By

Jerri Ledford

Senior News Editor, Fact Checker

• Western Kentucky University
• Gulf Coast Community College

Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.

Meta Connect is happening September 25-26, and we're expecting new Meta product and software announcements.

I have lusted over the Meta Quest 3 since it was announced in June 2023. I haven't bought it, though, because I can't figure out if it will be useful enough to justify the $500+ price tag. Hopefully, that will change at the Meta Connect event on September 25.

Meta confirmed the event on Wednesday, and when I received the invitation, I immediately registered to attend. I'm hoping to see the hotly rumored Meta Quest 3S announced (just like, probably, everyone else). The 3S is said to be a more affordable, slightly paired-down version of the Meta Quest 3. Which is exactly what I'm looking forward to. I really want a VR headset, but since I'm not sure it will have any good uses, I just can't justify plunking down a load of cash on it. If this new version actually is closer to the $200-$300 range we're expecting, then I'm all in.

Of course, the new Quest headset is not the only thing we'll see at the event. There will likely be even more generative AI squeezed into all things Meta. Mark Zuckerberg is, after all, the person who wholeheartedly believes that our future is augmented reality, and AI plays right into that vision. Meta has been steadily adding AI functionality to Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, so there's no reason not to believe that more is coming.

Given Meta's recent focus on conversational AI, I expect we'll see a lot of that, especially the Meta AI Chatbot. And Llama. We've seen a lot of news about Llama—Meta's generative AI model—and given this is technically a developer's conference, the company will dig deeper into what's coming with its Llama capabilities.

To me, those technologies just aren't as interesting as the Meta Quest 3S, though. Meta's AI capabilities will likely be hoisted on us whether we want them or not. But I do want a more affordable VR headset, and I think Meta knows that's how to expand (and control) the VR market. So, if we don't see it, I won't just be surprised, I'll be downright disappointed. Either way, I guess we'll know next week.