{"id":858435,"date":"2026-09-24T02:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T02:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858435\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T02:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T02:02:13","slug":"metas-next-vr-device-isnt-a-headset-its-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858435\/","title":{"rendered":"Meta\u2019s next VR device isn\u2019t a headset \u2014 it\u2019s glasses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">Meta is launching new VR hardware: a pair of glasses. The new Meta VR Glasses sit on your ears like a typical pair of glasses instead of being strapped over your head, but they still have immersive displays for watching movies, playing games, and getting work done. Imagine a pair of hefty black sunglasses with blacked-out lenses on the outside, but the components of a typical VR headset distributed between the device on your head and a computing puck in your pocket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">The idea is to give you a way to experience VR in a much lighter and more approachable form factor than Vision Pro or Meta Quest-style headsets. I got to try the VR Glasses at Meta\u2019s campus this week, and as Meta walked me through some familiar VR demos like watching content, playing a game, and working from multiple screens, I was impressed by how much lighter the whole experience felt. Some of that was about the literal weight, as the glasses come in at just 100g, far less than the Quest 3\u2019s 515g. But there was also something lighter in a more intangible way: the glasses form factor made the headset seem like something I could easily jump in and out of instead of being a whole cumbersome commitment with big head straps. It felt like a lightweight Vision Pro, and is perhaps a better execution of some of what Apple wanted to do with that device.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pegheu1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_51_06_10.Still012.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"2160\" data-pswp-width=\"3840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"A photo of the Meta VR Glasses, showing the lenses.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"i7ks070\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_51_06_10.Still012.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The back of the Meta VR Glasses. Photo by Brett Putman \/ The Verge<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">To keep things light, the VR Glasses\u2019 display and the sensors are all you actually wear on your face. The separate puck connected with a wire contains the guts powering the headset: a Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, 128GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, and the battery, which Meta says will offer up to three hours of media playback, though you can continue using the glasses even while the puck is being charged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">The display is what Meta calls a 5K MicroOLED \u201cInfinite Display.\u201d It has 2412 x 2288 pixels per eye at 37 pixels per degree and supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. On the front of the glasses are two cameras for color passthrough, letting you see through to the world around you. The headset comes in small and large sizes to offer different options for width, though they cost the same.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pegheu1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_47_42_23.Still009.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"2160\" data-pswp-width=\"3840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"A photo of the Meta VR Glasses compute puck.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"i7ks070\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_47_42_23.Still009.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the compute puck. It has a solid clip. Photo by Brett Putman \/ The Verge<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">You primarily use your eyes and hand gestures to control the glasses. You just look at elements onscreen to navigate, and the OS will highlight what your eyes are looking at using two pairs of eye-tracking cameras. To select something that\u2019s highlighted, you can pinch your thumb and pointer finger together, and to scroll around, you make a fist and move your thumb around the top of your hand. It feels similar to the gestures from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/801684\/meta-ray-ban-display-review-smart-glasses-ai-wearables\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meta Ray-Ban Display<\/a>, but those require a neural wristband; the VR Glasses instead use six external cameras to follow your hands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">Based on my demos, I think the VR Glasses will be best for entertainment because of the big virtual screen. Meta showed me a clip from James Cameron\u2019s Billie Eilish concert film, which was impressive on a huge virtual display, and parts of the most recent NBA Finals, which was filmed on a format called VR180 that provided a 180-degree view of the court. I also got to watch some of Avengers: Endgame in what Meta characterized as a \u201cVR Enhanced Cinema\u201d experience made in partnership with Disney and Industrial Light &amp; Magic. In the entire VR environment around the screen showing the film, there were graphics that thematically lined up with what was actually happening onscreen that also changed as the clip went on; when a huge energy beam appeared at a major moment in the film featuring Thor, I saw one shoot out at the top of the VR environment, too. Meta says that VR enhanced versions of Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: A New Hope will be available when the VR Glasses launch.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pegheu1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_28_18_23.Still015.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"2160\" data-pswp-width=\"3840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"A photo of The Verge\u2019s Jay Peters wearing the Meta VR Glasses.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"i7ks070\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260922_C0744.00_28_18_23.Still015.