Meta unveils lightweight VR glasses with pocket-sized processing unit
Meta announced VR glasses that sit on the ears and use a separate pocket-sized puck for computing, targeting entertainment, gaming and productivity with a price of $1,299.99 and a spring 2027 launch.
Meta revealed a new virtual-reality device that resembles a pair of glasses rather than a traditional headset. The glasses rest on the ears and rely on a detachable pocket-sized puck that houses a Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, 128 GB of storage, 12 GB of RAM and a battery claimed to provide up to three hours of media playback.
The unit features a 5K MicroOLED “Infinite Display” delivering 2,412 × 2,288 pixels per eye at up to 120 Hz, along with two front-facing cameras for color passthrough. Weighing about 100 g, the glasses are significantly lighter than Meta’s Quest 3, which weighs 515 g. Eye-tracking cameras and six external hand-tracking cameras enable gaze-based navigation and gesture controls such as pinching to select and making a fist to scroll.
Meta demonstrated the glasses with a range of content, including a concert film, NBA Finals footage captured in VR180, and a “VR Enhanced Cinema” version of a Marvel movie that added contextual graphics to the virtual environment. A new Beat Saber mode called Flux was shown, allowing hand-only play, and the device will launch with more than 75 games while remaining compatible with the existing Quest app catalog and Touch Plus controllers.
In a productivity scenario, the glasses mirrored three laptop windows and allowed text entry via a virtual keyboard and trackpad that appeared when the user placed hands on a flat surface. Meta said the glasses can connect wirelessly to computers or via USB-C.
The product is priced at $1,299.99 and is slated for release in spring 2027, positioning it between Meta’s $599.99 Quest 3 and higher-priced competitors such as Apple’s Vision Pro. Meta’s VP of VR product, Angela Chang, indicated that the company will continue developing full-headset VR devices while exploring this lighter form factor.
"The glasses offer a way to experience VR in a much lighter and more approachable form factor than Vision Pro or Quest-style headsets," Chang said.
Industry observers note that the glasses join a growing category of mixed-reality eyewear from companies such as Google, Xreal, Snap and Meta’s own AR projects.