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Meta’s given its glasses a virtual-reality upgrade.
Meta unveiled its new $1,299 VR glasses at its annual Meta Connect event on Wednesday, an upgraded version of its Quest headset line. The product, the company promises,
will usher in “a new era for virtual reality” by providing “a cinema, courtside seat, workspace, and console” for users at home.
“We have built a new kind of VR device that delivers the same magical feeling of presence and immersion, high-resolution displays and views of the world around you in a form factor that is a pair of glasses for the first time,” Zuckerberg said, later adding: “There’s really nothing else like this. It is a glimpse of the future.”
The glasses are the first VR product since the Meta Quest 3 in 2024. The company said the new VR glasses are five times lighter than that headset, as it outsourced the compute and battery to a puck tethered to the glasses by a wire. The headset is powered by a Qualcomm chip, while its battery can provide up to three hours of continuous media playback. The product is also infused with an AI agent to help users complete tasks and access content, and it also lets users create a photorealistic “hologram” of themselves to appear on the device’s display.
The glasses themselves feature a 5K Infinite Display using micro-OLED panels, a display the company said is the first IMAX-certified VR device, and supports Dolby Vision and spatial audio experiences with Dolby Atmos. It will be capable of streaming 3D versions of some Disney films, including “The Avengers” and “Black Panther,” along with VR-enhanced versions of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Star Wars: A New Hope.” It will also support 3D features from the libraries of streamers Peacock, HBO Max and Paramount+, along with select Lionsgate titles, with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision working to develop “first time in 3D” blockbusters for next year.
It has also struck deals with the NBA, MLB, ESPN and others to provide immersive sporting experiences, starting with college football. Meta said the glasses will also support more than 75 games at launch that can be played simply with hand gestures, while the device will also support Xbox Cloud Gaming with a handheld gaming pack.
“You get a private cinema, a game console, and a computer, and they all come in the sexiest pair of VR glasses you’ve ever seen,” Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, told the Meta Connect crowd.
The device will begin shipping next spring.
