Meta debuts cheaper Quest VR headset, new AI features
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Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Connect. Screenshot: Meta
Meta unveiled a lower-cost version of its Quest 3 virtual reality headset Wednesday and demoed its prototype Orion augmented reality glasses alongside a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence efforts.
Why it matters: Facebook's parent company has shifted significant resources into AI but continues to operate the largest VR platform. A lower-cost headset helps bolster that position.
Driving the news: Meta's Quest 3S, as the lower-cost model is called, is set to be available Oct. 15 and starts at $299, the company announced at its annual Meta Connect developers' conference in Menlo Park, California.
"Orion" augmented reality glasses —Meta's most polished prototype —have the widest field of view in the industry, according to the company.
- Meta notes that it still has a ways to go in terms of lowering the cost and refining the design before the device is ready for the consumer market.
Between the lines: On the AI front, Meta released 3.2 of Llama with versions that include vision as well as a lightweight model designed to run on mobile devices.
- Meta's assistant is gaining voice capabilities across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, starting in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- In the U.S., Meta said the assistant will also be able to view photos shared in a chat, answer questions about what's in the photos and even make edits, such as removing an object or changing the background.
- Meta also said it will start testing the use of AI to create personalized content based on a user's interests and, in some cases, using their likeness.
- Meta will add new AI features to its Ray-Ban Smart glasses including live translation (between English, French, Italian and Spanish). Later this year, the glasses will be able to see in real time what a user sees, when requested, to help with things like cooking or exploring a new city.
