Connect 2023 Archives

Meta Quest 3—already available for pre-order today starting at $500—is slated to arrive at doorsteps come October 10th. Like Quest 2, the company’s latest and greatest features an all-white design, but for the first time Meta is actually offering some color customization accessories that look to make this three-eyed headset even more flashy.

There seems to be a pattern here: Quest (2019) was black. Quest 2 (2020) was white. Quest Pro (2022) is black. Quest 3 is…white… again. Sort of.

Meta unveiled an avalanche of accessories for Quest 3, and among them is the $50 optional Quest 3 Facial Interface & Head Strap kit, which provides a replacement fabric facial interface and a color-matched, flexible head strap.

While you’ll probably have to head to aftermarket companies (please D-Brand, make it happen) to cover up the main bit, the Quest 3 Facial Interface & Head Strap kit can get you started out of the gate, available in ‘Elemental Blue’ and ‘Blood Orange’.

You can nab these two accessories and a host of others starting today, including things like a charging dock, the usual flavors of battery and non-battery Elite headstraps, an official carrying case, and replacement bits galore. Pre-orders launch today over on Meta’s website, but will also likely have availability through online retail partners Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.

– – — – –

Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.

Meta announced that Connect, its annual XR developer conference, will have an “in-person presence” this year, marking the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in late 2019.

Connect is set to take place on September 27th and 28th at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California—an entirely new occurrence in itself, since the company traditionally held its in-person Connects at off-site venues, including the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose and Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.

Registration for the in-person experience is “limited,” Meta says, with attendees having access to demo experiences, networking events, and more. Meta says to expect in-depth looks at new products, such as the upcoming Quest 3, the latest in AI and XR innovation, developer updates, and an exploration of “how the metaverse is coming to life.”

The company says the event will also be livestreamed, which will include a keynote by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Developer State of the Union, and breakout sessions covering “a range of topics related to AI and virtual, mixed, and augmented reality.”

Slated to arrive sometime in late 2023, the $500 Quest 3 signifies the company’s next big consumer ambitions following its decidedly pricey Quest Pro headset released late last year, now priced at $1,000 after a tactical $500 price slash.

We’re hoping to get an eye-full of Quest 3 there and hear more about precise launch details; Connect 2023 could even be an opportune moment to launch the headset. The event should give us a good idea of how much ‘gas’ Meta intends to use to push the upcoming headset, which, like Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro, is a mixed reality headset that includes color passthrough and augmented reality capabilities.

The company says it will share more on specific developer talks in the near future. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Connect website for more information.

Quest 3 is Meta’s First Headset with Customizable Color Options

Meta’s Annual XR Conference Will Have an “In-person Presence” for the First Time Since 2019