Imagine being able to have a courtside seat at Madison Square Garden during the NBA Finals, being able to watch films in the extended IMAX image format, as well as 3D content, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos spatial audio. And again, imagine a workstation with multiple virtual monitors or a console for playing games. All inside a pair of glasses that weigh about 100 grams. This is Meta's new bet on virtual reality.
In Menlo Park, California, Mark Zuckerberg presented the Meta VR Glasses, the most advanced VR device created by the company to date. The most obvious feature is the design: the device has a shape similar to that of a pair of traditional glasses and does away with the classic straps of VR viewers. To reduce the weight on the head, the battery and processor have been moved to a small separate device.
The new VR Glasses
Meta VR Glasses can create a large virtual screen or several screens at the same time before the user's eyes. They can be connected to a Mac or a Windows PC, either wirelessly or via USB-C, allowing you to continue working while also using your own keyboard and mouse. Meta has also provided a virtual keyboard and touchpad that can be controlled through hand gestures. A normal desk can thus become a digital work surface without the need to carry a monitor with you.
The cinematic experience
Making less isolated use possible is the color passthrough: through the cameras, the user can continue to see the keyboard, the phone, the desk and what is happening around him. The same principle applies to entertainment. The glasses can create a large screen for watching a movie during a flight or transform into an immersive environment for gaming. Meta also focuses on the cinematic experience: the Meta VR Glasses are the first VR device certified IMAX Enhanced and allow access to compatible content in extended IMAX format, as well as 3D films and content with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Gaming
Gaming remains an important component of the platform. Meta has announced more than 75 games available at launch and playable through hand gestures. Users will also be able to access the entire Meta Quest catalogue, made up of thousands of titles, and use the Touch Plus controllers. Support for Xbox Cloud Gaming is also expected, with the possibility of playing in streaming by connecting a Bluetooth gamepad. A portable gaming device can instead be connected to the glasses wirelessly or via USB-C and used on a large virtual screen.
Video calls
Among the most particular functions of the new glasses is the one dedicated to video calls. Meta is developing technology capable of creating a photorealistic digital representation of the user, including expressions and reactions in real time, a sort of digital hologram. Whoever wears the Meta VR Glasses can see the interlocutor in front of him, while the audio places his voice in space. However, it is not necessary for all participants in the call to have glasses: those who use a smartphone or a computer can continue to participate in the conversation from their device. According to Meta, the system works with applications such as WhatsApp and Zoom. The goal is to increase the feeling of presence in remote communications. A business meeting while traveling, a conversation with family, or a birthday party can become experiences more similar to meeting in the same room.
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Muse, the AI assistant
However, virtual reality is only part of the strategy presented by Meta. The other is artificial intelligence, with Muse, the assistant that the company is integrating into its range of smart glasses. The change mainly concerns the way in which the assistant is used: not just questions and answers, but requests that can involve a series of actions. Muse is designed to help you complete tasks, manage appointments, organize tasks and turn goals into action plans. When you need to make a purchase, the agent can stop and ask for confirmation. Meta imagines Muse as a real interface for its glasses, through which it will also be possible to make purchases, make appointments and complete tasks through voice commands.
And the glasses add a fundamental element to AI: what the user is looking at. A monument can be identified and told about, a menu can be translated and a sign in a foreign language can be interpreted. In an unfamiliar city, the assistant can also help you find a nearby restaurant.
Ray-Ban Meta Audio
Meta also presented a new category of smart glasses developed together with EssilorLuxottica: the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, without a camera. They will arrive on October 13, starting at $349, one hundred dollars less than the latest generation of Ray-Ban Meta cameras equipped with a camera. The absence of the camera allows for further reduction in weight and size. The Ray-Ban Meta Audio weighs 43 grams and represents, according to Meta, its lightest and thinnest smart glasses design. The declared autonomy reaches 12 hours on a single charge, compared to the nine hours of the third generation Ray-Ban Meta. The new line also introduces designs such as the browline-framed Clubmaster and the square-shaped, retro-looking Burbank.
Privacy
The choice to eliminate the camera is also particularly interesting for the issue of privacy. The glasses continue to record audio, while they cannot take photographs or record videos. The debate on consent therefore remains open: critics point out that even audio recording can raise problems when people nearby are not aware of being recorded.
Meta instead claims that the absence of the camera is not motivated only by privacy reasons and underlines the role of audio as one of the most used functions of smart glasses: listening to content while simultaneously maintaining contact with the surrounding environment.
The new Meta Charm
Meta's presentation also closed with a surprise: Meta Charm, a small portable device designed to use Muse even without wearing glasses. It has dimensions comparable to those of the AirPods case, integrates a touchscreen of approximately 2 inches and a 5G connection. Meta plans to make it available in December, during the holiday season, but has not yet announced the price. The idea is to have access to Muse even when the glasses are not used, transforming the assistant into a service independent of the wearable device.
Meta's strategy
From the new VR Glasses to the Audio glasses, passing through Muse and Charm, Meta's strategy is increasingly evident: taking interaction with technology outside the smartphone. Virtual reality becomes lighter and seeks new scenarios beyond gaming, smart glasses become an interface for artificial intelligence and AI agents like Muse aim to move from responses to the execution of tasks.
It is a race that now involves a large part of the technology industry and which also raises questions about privacy, especially for devices capable of listening, seeing and understanding what is happening around the user. Meta Connect 2026 thus shows a vision in which the smartphone is no longer necessarily the center of the digital experience. In its place, at least in the company's intentions, there are more and more glasses, wearable devices and AI assistants capable of accompanying the user in daily life.
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