Meta Connect 2026 ended on September 23 and almost everything announced is something you wear on your face. One of the most popular new products, I imagine, is the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the company’s first AI glasses without an onboard camera. Meta says they weigh 1.5 ounces, start at $349, and will ship October 13. Meta also introduced a third-generation Ray-Ban model with a thinner frame and a dedicated assistant button. It is available in a wider variety of styles across Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta glasses. The company even introduced a keychain gadget called the Muse Charm that allows you to talk to Meta’s AI agent without taking out your phone.
But there’s one device I can’t help but think about, which came later in the talk: Meta’s new VR glasses. They weigh about 3.5 ounces, cost $1,299.99, and go on sale in spring 2027. I own an Apple Vision Pro and a Meta Quest 3, and I know how difficult it can be to use them — so much so that I don’t use them as much as I’d like. Often I take the headsets off before I want to because my head has had enough. But it looks like Meta has built the first VR device that removes this problem entirely, and I think that matters more than anything the company showed off at Meta Connect.
What are the new VR glasses from Meta?
Meta has split the hardware into two components, a la Apple Vision Pro. VR glasses combine screens, lenses, cameras and sensors in a magnesium alloy frame without a battery or computing chip. These components – which generate excess heat and weight – live in a washer that clips onto your pocket and connects to the glasses via a thin optical cable. Meta claims that as a result, these new VR glasses are five times lighter than the Quest 3. They sport a 5K micro-OLED display operating at 37 pixels per degree. Pixels per degree describes how much detail in each segment you can see, and that’s why text on older headsets seemed so soft that it could give you a headache after an hour of reading.
Dolby Vision is supported and Dolby Atmos audio is integrated into the arms. The Puck manages up to three hours of continuous high-resolution playback and charges at 45W. Inside the Puck is a Snapdragon Reality Elite, the chip Qualcomm launched in June 2026 with 48 TOPS of on-device AI processing designed to make headsets cooler. As with previous Quest headsets, you control the content on the screen with your eyes and hands. Meta says there will be more than 75 gesture-only games at launch, and that the entire Quest catalog will be retained.
Where Meta VR glasses are better than the headsets I already own
In my experience, weight is the most important factor that decides whether a VR headset is actually used or not. Apple’s Vision Pro measures between 26 and 28 ounces with the Light Seal and Dual Knit Band attached, and you also have to carry the 12.5 ounce battery in your pocket. The Quest 3 is lighter than that, but it’s still heavy to carry, even though our Meta Quest 3 review called it “the best VR headset on the market.”
To be honest, I have unfortunately never finished a movie with Apple Vision Pro. Not once. The pressure on my forehead always comes around an hour and a half after watching, so I eventually take it off. Often, deciding whether it’s worth putting on in the first place keeps me from reaching for it most nights. It’s the same reason why the Apple Vision Pro failed to find a mainstream audience despite the headset being technically impressive.
Weighing just 3.5 ounces, Meta’s new VR glasses fall into bulky sunglasses territory, which I think changes the purpose of the device. You can put the glasses on for 20 minutes on the couch or leave them on for a long flight without much inconvenience, meaning whoever buys them might actually get them back regularly. A heavy headphone that you have to plan your evening with is a much harder sell to most consumers, but it’s a headphone that enthusiasts can still reach for. I’ve long said that virtual reality will struggle to reach a critical mass of users if it’s too difficult for the masses to adopt, but Meta’s new VR glasses might just change that.
Why Meta’s VR glasses still aren’t perfect
The most obvious tradeoff that comes with Meta’s new VR glasses is immersion. Meta advertises a field of view of 70 degrees horizontal by 66 degrees vertical, which isn’t comparable to around 110 degrees by 96 on the Quest 3. In practice, this means you’d be looking through a smaller window, with the edges of the virtual image visible in a way they aren’t when using a sealed headset. The open sides make this more obvious, since the room around you remains in your periphery unless you attach the optional light blockers, which start to add bulk.
Controllers also cost more, so anyone wanting to play games that require them will have to pay a little more than the retail price. Since the computer travels in your pocket, you have to carry the extra weight on the end of a cable that’s still connected to your face – although the built-in clip is a nice touch missing from the Apple Vision Pro’s battery washer. Road to VR puts Meta’s puck at around 10.5 ounces, which is about the same as Apple’s. It’s rated for three hours of playback, which means you’ll need to charge it to watch more than one movie on a flight.
None of this bothers me too much. People who want to disappear in a game have the Quest 3 and the Vision Pro, and those headsets aren’t going anywhere. What VR was missing was a version of itself that a normal person would wear in a normal room.
