Meta has unveiled Meta VR Glasses, a VR device that weighs about 100 grams and costs $1,299.99. It goes on sale in spring 2027, which puts it more than $2,000 below the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro.
Meta announced the glasses at Connect on September 23. The pitch is a headset that feels like a pair of glasses and covers movies, live sports, work and games.
A Two-Part Design Keeps the Headset Near 100 Grams
The glasses hold the sensors and display. A separate puck, connected by an optical tether, handles compute, battery and storage, and it clips to a pocket or bag. Meta says that split makes the glasses five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3. Open sides and a passthrough camera keep the wearer aware of the room. Apple Vision Pro also relies on an external battery, though it is a full headset rather than glasses.
Here are the full specifications of the Glasses:
- Display: 5K micro-OLED panels at 37 pixels per degree, with Dolby Vision
- Audio: Dolby Atmos spatial audio built into the frames
- Processor: Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Reality Elite
- Battery: up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback from the puck, with 45W fast charging
- Controls: voice, eye tracking and hand gestures, with no controllers needed
IMAX Enhanced Movies and Live Sports Are the Main Pitch
Meta calls the glasses the first IMAX Enhanced certified VR device. Disney+ subscribers can stream 3D movies such as Marvel’s The Avengers and Black Panther from November in select countries, with themed viewing environments including Tatooine, Avengers Tower and Scare Floor. Prime Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC+, Crunchyroll, Plex, ESPN and Tubi are also on the lineup, and Peacock, HBO Max and Paramount+ are offering their 3D catalogs for the first time. Meta is working with director James Cameron and Lightstorm Vision on 3D releases in 2027.
Live sports get the same treatment. ESPN is providing 8K, 180-degree streams that start with college football this year on Meta Quest, and Meta says the glasses will have more than 100 immersive live events each year at launch. Partners include MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports and UFC. Apple has been pushing live sports on its own headset too, including Friday Night Baseball in Apple Immersive.
Workspace, Games and Hologram Calls Round Out the Features
For work, the glasses can show several screens at once and turn any flat surface into a keyboard and touchpad. Full-color passthrough keeps the desk and phone visible. More than 75 games will play with hand gestures at launch, and Xbox Cloud Gaming can stream hundreds more.
Meta is also adding hologram calling, which creates a photorealistic digital version of the wearer that follows real-time expressions. It works with calling apps from WhatsApp to Zoom, and people on a phone or computer see the hologram on their screen.
Apple’s Vision Pro Plans Have Been Shrinking
The launch lands while Apple’s headset road map is under pressure. Reports say Apple shelved a cheaper Vision Pro in favor of smart glasses, and laid off 60 Vision employees in a move that also ended Vision Pro successors. Apple’s smart glasses are reportedly set to debut at WWDC 2027, with privacy as the main pitch.
