I was truly surprised to see comments saying that the recent Houdini update was disappointing. I am a Maya user and a rigger (I also do simple CFX work with Houdini).

When Kinefx was released, I thought Houdini would dominate the rigging and animation field within a few years. And after watching the keynote, I was convinced that era had arrived. However, this keynote went beyond simply being an update that improved convenience for riggers. It made me think, "Maybe we won't need riggers anymore." I never even had a thought like this when AI came out...

Did the update shown in the keynote, which neatly connects the Apex - Animation - Ragdoll - CFX workflow, already exist without me knowing? Am I the only one discovering this for the first time...?

For a Maya user who hasn't seen an update in nearly 20 years, the speed of Houdini's updates is as fast as SpaceX's Starship.

It's a big software and this update is focused on features that interest you. But if you are focused on let's say FX, it is not surprising to feel a bit disappointed after your area got only 3 minute mention out of 2.5 hour keynote.

When is it going to be released though.

raincole
When is it going to be released though.

Based on past releases, probably 2-4 weeks. Plus 2-3 months of bugfixes to get a reasonably stable build.

During the keynote, someone from SideFX said weeks rather than months, and SideFX doesn't announce new versions long before they're ready for release, so maybe as soon as mid-July?