Meta Unveils $1,299 Lightweight VR Glasses at Meta Connect 2026
Meta's new VR glasses will cost $1,299.99 and go on sale in spring 2027. They weigh about 100 grams, which makes the Meta VR Glasses five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3. CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the device on Wednesday at Meta Connect 2026. It's aimed at people who want a personal cinema, a portable workspace, and a gaming setup without strapping a bulky VR headset to their face.
The weight savings come from a two-part design. The glasses hold only the displays and sensors. A separate puck handles computing, battery, and storage. It's connected by an optical tether and clips to a pocket or bag. According to Meta's official announcement, the puck runs on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Reality Elite processor. It delivers up to three hours of continuous high-resolution video playback and supports 45W fast charging.
"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 on stage.
The Meta VR Glasses use a 5K micro-OLED display with 37 pixels per degree, which Meta says makes text sharp enough for real work. Custom pancake lenses keep the frames slim. The glasses support Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos spatial audio is built directly into the frames. Open sides and pass-through cameras let you keep an eye on your surroundings.
There are no controllers. You navigate with eye tracking, hand gestures, or your voice through Meta's AI agent, which is built into the operating system. You can open apps, play movies, or rearrange your workspace just by looking, gesturing, or asking.
Entertainment is clearly the main selling point. Meta says this is the first IMAX Enhanced-certified VR device ever. Disney+ is bringing 3D versions of titles like The Avengers and Black Panther. Peacock, HBO Max, and Paramount+ are offering their 3D catalogs for the first time, alongside Prime Video, YouTube, ESPN, Crunchyroll, and Tubi. Meta is also working with James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision to release blockbusters in 3D for the first time in 2027.
Sports fans get courtside seats, too. Meta plans to offer more than 100 immersive live sporting events each year through partners including ESPN, MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports, and UFC.
For work, the glasses can project either a single massive virtual screen or several smaller ones. Any flat surface can become a keyboard and touchpad, so you don't need to pack extra hardware for a long flight. Gamers get more than 75 titles playable with hand gestures at launch, plus hundreds more through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Meta also introduced hologram calling. It creates a photorealistic, real-time version of you for video calls, and Meta says it works with apps from WhatsApp to Zoom.
The price is a big jump for Meta's VR lineup. As CNBC reported, this is Meta's first new VR device since the $299 Quest 3S launched in 2024. That puts the glasses well above the Quest family, though still far below the price of Apple's Vision Pro.
The VR glasses weren't Meta's only reveal. The company also announced the $349 Ray-Ban Meta Audio. They're its first camera-free smart glasses, built for music, calls, and AI assistance, and they ship on October 13. A refreshed Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 starts at $449 and adds longer battery life.
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