headset, the Meta Quest 2, it will be a standalone device.
In the podcast, the Meta boss also revealed that the headset will feature an eye-tracking sensor – something exclusive to this headset.
Meta dominates 90% of the market
Meta dominates the VR headset space. The company has indeed captured 90% of the market, according to an IDC study. This study also predicts that headphone sales will increase further in 2022, as volumes for the full year are expected to reach 13.9 million units, an increase of 26.6%.
But with such growth in this sector, Meta could see some competitors entering the market – notably Apple.
Apple should indeed launch into VR with its first helmet in 2023. Recently, an Apple-related shell company filed trademark applications in several countries for the names “Reality One”, “Reality Pro” and “Reality Processor” – the potential names of the VR/AR headset with the Apple logo.
Source: ZDNet.com