Meta unveils 100-gram VR Glasses for $1,299 alongside camera-free Ray-Bans

Hardware specifications and design

At its Connect 2026 conference in Menlo Park, Meta unveiled the Meta VR Glasses, a $1,299 mixed reality wearable scheduled to ship in spring 2027. Unlike traditional head-mounted displays, the device weighs 100 grams (about 0.2 pounds) and rests on the ears like sunglasses rather than requiring an overhead strap. To achieve the compact profile, computing components and battery power are offloaded to an external 300-gram wired puck that slips into a pocket. The puck houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite processor (XR2 Gen 3), 12GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot for additional capacity. Meta rates the puck battery for up to three hours of continuous media playback, with support for pass-through charging during active use.

Content ecosystem and controls

Visual output relies on a 5K MicroOLED Infinite Display delivering 2,412 by 2,288 pixels per eye at 37 pixels per degree with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The optical system provides a 70-degree horizontal field of view alongside two front-facing color passthrough cameras and four internal eye-tracking cameras. Navigation operates via gaze direction and gesture tracking, enabling users to pinch fingers to select interface elements or make a fist with thumb movement to scroll. Meta announced that more than 75 hand-controlled games will be available at launch, including Beat Saber, alongside backward compatibility for existing Quest Touch Plus controllers and Xbox gamepads. Entertainment partnerships include 3D film releases from Disney, such as Marvel's The Avengers and Black Panther in select regions, as well as streaming support for Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, DirecTV, and immersive sports broadcasts from the NBA and MLB.

Ray-Ban updates and camera-free audio frames

Beyond dedicated VR hardware, Meta introduced updates across its Ray-Ban smart glasses line, including the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 starting at $449. The third-generation frames feature flexible temple tips, a six-microphone array for call audio, a nine-hour battery rating, a programmable action button, and a Dynamic Photos burst capture mode across Aviator, Wayfarer, and Zena styles. In response to privacy concerns, the company also debuted Ray-Ban Meta Audio, its first smart glasses model built without cameras. Smart glasses across the portfolio will also integrate Meta's Muse AI agent, while a separate style collaboration was announced with Lisa from Blackpink.

International availability and rollout timeline

Meta is expanding its Ray-Ban Display smart glasses into five new international markets. The heads-up display glasses go on sale immediately in the United Kingdom starting at £749 and in Canada for CA$1,149. Pre-orders also opened for France, Germany, and Italy at a base price of €899 ahead of retail availability on 13 October 2026. Software enhancements arriving on the platform include conversational cycling and public transit navigation in the United States and Canada, alongside an Explore app to identify compatible software. Later this fall, US WhatsApp users will gain early access to voice-driven holographic avatars during calls.

Introducing the avatar technology, the company outlined how speech generates real-time visual reactions:

Your hologram is driven entirely by your voice, and the hologram model infers your expression from what you're saying and how you're saying it.