Meta has unveiled a new virtual reality device, but it eschews the traditional headset form factor for a pair of glasses. Announced at Meta Connect, these new Meta VR Glasses are described as being "five times lighter" than the Quest 3, weighing just over 100 grams. This puts them in a similar weight class to the Bigscreen Beyond, though Meta's offering includes a separate, tethered puck weighing 300 grams.
The compute puck houses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 chip, 12 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage, powered by a battery designed to last approximately three hours. The glasses themselves contain the pancake lenses, displays, and sensors.
Optics are provided by two Micro-OLED displays, boasting a resolution of 2412 x 2288 at 120 Hz. While this offers a pixel density of 37 PPD, which is an improvement over the Quest 3's 25 PPD, it falls short of the Pimax Dream Air's 53 PPD. A notable limitation is the reported 70-degree field of view, according to Road to VR's Scott Hayden, though he did praise the passthrough quality.
Meta's demonstration of the glasses suggests a focus on an extended reality (XR) experience, akin to Apple's Vision Pro and the direction the Quest line has been heading with its updated interface. An integrated AI assistant is also a key feature, designed to respond to voice commands for tasks like playing movies or opening applications.
Hand tracking is supported, and Meta has indicated that several games, including Beat Saber, Two Point Hospital, and Tetris Effect: Mixed Realities, will receive updates for hand tracking compatibility by the device's launch. While the glasses support the Touch Plus controllers found with Quest headsets, they are not included in the box.
Early hands-on impressions suggest the device incorporates a projected heads-up keyboard, which one reviewer found allowed for typing at near full speed. This device is slated for a spring launch with a price tag of $1,300.