Facebook’s AR plans are more nebulous. So far it’s focused on bringing phone-based AR to consumers, but it’s hyped more futuristic ideas^[20] — like “Live Maps” for smart glasses — during past Connects. Consumer AR competition has thinned in recent months, with Magic Leap shifting to business^[21] and North discontinuing its smart glasses^[22] after a Google acquisition. But competitor Nreal just launched a pair of consumer glasses^[23] in Korea, and Facebook may offer an update on its own timeline.

The novel coronavirus pandemic weakened Facebook’s supply chain earlier this year, making its Quest and Rift S headsets difficult to find. But the company’s spring earnings report^[24] also suggested that social distancing was driving a rise in VR and AR use. Facebook rarely releases hard sales numbers. But if its headsets (or other products) have hit a significant milestone, we might hear more about VR’s pandemic-era prospects at Connect — as well as the medium’s longer-term future.