Meta doesn’t want its moment to end.
Fresh off the launch of Muse, its App Store-topping AI assistant, Meta announced its latest wearables on Wednesday at the company’s Meta Connect event.
New virtual reality glasses, which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said weigh a fifth as much as the Meta Quest, were a highlight.
“There’s really nothing like this,” Zuckerberg said during the event’s keynote. “It is a glimpse of the future.”
Meta also rolled out audio-only smart glasses, a promise of VR-immersive environments in some of Disney’s biggest franchises, and a dedicated button to keep Muse at your fingertips.
“We are excited about building other wearables too, but we think that glasses are going to be the biggest category,” Zuckerberg said.
Here’s a list of what caught our attention:
A ‘new era for VR’
Gone are the heavy headsets. In Meta’s vision for its new VR era is all about glasses.
Meta VR Glasses weigh just 100 grams, the company said. While the bulk is gone, Meta says the glasses are still its “most advanced device yet.”
“You can wear Meta VR Glasses to comfortably watch a full movie, or get things done on a portable, private screen during a long flight, while maintaining a sense of the world around you,” the company wrote in a blog post.
The glasses feature “a 5K Infinite Display built on micro OLED panels, with 37 pixels per degree” display. Zuckerberg said the glasses combine a private cinema, computer, and console into a pair of glasses.
Our colleague Peter Kafka, who got a sneak peek, said he thought it would be great for watching movies, but couldn’t immediately see other use cases.
Unlike the Meta Quest, no controllers are needed. Meta said that by building AI into the glasses’ operating system, users can just talk or use natural motions to do everything from playing movies to adjusting their workspace.
In addition to projecting a virtual keyboard, Meta said the VR glasses will connect to a Mac or Windows PC wirelessly or via USB-C.
“Pick up right where you left off on these screens, and bring your own keyboard and mouse,” the company wrote. “With full-color passthrough, you can still see your keyboard, desk, mobile phone, and surroundings while you work.”
The Meta VR Glasses will be on sale in Spring 2027 for $1,299.99.
Muse, packed into a Charm
The last product Zuckerberg unveiled at the keynote was a small handheld device called Muse Charm.
The CEO said the device fits on a keychain and lets users cue up Muse without pulling out their phone. There’s a display that shows off your custom Muse agent avatar too.
“If you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show us what’s going on around you,” he said.
Details on the price weren’t shared. Zuckerberg said he anticipates the device will start shipping by the holidays.
Muse gets a prominent placement thanks to a built-in button
Meta is ensuring its devices are part of the Muse moment.
The next generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses has a “customizable action button for instant access to Meta AI.”
Current owners aren’t being completely left out either. Meta said that “We’re working on bringing Muse to our AI glasses.”
As for what you can do, Meta said you can ask the AI assistant for help with everything from personalized workouts to tracking down something while you’re driving. All of it can be done without a phone.
“You can also activate Muse by saying its name and telling it your request,” the company said.
Meta ditched the cameras for its Ray-Ban Audio glasses (or Ray-Ban hearing aids?)
If there’s an antithesis to the Muse moment, it’s the news around Meta’s glasses.
Some critics have called them “pervert glasses.” A few venues have banned them outright. The company has tried to crack down on users who obscure cues that they are filming or posting harassing videos on Instagram. Meta is mounting a PR blitz.
That’s why it caught our attention that Meta is set to roll out glasses without a camera.
Zuckerberg said that the glasses can “compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.”
The Ray-Ban Meta Audio costs $100 less than the latest generation glasses that include a camera. The glasses are available for preorder now and will ship on October 13.
Experience Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The galaxy won’t feel so far, far away.
Meta is bringing “immersive entertainment” to its VR repertoire. Starting in November, Meta said Disney+ subscribers can stream movies like “Star Wars: A New Hope” and Marvel’s “The Avengers” in “themed immersive viewing environments like Tatooine and Avengers Tower.”
When VR glasses launch in the Spring, Meta said there will be “VR Enhanced Cinema” that will include enhanced versions of classic films, including those in Disney’s library. Meta said those are part of a Disney Immersive Cinema by Industrial Light & Magic.
“Your surroundings will be transformed with immersive environments, dynamic effects, stunning 3D visuals, and spatial audio to feel like you’re not just watching a scene, but living inside it,” the company said.
Meta said it’s also working with Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC+, Crunchyroll, Plex, and Tubi. The company said Peacock, HBO Max, and Paramount+ are “offering their 3D media catalogs for the very first time.”
Later this year, Meta Quest users will be able to “rent or buy hundreds of movies,” with Meta promising that number will stretch into the “thousands” by the time its VR glasses launch.
Sports are getting an immersive moment, too
Meta is expanding its sports frontprint.
Starting with college football, Meta said it’s getting into the “immersive sports” experience thanks to partnerships with ESPN, NBC Sports, TNT Sports, Major League Baseball, and the UFC.
The experience is described as giving wearers “a front-row seat, 8K streaming, and 180-degree views.”
Ultimately, Meta says that it will have “we’ll have over 100 immersive live sports events to watch each year.”
Special hearing enhancement software
Meta is dipping a little further into healthcare with a new add-on feature for some styles of its glasses.
Some glasses will come with the option to add-on an FDA-cleared software for adults “with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,” the company said.
Launching in the US later this year, Hearing Enhancement will cost for $149.99 or come included with a Meta One subscription.
There’s a bunch of new AI glasses, colors, and styles
There will soon be more Meta glasses styles.
All told, Meta said there will be 100 options across Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Meta Glasses by the end of the year.
Among the new styles is a collection designed in collaboration with Lisa, the rapper and actor who rose to fame as a member of BlackPink.
“The collection features two distinct styles: the Meta Adventurer LISA Edition, a Moonlit Sky frame with Blush lenses; and the Meta Capri LISA Edition, an Eclipse cat-eye frame with grey lenses,” the company said.
There are also a handful of limited-edition options, including a pair that honors the 90th anniversary of the Ray-Ban Aviator.
Draymond Green is fronting an ‘immersive series’
Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green will lead Meta’s first-ever “original immersive series.”
“Open Season” will follow the Golden State Warriors’ power forward as he sits down with a therapist during the 2025-2026 season to work through what’s really going on,” the company said.
A central force in the Warriors’ title runs, Green has also established a reputation for aggressive play. Green is the second-most-ejected player in the NBA’s history.
The show will premiere on September 29 on the TV app in Meta Quest.
Blackpink’s Lisa helped design Meta Glasses and some charms
As part of Meta’s push to release more Meta Glasses in more styles, the company collaborated with Blackpink member and “The White Lotus” star Lisa.
The Lisa collab features two Meta Glasses designs and charms, the singer said, that were inspired by her pets.
Meta also tapped Kylie Jenner to help design a pair of Meta Glasses.
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