Meta announces new lightweight virtual reality glasses to one-up Apple’s Vision Pro

Meta, in a bid to compete with Apple's Vision Pro headset, unveiled lightweight virtual reality glasses called Meta VR Glasses at its Connect event. The new glasses, weighing just 100 grams, are designed for cinematic experiences, spatial computing, and gaming. They will retail for $1,299 and are set to launch in spring 2027. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the decision to concentrate on fewer VR devices, noting that people are less interested in wearing headsets.

To demonstrate the glasses, Zuckerberg played a video of various users, including YouTuber Casey Neistat and NBA star Draymond Green, watching an NBA game and multitasking with different applications. The glasses come with a connected battery pack. Meta's move is a direct challenge to Apple's Vision Pro, which has struggled to gain traction due to its large, heavy design and high price tag.

Apple is reportedly also developing smart glasses and camera-enabled AirPods. While Apple showcased its foldable iPhone Duo at its recent hardware event, it did not provide any updates on the Vision Pro. Meta has been a leader in the post-smartphone era, primarily due to its popular lineup of smart glasses. At the Connect event, Zuckerberg unveiled another product: a keychain-sized device called Muse Charm, which features Meta's Muse AI agent.

The AI agent, currently available on Apple's U.S. App Store, has gained popularity and ranked No. 1. Apart from the VR glasses, Zuckerberg also showcased various styles of Meta smart glasses, including updated Ray-Ban camera-enabled glasses, Meta Display glasses, and the first audio-only glasses in Ray-Ban's Clubmaster and Burbank styles.

Meta's CEO emphasized the potential of delivering personal superintelligence through AI agents that can assist users 24/7.