Meta has unveiled a new pair of lightweight virtual reality glasses that the company says will make Apple's Vision Pro headset look like bulky old technology. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg introduced the device, called Meta VR Glasses, at the company's annual Connect event in Menlo Park, California, positioning it as a direct challenge to Apple in the emerging market for spatial computing hardware.
The glasses weigh just 100 grams, according to Zuckerberg, making them comparable to an ordinary pair of eyeglasses. They are designed for cinematic experiences such as watching movies, spatial computing, and gaming, and will cost $1,299 when they ship in spring 2027. The device is marketed with a connected battery pack.
Zuckerberg said the company deliberately scaled back its ambitions in the metaverse to focus on building fewer VR devices and releasing them only when real breakthroughs are achieved. He acknowledged that many people are less interested in wearing a traditional headset, which prompted Meta to build what he described as a new kind of VR device.
To demonstrate the glasses, Zuckerberg played a video featuring creators and athletes, including YouTuber Casey Neistat and NBA star Draymond Green, reacting to the device. The demo showed people wearing the glasses while watching an NBA game and multitasking between applications.
The announcement represents a clear shot at Apple and its Vision Pro headset, which has struggled to gain traction as a consumer product. The Vision Pro has been held back in part by its large frame, its weight, and its cost of around $3,700. Apple is also reportedly working on smart glasses and camera-enabled AirPods. The company recently held its own hardware event, where it unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, but offered no updates on the Vision Pro.
Meta has taken a leading position in the post-smartphone world largely because of its lineup of smart glasses, which have become the most popular on the market. In addition to the new VR glasses, Zuckerberg closed his presentation by unveiling an entirely new product: a compact, handheld device designed to fit on a keychain that features its Muse AI agent, including a real-time voice mode.
Zuckerberg said Meta has built only a few early working units of the device, which it is calling the Muse Charm, and plans to release it in time for the holidays. The Muse AI agent and the app it is hosted on have risen quickly in popularity, hitting No. 1 on Apple's U.S. App Store in recent days.
«If you're not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show it what's going on around you,» Zuckerberg said.
The chief executive also spent the hour-long presentation showing off new styles of Meta smart glasses. These included updates to its flagship Ray-Ban camera-enabled glasses, its Meta Display glasses, which feature a small digital box on the right lens, and its first audio-only glasses, which will ship in Ray-Ban's Clubmaster and Burbank styles.
«Delivering personal superintelligence is now within reach,» Zuckerberg said. «Soon, everyone is going to have an extremely capable personal agent that understands your goals and can work 24/7 on your behalf.»
The announcements underscore Meta's push to define the next generation of personal computing devices as competition with Apple intensifies across hardware categories. While Apple has focused on premium, high-cost headsets, Meta is betting that lighter, more accessible form factors and AI-powered assistants will drive broader consumer adoption.