Meta is renewing its quest to make virtual reality a thing. At Connect on Wednesday, the company announced Meta VR Glasses, its newest entry into the VR market. These glasses actually seem quite promising given their substantially lighter form factor and a host of new entertainment integrations — including (allegedly) IMAX compatibility.
Moments before unveiling the VR glasses, MEta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the audience that the company had decided awhile back to focus less on Metaverse and to build fewer VR devices until it has real breakthroughs.
“This is a breakthrough,” he exclaimed before showing off the glasses. “A lot of people agree that augmented reality glasses with holograms are clearly going to be part of the future, but we’ve also heard that a lot of people are less interested in wearing a headset. So we have built a new kind of VR device that delivers the same magical feeling of presence and immersion with high-resolution displays and views of the world around you in a form factor that is a pair of glasses for the first time.”
The company says that the glasses are five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3 — and they look much more like normal glasses than the bulky headsets that Meta previously released. Made of magnesium alloy, the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Reality Elite processor. They are powered by a computing puck, which also acts as their battery. Presumably, a user can just slip the puck into their pocket, which allows the glasses to be used on the go.
The glasses are largely entertainment-focused and come with micro-OLED panels built into the lenses, which provide a 5K Infinite Display with 37 pixels per degree, as well as Dolby Vision and support for Dolby Atmos audio. Users will be able to download and watch movies.
Perhaps one of the more unique features of the glasses, however, is that Meta is pitching them as a great way to enjoy IMAX-captured films.
Indeed, the company calls the glasses the “first IMAX Enhanced certified VR device ever.” What does that mean? Meta maintains that their glasses will be one of the only ways to experience the expanded aspect ratio that defines the distinct high-resolution viewing experience.
The glasses are also compatible with 3D experiences — and even movies that integrate a user’s physical space is integrated into their viewing experience. Meta says that it has teamed up with Disney and that, in November, Disney+ users will be able to stream specific movies — including certain Marvel movies — in 3D.
Meta says that users will be able to watch specific movies and have their surroundings “transformed with immersive environments, dynamic effects, stunning 3D visuals, and spatial audio” — essentially converting the movie into a VR gaming-type experience.
The glasses will also come with Meta AI — its automated virtual assistant — built in, which means that users will be able to talk to the glasses and automate various tasksrt a movie just by asking your glasses to do so. Other ways to issue commands include hand gestures
Meta says the glasses will be available next spring with a starting price of $1,299.99.
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