Zuckerberg framed glasses as the ultimate form factor for AI — a device that can see what you see, hear what you hear, and interact with you seamlessly throughout the day. “AI glasses can improve your memory, heighten your senses, and let you communicate without distraction, all while keeping you present in the moment,” he said.
Meta says its AI glasses are designed around three guiding principles:
- Great glasses first — stylish, lightweight, and comfortable.
- Tech that gets out of the way — powerful tools that fade into the background when not in use.
- Superintelligence at the core — hardware built to improve as AI capabilities evolve.
With those values in place, Meta revealed three major announcements for its AI glasses lineup, signaling the next leap forward for wearable computing.
Beyond hardware, Connect 2025 also spotlighted Meta’s broader metaverse strategy, positioning its glasses as the bridge between digital intelligence and real-world experiences. Partnerships with creators, new integrations across platforms, and momentum for initiatives like neural interfaces underscored Meta’s push to make superintelligence mainstream.
Meta Unveils Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Glasses with 3K Video and Conversation Focus
At Connect 2025, Meta introduced the next generation of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, bringing longer battery life, sharper video, and new AI-powered features.
The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 now delivers up to 8 hours of mixed use — double the stamina of its predecessor — along with Ultra HD 3K video recording, offering more than twice the pixel count for smoother, more vivid content capture.
One standout new feature is Conversation Focus, designed to help wearers hear better in noisy environments. Using the glasses’ open-ear speakers, the AI amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking to — whether at a bustling restaurant, on public transit, or at a concert. The feature will also roll out as a software update to existing Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN glasses.
Meta is also advancing its live AI assistant, working toward an always-available experience. Thanks to energy optimizations, the assistant is moving beyond wake-word prompts toward continuous support. For now, users can access live AI for 1–2 hours per session.
To complement the hardware updates, Meta announced three seasonal colorways and a limited-edition Wayfarer Matte Transparent frame with two lens options, expanding customization for personal style.
Meta and Oakley Launch Vanguard: AI Glasses Built for Performance and Adventure
Meta is expanding its AI glasses lineup with the debut of the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a performance-focused model designed for athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and high-intensity lifestyles.
Building on the success of the Oakley Meta HSTN, the new Vanguard blends Oakley’s iconic style with durability and advanced AI features for sports and rugged environments.
Key upgrades include:
- Battery life: Up to 9 hours of mixed use, enough for a full marathon on a single charge.
- Camera: A centered lens with a 122° wide field of view and 3K video with stabilization, ideal for trail running, cycling, or skiing.
- Capture modes: New Hyperlapse and Slow Motion options, also available via software update for Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) and Oakley Meta HSTN.
- Audio: Most powerful open-ear speakers yet — 6dB louder than HSTN — with advanced wind noise reduction for biking and running in winds up to 30mph.
- Fitness integrations: Garmin and Strava sync via the Meta AI app, offering real-time stats, hands-free workout summaries, and progress tracking.
- Autocapture: A new Garmin-powered feature that automatically records video when you hit milestones, such as a set distance or speed burst. Performance stats can even be overlaid on videos before sharing.
- Durability: IP67 rating ensures sweat resistance and protection against temporary submersion in water up to one meter deep.
- Customization: Swappable Oakley® PRIZM™ Shield Lenses let users adapt to different lighting and style preferences.
The Oakley Meta Vanguard is available for pre-order at $499 USD, with shipments and retail availability starting October 21.
Meta is taking another bold step into the future of wearable technology with the launch of its latest Ray-Ban smart glasses, which will be available from September 30 at a retail price of $799. The new device combines classic eyewear style with advanced artificial intelligence, a high-resolution display, and a revolutionary control system known as the Meta Neural Band.
The glasses feature a monocular display capable of projecting text messages, short videos, and contextual information without obstructing the wearer’s view. With a resolution of 42 pixels per degree — higher than Meta’s consumer VR headsets — and brightness levels reaching 5,000 nits, the display adapts seamlessly to both indoor and outdoor use, even under direct sunlight.
The innovation doesn’t stop at visuals. Each pair comes with the Meta Neural Band, a wrist-worn device powered by surface electromyography (sEMG) technology. This system interprets subtle hand gestures, enabling silent and intuitive control of the glasses. The band offers up to 18 hours of battery life, is water-resistant, and marks a significant milestone in Meta’s human-computer interface research, which the company has been developing since 2021.
- Accessibility and Real-World Benefits
Beyond style and convenience, Meta is positioning its AI glasses as tools for social good. The company reports that blind and low-vision users, including U.S. veterans, are already adopting the technology. By translating visual information into audio descriptions, the glasses can help identify objects, navigate rooms, or read labels in grocery stores. The Blinded Veterans Association is even preparing a usage guide to assist members in daily living tasks.
Meta has also deepened its partnership with Be My Eyes, a platform connecting blind users with sighted volunteers. Through the glasses, users can initiate hands-free calls to volunteers who assist with real-time tasks such as shopping, cooking, or reading. The integration is expanding into more countries and languages, and interaction has been simplified with a tap on the glasses’ frame.
- Looking Ahead: Metaverse and AI Fusion
While unveiling the Ray-Ban Meta Display, the company reaffirmed its broader vision for the metaverse, where AI, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) converge. Meta envisions a future in which users will be able to generate 3D content—from characters to immersive worlds—simply by giving AI-powered prompts.
Though still in development, this fusion of AI and immersive technologies could reshape digital experiences on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram while laying the groundwork for new creative possibilities in VR and AR.
With the launch of its next-generation AI glasses, Meta is signaling that the future of human-computer interaction may rest not just on screens and smartphones, but on the seamless blend of wearable fashion, accessibility, and advanced AI.
Meta has unveiled a pair of powerful tools designed to accelerate the creation and expansion of the metaverse: Meta Horizon Engine and Meta Horizon Studio. Together, they mark a significant step forward in making immersive digital spaces faster, more realistic, and more accessible to developers and creators.
The Horizon Engine, built entirely from scratch, is optimized to deliver better graphics, smoother performance, and more advanced world-building than previous platforms. According to Meta, the engine enables developers to generate nearly infinite interconnected spaces with realistic physics and dynamic interactions. Early benchmarks suggest a fourfold improvement in rendering and loading speed, meaning new worlds can appear in seconds rather than minutes.
- Empowering Creators with AI Tools
Complementing the engine is the Meta Horizon Studio, a new hub designed to simplify and accelerate virtual content creation. The platform integrates generative AI tools capable of producing 3D meshes, textures, TypeScript code, audio, and skyboxes from simple text prompts. This drastically reduces the time required to build high-quality environments.
Meta also announced plans to add an agentic AI assistant, which will automatically stitch together different tools to make the creation process even more seamless. The aim is to empower creators — from independent developers to large studios — with the ability to build expansive and interactive metaverse spaces at scale.
- New VR Experiences and Social Interactions
One of the first applications of Horizon Engine is the new Immersive Home for VR, where users can customize environments, pin apps, and seamlessly jump into interconnected virtual worlds.
Horizon Engine also supports greater concurrency, allowing more than 100 people in a single space — a fivefold increase over the previous platform. This opens the door to more engaging large-scale experiences, from concerts in Meta’s new Arena to casual social meetups in Horizon Central.
- Toward Photorealistic Worlds
Meta is also moving toward more photorealistic environments. At last year’s Connect, the company showcased Hyperscape, a demo leveraging Gaussian Splatting, cloud rendering, and streaming technology to deliver lifelike visuals on the Quest 3 and 3S headsets.
Building on that vision, Meta has now introduced Hyperscape Capture in Early Access. The feature allows users to scan a physical room with a Quest headset in just a few minutes and transform it into an immersive, photorealistic virtual space.
- Building the Foundations of the Metaverse
With the launch of Horizon Engine and Horizon Studio, Meta is positioning itself at the forefront of the next wave of digital creation. By combining AI-driven tools, high-performance rendering, and scalable social experiences, the company hopes to accelerate the path toward a metaverse where creators and users alike can build, explore, and interact without limits.
Meta is doubling down on entertainment in virtual reality with the launch of Meta Horizon TV, a new hub designed to bring movies, television, live sports, and music directly to Quest headsets. The rollout, announced ahead of a busy fall lineup of VR titles, underscores Meta’s push to position Quest not just as a gaming platform but as a comprehensive entertainment device.
- Big-Name Partnerships
As part of the launch, Meta is securing major content partnerships. Disney+ will be integrated into both the Meta Horizon Store and Horizon TV, giving subscribers access to a wide library of films and series from Disney, ESPN, and Hulu. In addition, collaborations with Universal Pictures, Nexus Studios, and Blumhouse Productions will introduce cinematic experiences enhanced with immersive visual effects. Popular horror titles like M3GAN and The Black Phone will be available with interactive layers exclusive to VR.
The company also highlighted its ongoing partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision, revealing that an exclusive 3D clip of Avatar: Fire and Ash is already available on Horizon TV for a limited time. The teaser offers fans a chance to experience Pandora in a new way ahead of the film’s theatrical debut this December.
- Enhancing the Viewing Experience
Horizon TV is being designed to optimize how traditional media is consumed in VR. Future updates will eliminate letterboxing by automatically resizing content to match its original aspect ratio, ensuring viewers see films and shows “as the director intended.”
In addition, Horizon TV will support Dolby Atmos spatial audio at launch, with Dolby Vision HDR set to arrive later this year. The combination promises sharper details, richer colors, and immersive sound, elevating the experience beyond what standard TVs can deliver.
- Expanding Quest’s Entertainment Slate
Meta’s entertainment strategy complements an already strong lineup of VR games arriving this fall. Titles include Marvel’s Deadpool VR, ILMStar Wars: Beyond Victory, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked by Resolution Games, and Reach from nDreams Elevation. These releases reinforce Quest’s reputation as the leading platform for immersive gaming while positioning it as a broader entertainment ecosystem.
- The Bigger Picture
With Horizon TV, Meta is signaling its ambition to make VR a mainstream venue for entertainment. By blending blockbuster content with immersive features, the company hopes to redefine how audiences engage with films, shows, and live events — moving beyond the limitations of flat screens and into experiences that feel larger, richer, and more interactive.
Meta Outlines Vision for the Next Era of Computing at Connect
Meta is sharpening its focus on the technologies it believes will define the future of human connection, spotlighting advancements in virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI) glasses, and augmented reality (AR). The company sees these devices as the foundations of a new computing platform that blends immersion, utility, and everyday accessibility.
According to Meta, VR headsets remain central to delivering fully interactive worlds and large-scale entertainment experiences, offering users the chance to engage with media and environments that extend beyond physical limitations.
Meanwhile, AI-powered smart glasses are emerging as tools that provide “real-world superpowers.” These wearables can tap into streams of contextual information, help users stay connected, and enhance everyday tasks while allowing them to remain fully present.
Looking further ahead, Meta emphasized that AR glasses will represent a major leap forward, overlaying digital content onto physical surroundings in ways that could unlock entirely new experiences and use cases not yet imagined.
The company framed these technologies as part of its ongoing effort to “build the future of human connection.” The updates come as Meta Connect continues, with a second keynote session scheduled for tomorrow to provide additional announcements and product insights.
Meta also reminded users to update to the latest version of Horizon OS (v79 or later) in order to access the newly launched Meta Horizon TV, its VR entertainment hub.