Meta announces June VR showcase, but don’t expect the Oculus Quest 3

Meta has announced that its next Quest Gaming Showcase will take place on June 1, and it promises to reveal twice as many games, apps, and updates as it did during the 2022 showcase.

As we’ve seen in previous years, these showcases give Meta a chance to reveal the VR software that it and its partners have been working on for its VR headsets – the Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. We’ve seen some pretty big announcements these past couple of years, with some of the best Oculus Quest 2 games being featured in the 2021 and 2022 showcases. So expect many exciting announcements for this year’s event, too.

One announcement we aren’t expecting however is an Oculus Quest 3 reveal – or any VR hardware for that matter.  Meta may take the opportunity to tease its upcoming headset but a full-on reveal is most likely being reserved for its Meta Connect 2023 showcase due in October based on how it usually runs its events. Its June Showcase is typically software-centric, while its October Connect is more hardware-focused.

If you want to tune into the upcoming showcase, it’ll happen on June 1, 2023, at 10am PT / 6pm BST / June 2 at 3am ACT. Meta hasn’t revealed where and how you can tune in but we imagine it’ll provide Facebook and YouTube livestream links soon.

What we expect from the Meta showcase 

But let’s not dwell on what won’t be on show, instead let’s try and guess what we might see instead of the Quest 3 at the upcoming Meta event.

As we mentioned above, Meta has teased that this year’s event will have “double the news” of its 2022 showcase. Last year we were treated to 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. This could be in the form of a new Walkabout Mini Golf course, a new Beat Saber music pack, or a new location to explore in Gorilla Tag among other options.

Additionally, there are numerous projects Meta teased that haven’t yet launched, so keep an eye out for those. Revealed at last year’s showcase as Ghostbusters VR, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will likely get shown off again – hopefully with a release date reveal, too. We might also finally hear more about GTA: San Andreas VR which was teased at Meta’s 2021 showcase and hasn’t been heard from since.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Meta also gave us more details about Xbox Game Pass streaming and Microsoft’s Office apps coming to its VR hardware. During the Meta Quest Pro reveal during Meta Connect 2022, Meta and Microsoft teased that Xbox game streaming and the Office suite of productivity tools would be coming to Quest headsets. If we’re lucky we’ll find out when these apps will arrive during the June showcase.

It’s harder for us to guess what new games and apps will be revealed but we have a few ideas.

For a start, we expect (read: hope) mixed reality will feature prominently. The Meta Quest Pro and other mixed reality headsets (like the HTC Vive XR Elite) are held back by the severe lack of worthwhile mixed reality games and apps. With the Quest 3 set to pursue mixed reality too, Meta would be smart to fill out its catalog now so that when the new hardware launches players will be able to take full advantage of its capabilities – and to help current Meta Quest Pro owners not feel too much like they’ve been left out in the cold.

As for a pie-in-the-sky prediction, we’re going to go with: Call of Duty VR. VR headsets are home to many amazing titles but currently lack the hugely iconic gaming franchises found on traditional consoles – games such as GTA San Andreas VR and Call of Duy VR would change that, and likely attract a lot of new players to Meta’s platform.

The idea isn’t too absurd. Activision Blizzard – which owns 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 Quest headsets. What’s more a Call of Duty VR announcement would also show regulators that Microsoft and Activision aren’t hoarding the Call of Duty IP.

Given how long game development takes, it’s near-impossible that such an announcement would be in response to UK regulators blocking the acquisition; but considering the deal has been in the pipeline for over a year it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the idea could have been hashed out many months ago and that development could have at least started.

Don’t get your hopes up though. This is very much a pipe dream and we’d be gobsmacked if Call of Duty VR actually gets announced during Meta’s June 2023 gaming event. If it isn’t, you’ll still be able to enjoy all the other announcements and the huge range of best VR games already available on your Quest headset.