What We’re Expecting From Facebook Connect
REWIND rounds up everything you need to know about the upcoming Facebook Connect event.
Back in August, Facebook announced that it was rebranding the Oculus Connect event to Facebook Connect. Around the same time, the company announced that the Oculus AR and VR divisions had been renamed Facebook Reality Labs.
In a statement, Facebook said: “This is our seventh year hosting our annual AR/VR conference, and over the years, Connect has grown to include so much more than Oculus, with research updates and product news from Spark AR to Portal from Facebook. Moving forward, our annual AR/VR event will be called Facebook Connect to better reflect its broader scope, and we look forward to sharing even more news that represents the work happening across the entire Facebook Reality Labs team.”
Whilst Facebook has said that “Oculus and other product brand names aren’t going anywhere”, these rebrands are a clear sign that Facebook’s name is only going to grow in the AR and VR space.
In fact, this rebranding follows the controversial decision for Oculus headsets to require Facebook logins, with the option to keep a non-linked Oculus account being phased out, starting in October. Later this year, you’ll only be able to sign up for an Oculus account through Facebook. This move has angered VR fans who are dubious about Facebook’s data collection policies. We are likely to see this decision addressed at Facebook Connect.
The highly anticipated event has seen huge announcements in previous years. Here’s some key information for anyone wanting to attend Facebook Connect.
When is Facebook Connect?
Due to the worldwide pandemic, the event will be online-only this year, starting on September 16th at 10 AM PST. You can sign up to get the latest updates around the event on the Facebook Connect Website.
How can I watch Facebook Connect?
It will be streamed on Facebook Live and Oculus Venues at 10 AM PST on September 16th. Follow Facebook Reality Labs on Facebook to be notified when it goes live.
What if I can’t watch it live on 16th September?
The event content, including the keynote and sessions, will be available on the Facebook Reality Labs page after the event.
How much is Facebook Connect?
It’s free!
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in AR and VR and what the future holds.
What can we expect from Facebook Connect?
The online schedule for the event lists 35 + speakers and 15+ sessions that promise to be the ‘biggest AR/VR conversation of the year’, with keynotes from Facebook leaders and industry visionaries. If this year’s event is like previous Oculus Connects, Mark Zuckerberg will likely make an appearance at the Keynote.
We are expecting announcements covering Oculus, new VR games, Spark AR — Facebook’s phone-based AR system, AR Glasses, and maybe Portal videophone. You can see the full list of the confirmed talks on the Facebook Connect website.
Is Oculus Quest 2 going to launch at the event?
Ever since renowned Twitter leaker, WalkingCat, posted pictures of a white Oculus headset, the internet has been awash with rumours around Oculus Quest 2. Now, Quest is suddenly out of stock globally, the rumour mill suggests that Quest 2 will be announced next week during Facebook Connect.
However, this is really just an assumption, based on the fact that in the past, Oculus Connect events have seen huge announcements, including the original Oculus Quest at Oculus Connect 5 in 2018. While we wait for the official information, here’s a round-up of everything we know about Oculus Quest. We’d like to see a faster, lighter, more powerful headset with a better resolution to rival the best PC-tethered headsets.
If you are unable to attend the live event, we will have a full roundup of all the important announcements here on XRLO the day after the event — watch this space!
XRLO: eXtended Reality Lowdown is brought to you by REWIND, an immersive design and innovation company. If you want to talk tech, ideas, and the future, get in touch here.
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