Meta announces a one-day virtual event called Meta Connect

A new site that reads “Welcome to Meta Connect” teases the one-day Meta Connect event with a live countdown to October 11th. This event will focus on the topic of the metaverse and explore the future of augmented and virtual reality. 

The Connect events are not a new concept with the first one dating back to 2014 when Facebook acquired Oculus. The event was originally called Oculus Connect, then rebranded to Facebook Connect and finally to what we have today — Meta Connect. 

Also: 2023 will be a pivotal year for VR: Which headset will you buy?

These events take an in-depth look at the future of AR and VR with insight from industry leaders and discussions. The website currently says more information and speaker details are coming soon.

The event comes at a perfect time since Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in August that the Meta VR Headset Project Cambria headset would be dropping in October during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. 

Announced in 2021, Project Cambria is Meta's highest-end VR headset. Like its most popular headset, the Meta Quest 2, it will be a stand-alone device. On the podcast, Zuckerberg also revealed that the headset will have an eye-tracking sensor, unique to this headset.

Also: Get your VR headset now: Meta is increasing the cost of the Quest 2 

Meta has been dominating the VR headset space, capturing 90% of the market, according to an IDC study. The study forecast VR shipments to grow further in 2022, as volumes for the entire year are expected to reach 13.9 million units, up 26.6%. 

With this much growth in the space, we can expect more competitors to enter the market — including Apple. 

Apple is expected to dive into the new space and release a headset in 2023. Recently, a shell company connected to Apple filed trademark applications in multiple countries for the names “Reality One”, “Reality Pro” and “Reality Processor”, possible names for a new VR/AR headset.