New Delhi: At its annual Connect event on 23 September, Meta unveiled a new line-up of AI-powered glasses, a lightweight virtual reality device and a pocket-sized gadget designed to let users talk to its AI assistant. The push reflects Meta’s broader bet that the next generation of personal computing could be worn on the face, carried in a pocket or accessed simply by voice.
Alongside new hardware, CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased upgrades to Meta’s AI assistant Muse, including real-time voice conversations, personalised voices, app integrations and the ability to perform tasks on a Mac. The company also announced new features for its AI glasses, from navigation and hearing enhancement to shopping assistance and guided workouts.
VR Glasses
The headline announcement was the new Meta VR Glasses, which were introduced as a radical shift from traditional virtual reality headsets.
Weighing just about 100 grams, the glasses use a two-part design. The frames handle the sensors and a 5K Infinite Display, with micro-OLED panels designed to deliver high clarity and text legibility. A compact puck, containing the Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, battery, 12GB RAM and 128GB storage, clips to a belt, pocket or bag via an optical tether.
“You get a private cinema, a workstation, multiple monitors and a game console and a pair of high-resolution glasses,” Zuckerberg said.
Users can navigate the device through eye tracking and hand gestures, with controllers available as an option. The glasses can turn any surface into a keyboard or touchpad and extend laptop screens. They support Xbox Cloud Gaming, the full Quest app catalogue, Disney+ and other streaming services, IMAX Enhanced content and photorealistic “hologram” video calls.
The Meta VR Glasses are priced at $1,299.99 and are scheduled to launch in spring 2027.
Zuckerberg called them “a glimpse of the future”.
AI Glasses
Zuckerberg also highlighted a major expansion of Meta’s wearable AI glasses offerings.
“Audio is one of the main ways that people use our glasses, so we made our first pair of audio glasses with no camera,” he said. “They look like any other glasses. They’re our lightest glasses yet, and they have a battery that lasts all day.”
The new Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses emphasise all-day comfort with open-ear audio, starting at $349, while remaining compatible with a wide range of optical prescriptions.
Meta is also shipping Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, which brings longer battery life, improved microphones and a new iconic style.
“With aviators, we’ve designed two new styles of Meta glasses and added an ivory colourway for the Kylie Edition, and we also have an exciting new collab with Lisa,” Zuckerberg said.
Meta Glasses by Lisa come with Lisa’s star on the temple tips, a custom case and a charm from Lisa’s World.
Additional frame shapes and a Mix & Match personalisation option further broaden the lineup. By the end of the year, Meta expects more than 100 different styles of AI glasses across Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta brands, so that “everyone has a pair that you love”.
Alongside the hardware, the company’s personal AI agent, Muse, is also coming to the glasses. Users will now be able to talk hands-free throughout the day.
New software capabilities rolling out in the coming months include onboard hearing enhancement, landmark-based navigation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio capture, guided workouts, nutrition tracking and shopping assistance that identifies products and prices.
Muse
Meta’s AI assistant, Muse, also received major upgrades. Real-time voice conversations have been improved, and the assistant now has customisable voices, Realtime Avatars, its own email address, deeper app connectors such as Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Notion and GitHub, and Mac computer-use capabilities.
Meta also introduced Muse Charm, a dedicated pocket-sized hardware device for interacting with the agent, with more details expected later this year.
“We’re also building a joyful little device for talking to your Muse that fits on your keychain,” Zuckerberg said.