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photo by Brett Putman \/ The Verge<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">Gaming remains a major use case, too. Meta showed me a new mode for Beat Saber called Flux that supports playing with hands (though it will work with the Quest\u2019s Touch Plus controllers, too). Instead of waving virtual sabers to hit blocks in time with the music, like in the original, Flux tasked me with moving my hands, which were each surrounded by balls of energy connected by pulsing electricity, to break through flying poles and smash targets. It makes sense when you play it, and the one song I played was really enjoyable. The VR Glasses will have more than 75 games at launch that will support the new hands-first experience (including a VR version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney \u2013 Dual Destinies launching in 2027), but they\u2019ll also support the entire current Quest app catalog and can connect to Touch Plus controllers (and Bluetooth controllers).<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">Meta is also pitching this as a way to browse apps and do some work, and I can see the vision. In one demo, I used the glasses to mirror three windows from a nearby laptop. You\u2019ll be able to connect wirelessly to computers or other devices with a USB-C connection, which could be useful if you want more screen real estate for work. My favorite demo from my whole session was actually one about typing. While using a special version of Instagram made for the VR Glasses, I was prompted to leave a comment on a picture, but I was able to type that comment and navigate the app using a virtual keyboard and trackpad that appeared after I laid my hands flat on the table. To my surprise, the virtual keyboard and trackpad were actually good. Of course, the experience wasn\u2019t as speedy as using a physical keyboard and mouse, but in a pinch for a short message or email, I think it could be quite useful. (I should note it\u2019s not technically new; Meta introduced this for Quest headsets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uploadvr.com\/quest-3-v85-ptc-can-turn-any-surface-into-a-virtual-keyboard\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earlier this year<\/a>, and I haven\u2019t tried it on those devices.)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pegheu1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Meta_VR_Glasses_ProductShot_16x9.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"3286\" data-pswp-width=\"5822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"A promotional image of the VR Glasses and its compute puck.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"i7ks070\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Meta_VR_Glasses_ProductShot_16x9.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Image: Meta<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">The glasses cost $1,299.99 and will go on sale in spring 2027. That price puts the VR Glasses between Meta\u2019s $599.99 Quest 3 and a high-end VR headset like Apple\u2019s $3,499 Vision Pro, and I think that\u2019s the right way to think about them. I don\u2019t think they will transform the landscape of VR, especially when Meta itself has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/861420\/meta-reality-labs-layoffs-vr-studios-twisted-pixel-sanzaru-armature\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">divesting from VR software<\/a> and largely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/897396\/meta-vr-horizon-worlds-metaverse-andrew-bosworth\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">moving on<\/a> from the VR version of Horizon Worlds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1044qizi _18mzr4b1 _18mzr4b0 _19wv7tc1\">Meta is still planning to develop full VR headsets, the company\u2019s VP of product for VR, Angela Chang, tells The Verge. But as tech companies chase the next big hardware category, however, a new form factor is starting to emerge: something that\u2019s more capable than most smart glasses but less overbearing than a full-on VR headset. Google and Xreal are teaming up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/933125\/android-xr-samsung-warby-parker-gentle-monster-project-aura-xreal-google-io-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on XR glasses<\/a>. Snap\u2019s idea is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/996422\/snap-specs-hands-on-ar-glasses\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">augmented reality-focused Specs glasses<\/a>, and Meta is working on AR glasses too. The VR Glasses represent another fascinating idea of what a computer on your head can be.<\/p>\n<p>Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersClose<img alt=\"Jay Peters\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_1bw37385 i7ks070\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790215333_228_JAY_BLURPLE.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jay Peters<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x1\">Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n<p>FollowFollow<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x4\"><a class=\"fv263x5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/authors\/jay-peters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">See All by Jay Peters<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MetaClose<\/p>\n<p>Meta<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x1\">Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n<p>FollowFollow<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x4\"><a class=\"fv263x5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/meta\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">See All Meta<\/a><\/p>\n<p>NewsClose<\/p>\n<p>News<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x1\">Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n<p>FollowFollow<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x4\"><a class=\"fv263x5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">See All News<\/a><\/p>\n<p>TechClose<\/p>\n<p>Tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x1\">Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n<p>FollowFollow<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x4\"><a class=\"fv263x5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">See All Tech<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Virtual RealityClose<\/p>\n<p>Virtual Reality<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x1\">Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n<p>FollowFollow<\/p>\n<p class=\"fv263x4\"><a class=\"fv263x5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/vr-virtual-reality\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">See All Virtual Reality<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Meta is launching new VR hardware: a pair of glasses. The new Meta VR Glasses sit on your&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858436,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1282,3,172,74,179,509,180],"class_list":["post-858435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-virtual-reality","tag-meta","tag-news","tag-tech","tag-technology","tag-virtual-reality","tag-virtualreality","tag-vr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}