AdminMeta has announced that the next Quest Gaming Showcase will take place on June 1 and promises to reveal twice as many games, apps and updates as at the 2022 showcase.
As we’ve seen in previous years, these presentations give Meta a chance to reveal the VR software she and her partners have been working on for their VR headsets – the Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. We’ve seen some pretty big announcements over the last few years, and some of the best Oculus Quest 2 games have been featured in 2021 and 2022 showcases. So expect lots of exciting announcements for this year’s event as well.
However, one announcement we’re not expecting is the reveal of the Oculus Quest 3 – or any VR gear. Meta may take the opportunity to tease its upcoming headset, but a full reveal is most likely reserved for the Meta Connect 2023 presentation due in October, depending on how it usually organizes its events. Its June showcase is typically software focused, while October’s Connect is more hardware focused.
If you want to watch the upcoming presentation, it will take place on June 1, 2023 at 10:00 am. The meta hasn’t revealed where or how you can tune in, but we imagine it will be sharing live stream links on Facebook and YouTube soon.
But let’s not dwell on what won’t be at the show, let’s instead try to guess what we might see instead of Quest 3 at the upcoming Meta event.
As mentioned above, Meta has teased that this year’s event will have “double news” from the 2022 presentation. Last year we were honored with 12 new games and updates, so this year we can expect 24 announcements.
We imagine many of the reveals will be updated software we already love. It can be in the form of a new one Mini golf walk of course new Defeat Saber a music package or a new place to explore Gorilla tag among other options.
Also, there are a lot of projects that Meta has announced that are yet to go live, so keep an eye out for them. Revealed at last year’s show as Ghostbusters VR, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghostlord it will likely be shown again – hopefully with the release date revealed. Maybe we’ll hear more about it eventually GTA: San Andreas VR who was teased during the 2021 Meta presentation and hasn’t been heard from since.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Meta also gave us more details on Xbox Game Pass streaming and the Microsoft Office app for VR hardware. During the Meta Quest Pro reveal at Meta Connect 2022, Meta and Microsoft teased that Xbox game streaming and office tool suite will be available on the Quest headsets. If we’re lucky, we’ll find out when these apps arrive during the June showcase.
It’s hard for us to guess what new games and apps will be revealed, but we have some ideas.
To begin with, we expect (read: hope) that mixed reality will stand out. The Meta Quest Pro headset and other mixed reality headsets (like the HTC Vive XR Elite) are held back by a severe lack of worthwhile mixed reality games and apps. Since Quest 3 is also set to pursue mixed reality, Meta would be wise to populate its catalog now so that when new gear launches, players can get the most out of it – and help current Meta Quest Pro owners not feel too much like they’ve been left out in the cold.
As for the cake forecast in the sky, we’ll go with: Call of Duty VR. VR headsets are home to a lot of amazing titles, but the hugely iconic game franchises found on traditional consoles are currently missing – games like GTA San Andreas VR AND Call of Duty VR will change that and will probably attract many new players to the Meta platform.
The idea is not too absurd. Activision Blizzard – which is the owner Call of Duty – is currently in the process of being acquired by Microsoft, which is already in deals with Meta, to bring its software to the Quest headsets. What’s more a Call of Duty VR the announcement would also show regulators that Microsoft and Activision are not collecting Call of Duty IP.
Given how long a game takes to develop, it’s almost impossible for such an announcement to be in response to UK regulators blocking the acquisition; but given that the deal has been in the works for over a year, it’s not out of the question that the idea could have been conceived months ago and that development could have at least begun.
But don’t get your hopes up. It’s very much a pipe dream, and we’d be stunned if it did Call of Duty VR is actually announced at the Meta gaming event in June 2023. If not, you’ll still be able to enjoy all the other announcements and the huge range of top VR games already available on the Quest headset.
