Meta Unveils VR Headset, Camera-Free Smart Glasses

Meta unveiled a $1,299 Meta VR Glasses headset scheduled for release in spring 2027, using an external computing and battery puck to enable a lighter glasses-style design with 5K displays, mixed-reality features, gaming and streaming capabilities, and claimed IMAX Enhanced certification. It also introduced $349 camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses with open-ear audio, voice access to the Muse AI assistant, longer battery life and an optional hearing-enhancement mode. A third-generation camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta model adds improved battery life, audio and tamper detection, while Meta is expanding display-equipped smart glasses beyond the United States. The camera-free glasses may help address privacy concerns over covert recording, but Meta’s camera-equipped products continue to face criticism, regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits alleging misuse of recorded intimate images. Zuckerberg defended broad distribution of AI technology with safeguards as Meta expands its wearables business amid competition from premium devices such as Apple’s Vision Pro.