The fifth Oculus Connect developer conference is happening in San Jose, California this week. Besides being a place for VR developers to meet up and discuss the future of immersive technologies, expect Facebook — the owner of Oculus — to lay out its next steps for where VR (and AR) will head next. And yes, that may include new hardware being unveiled.
When is Oculus Connect?
The event is Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday, September 26 in San Jose.
The big keynote presentation starts Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET), and is scheduled to run for two hours.
How can I watch online?
The keynote is being streamed live on Facebook. Watch the livestream here starting at 10 a.m. PT. (We’ll try to embed the video on this page once the stream starts.)
If you prefer to not log into Facebook, videos should also be posted to Facebook’s Oculus VR YouTube channel.
How can I watch in VR?
Facebook is streaming the Oculus VR keynotes in the company’s Oculus Venues VR app for the first time. Oculus Venues is Facebook’s first effort to create a live social viewing place where videos can be watched in a virtual stadium environment with an audience of human avatars. Oculus Venues is only available on Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR headsets. Here are all the ways to follow along:
- Download Oculus Venues on Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR, which promises broadcasts throughout the conference alongside VR avatars if you feel like seeing what that’s like. (I’ll be keeping a charged-up Samsung Galaxy phone with Gear VR and/or Oculus Go nearby.)
- Facebook’s VR esports page will show VR gaming info and events tied to Oculus Connect.
- Oculus Rift users can’t use Venues, but there are ways to make a group hangout and watch the stream in the Rift Core 2.0 beta.
What to expect
Last year, Facebook unveiled its first standalone VR headset, Oculus Go. This year, Oculus is expected to unveil a lot more details about its next-generation standalone VR headset, code-named Project Santa Cruz, which still doesn’t have a price, release date or even a real name. That model is expected to sit between the high-end, PC-connected Oculus Rift and the entry-level $199, £199 or AU$299 Oculus Go, which was introduced earlier this year.
It’s always possible we’ll hear of price drops for the aging Oculus Rift PC headset, or this year’s Oculus Go. Connect is also where the future of VR is discussed, sometimes well beyond any immediate timeframe.
We’ll be updating this page with key news from the event as it happens.
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