Although Meta has received a lot of flak regarding its smart glasses lately, the company also has another, parallel series of glasses: virtual reality glasses.
Virtual reality glasses are not used like smart glasses when moving outdoors and communicating with people; instead, they immerse their wearer completely into a separate virtual world, with the inner surface of the glasses acting as displays. The new Meta VR Glasses are unprecedentedly lightweight, as the glasses themselves weigh only 100 grams. For comparison, Apple's badly flopped Vision Pro glasses weighed 650 grams, and one of the biggest complaints from testers was their weight.
Meta has managed to lighten the glasses by ensuring that the glasses themselves only contain the displays, sensors, and control system, while computing power, battery, and storage have been moved to a separate, so-called puck unit that can be attached to a pocket or bag, which connects to the glasses via an optical cable.
As display technology, Meta VR Glasses utilize a 5K Infinite Display system, which is based on micro-OLED panels. The resolution is stated as 37 pixels per degree of field of view, which Meta considers sufficient for tasks such as reading text and office work in a virtual workspace. The glasses use compact pancake lenses designed for them, and Dolby Vision image and Dolby Atmos spatial audio via integrated sound in the frames are supported.
The performance of the glasses is handled by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Reality Elite system-on-chip, and the separate battery unit is said to enable up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media content viewing, with 45-watt fast charging.
The glasses naturally also feature the company's own Meta AI assistant, which can be controlled by voice, gaze, and natural hand gestures, which, according to Meta, reduces the need for separate controllers. For example, users can open applications, start movies, or adjust their virtual workspace without physical controllers. The glasses also offer full passthrough when needed. At launch, over 75 games that can be played with hand gestures are promised for the glasses, and hundreds of additional games will be available via Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Meta strongly positions its new VR device also as an entertainment platform. According to the company, the glasses are also the world's first IMAX Enhanced-certified VR device. The company is collaborating with Disney+, Prime Video, HBO, and YouTube, and numerous services have promised to bring 3D content to the glasses.
However, the glasses are also marketed as a "next-generation computer". Users can construct one or more large virtual screens in front of them and create a private workspace, for example, on an airplane. A regular flat surface can be transformed into a virtual keyboard and trackpad without additional accessories.
The glasses will go on sale in the United States in spring 2027, and their retail price has been stated as 1299 dollars. The schedule or prices for Europe and Finland have not yet been specified.
Below is the introduction video for the glasses:
Meta has managed to lighten the glasses by ensuring that the glasses themselves only contain the displays, sensors, and control system, while computing power, battery, and storage have been moved to a separate, so-called puck unit that can be attached to a pocket or bag, which connects to the glasses via an optical cable.
As display technology, Meta VR Glasses utilize a 5K Infinite Display system, which is based on micro-OLED panels. The resolution is stated as 37 pixels per degree of field of view, which Meta considers sufficient for tasks such as reading text and office work in a virtual workspace. The glasses use compact pancake lenses designed for them, and Dolby Vision image and Dolby Atmos spatial audio via integrated sound in the frames are supported.
The performance of the glasses is handled by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Reality Elite system-on-chip, and the separate battery unit is said to enable up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media content viewing, with 45-watt fast charging.
The glasses naturally also feature the company's own Meta AI assistant, which can be controlled by voice, gaze, and natural hand gestures, which, according to Meta, reduces the need for separate controllers. For example, users can open applications, start movies, or adjust their virtual workspace without physical controllers. The glasses also offer full passthrough when needed. At launch, over 75 games that can be played with hand gestures are promised for the glasses, and hundreds of additional games will be available via Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Meta strongly positions its new VR device also as an entertainment platform. According to the company, the glasses are also the world's first IMAX Enhanced-certified VR device. The company is collaborating with Disney+, Prime Video, HBO, and YouTube, and numerous services have promised to bring 3D content to the glasses.
However, the glasses are also marketed as a "next-generation computer". Users can construct one or more large virtual screens in front of them and create a private workspace, for example, on an airplane. A regular flat surface can be transformed into a virtual keyboard and trackpad without additional accessories.
The glasses will go on sale in the United States in spring 2027, and their retail price has been stated as 1299 dollars. The schedule or prices for Europe and Finland have not yet been specified.
Below is the introduction video for the glasses:
