Qualcomm plans to launch Meta Llama 2 AI on Snapdragon-based devices in 2024. the Meta Quest 3 will be powered by the powerful new Snapdragon chips.
Qualcomm recently announced a partnership with Meta to optimize Llama 2 to run on low-power chips in Android phones, Windows laptops, and VR/AR headsets. This reduces the need for cloud computing and improves privacy, while providing opportunities for greater personalization.
This means advanced generative AI could be coming to the Quest 3 and other Snapdragon-powered VR headsets next year.
Llama 2 is said to be the latest version of Meta's open-source Large Language Model (LLM), which can be used to generate text, code, and images, and should perform similarly to ChatGPT's GPT-3.5 version.
Meta rolled out the first version of Llama for researchers only, but has made it available to everyone after it leaked online.
Meta is already using AI in its Quest headset. the AI allows the Quest 2 and Quest Pro to track users' hands via infrared sensors. With AI-driven voice recognition, users can type and use voice commands to take screenshots, change room scale boundaries, or check battery levels.
The Quest 2 and Quest Pro have limited processing power compared to the Quest 3. While Meta has yet to announce which Qualcomm chip will be used in the upcoming Quest 3, the Quest 3 GPU will process twice as fast as the Quest 2, and the AI performance of the Quest 3 is expected.
AI is critical to some of Quest's features, and Meta could greatly extend those features with the versatility provided by AI models like Llama. Generative AI may allow for the creation of free-form voice commands, intelligent assistants, and home environments based on prompts.
The possibilities are endless, especially if this technology is available to VR game developers. Future games could use AI to generate interactive storylines, interesting characters and scenarios on the headset to expand content and speed up production.
Artificial intelligence is already being used to help develop VR games and make game characters more believable. The best content requires constant feedback and careful design from developers, and adding AI elements enhances this process.
It's unknown when or if Meta will add the new AI to the Quest platform, but Qualcomm's statement suggests that it's possible with this partnership. If Meta includes Llama 2 in the Quest system software, it could significantly impact VR game development.