Meta Connect 2024 recap: Mark Zuckerberg reveals Orion smart glasses, new AI features, transparent Ray-Bans, and an affordable Quest 3S

Zuckerberg has been all about the future of tech, and the conclusion of his keynote is no different.

His segment of the Connect keynote concluded with a skit about how the Orion smart glasses could one day transform how humans communicate today.

We're seeing what his vision is when the technology catches up, with holographic conversations with others that make it feel like your friend is in the room with you.

Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn also briefly takes the stage to say how impressed he was by Orion.

And that's it for Zuck's 2024 Meta Connect keynote!

Zuckerberg said that the Orion holographic glasses aren't quite ready to hit the shelves for consumers, but they'll be available for some external developers.

In the meantime, Zuckerberg said Meta is working on lowering the retail price for the glasses and work on manufacturing challenges.

So it'll be the next version of the glasses that Meta will eventually launch as a consumer pair — release date TBD.

Zuckerberg says that early testers of the Orion glasses were left "giddy" by what the device could do.

He rolls a video of various big names in tech and Silicon Valley trying them out early.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was among the tech CEOS, media personalities, and Olympians who praised Orion — calling its 100-gram weight "a big deal" and praising the visuals and field of view.

"I think that you need a device that allows you to send a signal from your brain to the device," Zuckerberg said.

As such, the glasses come with a bracelet that makes that possible.

Zuckerberg says Orion will be used as a "dev kit" — so don't expect to be able to buy it anytime soon.

There's a bit of theatrics to introduce the bulky eyewear — they're brought in under lock and key in a briefcase.

Zuckerberg shows off "Orion," fully holographic glasses that he says are the most advanced device of their kind.

To top off the new updates to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, Zuckerberg said the tech giant would launch a pair of limited-edition clear-frame glasses.

Zuckerberg said that Meta AI will be able to translate conversations live for those wearing their smart Ray-Ban glasses, and he demonstrated as much by carrying out a conversation in Spanish onstage with Brandon Moreno.

The glasses will translate in your ear what someone is saying, and your responses can be translated via the companion app.

Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are getting more conversational, and they'll have a better memory of what you've seen, Zuckerberg said.

They will also be outfitted with multi-modal AI that has the power to assist users in real time.

We're seeing some upcoming features, like the AI offering fashion advice based on what it sees you grabbing to put on as you get ready for a night out.

"Llama continues to improve quickly, and we're just adding more and more capabilities," Zuckerberg says.

Llama 3.2 won't be released in the European Union immediately, but Zuckerberg says Meta will soon "figure that out."

Meta is expanding its AI creator tools.

Technologist Don Allen Stevenson III joined Zuckerberg onstage to demonstrate a video calling feature during which he spoke to an AI version of Stevenson.

An AI avatar who looked and sounded like Stevenson answered questions about his creative process.

In another demonstration, creators speaking in one language could use AI to dub their videos in a new language.

According to Zuck, interacting with AI using your voice will be a better way to interact with AI than text.

To demonstrate, Zuckerberg quickly asked a Meta AI assistant a question, and the chatbot responded with the voice of actor Awkwafina.

Meta is adding a bunch of celeb voices to its AI models that you can choose from, including Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key, and Kristen Bell.

Zuckerberg maintains that Meta AI will be the most used AI resource in the world by the end of 2024.

But, Zuck says, Meta AI is "probably already there."

Zuck mentions a partnership with Microsoft to allow seamless use of a Windows PC while on the Quest.

And in the Metaverse, avatars have gotten a makeover and portals that allow users to jump around worlds will be available.

Hyperscape is another new feature for Quest users. It allows users to create photo-realistic spaces to virtually explore with photos.

We're getting a quick demo right away to test out the improved pass-through abilities found on the Meta Quest 3S, which Zuckerberg says will make mixed-reality better.

We're seeing a lot of Apple Vision Pro-like examples of someone with floating panels of content in front of them, hovering in the air. You can also stick the virtual panels to the nearby wall.

"It's been a busy year. It's been an exciting year," Zuckerberg said.

He then jumped right in with a new $299 Quest 3S, an entry-level mixed-reality headset.

The Meta Connect keynote is finally kicking off, and it'll be headlined by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The keynote was supposed to kick off at 1 p.m., but things haven't started yet. Can't be long now, though!

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, also known as Boz, is expected to be among the main speakers at the Connect keynote on Wednesday afternoon.

Less than an hour before the event kicks off, Bosworth shared an Instagram story sharing that he was headed to the event. From a mirror inside his futuristic Mercedes-Benz, we can see that he captured the video using Meta'a Ray-Ban smart glasses.

"On my way to Meta Connect," Bosworth said in the caption.

Business Insider first reported in February that Meta was aiming to show off and demo its first true AR glasses in the fall at Connect and that the prototype was referred to internally as "Orion."

Publicly, Zuckerberg hasn't held back from teasing that a new pair of AR glasses are in the works. A February photo on Threads was called out this summer for having a pair of mystery glasses in the background.

The Meta CEO responded to the question about the glasses with, "Will be ready to share more later this year."

The Connect keynote could be the time to officially introduce the public to these glasses, which are reportedly separate from the Meta Ray-Ban's, which don't feature a screen in the lenses, and the bulkier Quest headset, which is all about the VR screens and AR passthrough cameras. The "Orion" AR glasses, which are expected to integrate visuals into the lenses, aren't expected to go on sale in the near term — but seeing them demoed would offer an interesting glimpse into where Meta envisions the future of AR glasses is headed.

Zuckerberg said in an interview earlier this year that the Orion glasses won't be as stylish and slim as the Meta Ray-Ban product.