Meta used Connect 2026 to introduce Meta VR Glasses, a virtual reality device shaped like a pair of oversized sunglasses. The frames weigh about 100 grams, and Meta VR Glasses will go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. Meta pitches them as a personal cinema, courtside seat, workspace, and game console you can wear for hours.
That is a big shift from the Quest headsets. According to Meta, the new glasses are five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, with no head strap or heavy hardware on your face. Its open sides and passthrough cameras also keep you aware of what is happening around you.
How Meta VR Glasses stay so light
The trick is a two-part design. The glasses handle the display and sensors, while a pocket-sized puck handles compute, battery, and storage. An optical tether connects the two, and the puck clips to a pocket or bag.
Advertisement
Inside the puck is Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Reality Elite processor. Meta says the battery lasts up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback, and it supports 45W fast charging. So a long movie should fit on one charge, but an all-day session will not.
The display is the other headline. Meta calls it a 5K Infinite Display, built on micro-OLED panels with 37 pixels per degree. Custom pancake lenses keep the optics thin, and the glasses support Dolby Vision. Dolby Atmos speakers sit in the frames as well.
Meta did not publish every spec in its announcement. However, Engadget reports a 70-degree horizontal field of view and a puck with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That field of view is narrower than a typical headset’s.
3D movies, live sports, and a private office
Entertainment is the main pitch. Meta says the glasses are the first IMAX Enhanced certified VR device. Starting in November, Disney+ subscribers in select countries can stream movies like The Avengers and Black Panther in 3D. Peacock, HBO Max, and Paramount+ are also opening their 3D catalogs for the first time.
Meta is going further with a new Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM app. It will show VR Enhanced versions of Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: A New Hope, with effects that spill into your surroundings. In addition, Meta is working with James Cameron and Lightstorm Vision to debut blockbusters in 3D for the first time in 2027.
Sports get similar treatment. Meta expects more than 100 immersive live US sports events each year, with partners such as ESPN, MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports, and UFC. ESPN’s Immersive Sports streams offer 8K video with 180-degree views, starting with college football on Meta Quest this year.
For work, you get one or several virtual screens wherever you are. Meta also says any flat surface can act as a keyboard and touchpad. Meanwhile, more than 75 games will support hand-gesture play at launch, and Xbox Cloud Gaming adds hundreds more. You control everything with your eyes, hands, or voice through Meta AI, with no controllers required.
Hologram Calling
Meta is also introducing Hologram Calling. It creates a photorealistic digital version of you, complete with real-time expressions, for hands-free video calls. It works with apps from WhatsApp to Zoom, and people on phones or computers see your hologram too.
Price and competition
At $1,299.99, Meta VR Glasses cost far less than Apple’s Vision Pro, although they still cost more than most headsets. They also arrive after Valve’s Steam Frame, which takes a more traditional headset approach. Earlier this month, images of a Meta device called Phoenix also surfaced in Meta’s own prescription lens app.
Still, several questions remain until spring 2027. Meta has not said how comfortable the glasses feel over a full movie, how well they fit different faces, or how the three-hour battery holds up in practice. For now, the lighter design is the clearest break yet from Meta’s headset formula.
