Facebook Connect 2020: How to watch and what to expect

Facebook has rebranded Oculus Connect to Facebook Connect and announced when it will be held. Here's what you need to know.

What is Facebok Connect?

Facebook Connect is the new name of Facebook's annual developer conference for all things virtual reality. For seven years, it was called Oculus Connect. Due to the pandemic, Facebook said the first Facebook Connect will be an entirely virtual conference, with no in-person component.

Also starting this year, Facebook has begun pitching its Facebook Connect conference as not only a showcase for its latest virtual reality efforts but augmented reality, too. Facebook Reality Labs, a unit that now covers all of Facebook’s VR and AR efforts, will be headlining Connect 2020. An Oculus press release has even suggested that the Facebook Reality Labs moniker increases “clarity” around Facebook's AR and VR teams.

Facebook bought Oculus VR in 2014 for $2 billion, and until recently, it's largely avoided integrating Oculus products deeply with the social network. (However, Facebook itself has simultaneously dabbled in VR.) The rebranding of Oculus Connect seems to be part of several new changes where Facebook is no longer keeping Oculus separate. For instance, Facebook is now requiring Facebook logins on Oculus headsets.

When is Facebook Connect 2020?

Facebook Connect will be online-only this year. It starts 16 September 2020 and will be publicly streamed online. We hope to embed the stream here once it becomes available, but we suspect you will be able to tune in from the FacebookConnect.com website, as well.

What to expect from Connect 2020

Although Facebook hasn't revealed a schedule, it said there will be over 15 sessions and more than 35 speakers. You can view the list of session topics and speakers from here. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Oculus' Michael Abrash are also expected to appear during the keynote.

VR and AR news

Facebook Connect 2020 will undoubtedly highlight both virtual reality and augmented reality news from the Facebook Reality Labs umbrella, which currently consists of Oculus VR games and headsets, Spark AR, Facebook’s phone-based AR system, and the Facebook Portal videophone.

Oculus Quest 2

Oculus typically debus new hardware at Connect, and this year we have no reason to believe that also won't be the case. Thanks to leaked images, the rumour mill already thinks a refreshed Oculus Quest headset could launch this autumn.

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