Let's get one thing out of the way: I am not an advocate for VR headsets. I find them bulky, isolating, and, on the whole, an unuseful way to engage with technology as it currently exists.
You can imagine the skepticism I wore on my sleeve when I was given a chance to try out the new Meta VR Glasses during Meta Connect 2026. And my pleasant surprise at how intuitive and comfortable it was to wear and use the headset/glasses.
Meta's newest VR wearable is a cross between the Meta Quest headset and AR glasses like the Viture Beast or the upcoming Xreal Aura. Or if you're just looking at gesture controls, a much cheaper version of the Snap Specs (but still expensive).
While the race is on to see who can dominate the AI glasses side of things, Meta's VR glasses feel like the actual future. As a VR headset they're still isolating, and there are some strange decisions under the hood, but there's something interesting here.
What are the Meta VR glasses
Meta's VR Glasses are what happens when you slice off just the lenses of a headset and put them in a pair of Top Gun fighter pilot goggles. The glasses carry the lenses, display and sensors.
The lenses are a pair of Micro OLED 5K "ultra compact" pancake screens that Meta says are Dolby Vision certified and have Dolby color. It's also capable of running 3D content and is IMAX certified, a claimed first for headsets.
The chip and battery have been separated into a tethered puck that Meta says can last for three hours on its own. A Meta spokesperson told me the glasses feature a Qualcomm XR2 Gen 3 chipset. Or, by another name, the Snapdragon Reality Elite, announced at AWE this year. The naming convention is confusing since Qualcomm didn't announce XR2 Gen 3 but instead the rebranded Reality Elite.
Seriously, these things are light. Meta Quest headsets weigh 1.1 pounds or about 500 grams. The Meta VR Glasses are supposed to weigh only 100 grams or 3.57 ounces. For comparison, the Viture Pro and Xreal One AR glasses weigh just under 3 ounces.
They're quite comfortable to wear and don't get hot thanks to the puck. However, the puck was quite warm when I picked it up at the end of the session.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the VR glasses is the lack of controllers. They can support controllers like the Touch controllers used with the Quest via Bluetooth. However, these glasses utilize eye and gesture controls for most every interaction; more on that in a moment.
Price and release date
We have some time before we'll get our hands on the Meta VR Glasses for real. They're not expected to ship until spring 2027 — six months, I was repeatedly told.
At launch, the Glasses are supposed to have a $1,299 starting price, though no storage capacity options were given. Meta Quest 3 is only offered with 512GB, while the 3S comes in 128GB and 256GB versions. I presume the VR Glasses will probably launch at 256GB.
The price is high — they're more than twice as much as the Viture Beast — but about half the cost of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
All about the eyes
With the caveat that these were locked-in demos, the eye-tracking and hand gesture controls felt intuitive and worked extremely smoothly.
One cool thing I found is that the glasses will walk you through setting up the lenses and nose pads for your vision and nose shape. With my eyes, I had to adjust the right lens, which was done by just pushing it to the left a slight bit.
For prescription glasses users, Meta had a prescription setup so they could calibrate the lenses. It's not clear how that would be done for customers once it's in the wild.
One demo showed off a multi-screen workstation where what caught my eye was the readability of the websites and code I was shown. It fixes one annoying flaw of AR glasses where reading can be blurry or straining on your eyes.
There are sensors in the lenses that track your eyes and do a fine job of telling where I'm looking. I was able to look at an icon and then pinch my fingers, and the app would open.
Nicely, unlike many devices with gesture controls, I could keep my hands in my lap or flat on the table if I wanted. There's no strange reaching into the aether for an invisible ball that you usually see.
This is thanks to sensors on both the front of the glasses as well as the underside that capture your hand movements.
Content, content, content
While the Meta Quest or Valve's new Steam Frame function as gaming headsets, Meta stayed away from gaming during presentations about the headset. Yes, there are 75 launch titles that are "enhanced to be hands first," but this isn't strictly a gaming headset.
Much of what I was told and shown revolved around different content. There are the Dolby-certified lenses and IMAX certification. Meta will have a store with 3D movies and shows that will work with the glasses, along with new 3D titles coming from Lionsgate and James Cameron to start.
I glimpsed some of that with a Marvel Avengers scene where a 360 3D environment was built out around me while I watched Thor build his Mjolnir replacement axe. It was cool if a bit of a theme park ride. There was also a Billie Eilish concert where, using 3D it looked as though I was standing in the crowd, which felt creepy like I was breathing down someone's neck
There was also a 180 degree spatial version of the NBA Finals where I could turn my head and see Timothée Chalamet watch the Knicks beat the Spurs. This is supposed to come with more sports, including ESPN and college football that starts this October on the Quest.
On most AR glasses, a limited FOV determines the virtual screen size. With the VR glasses, I was not told what the FOV was, and for screen size I was only told I could expand or shrink the displays I was watching, though that option wasn't available during my hands-on session.
Gestures need work
During my hands-on time, it was tough for me to get the hang of using both eye tracking and virtual hand gestures.
I found it quite difficult in the Meta UI to tell if I was selecting something with my eyes. When I tried opening the Billie Eilish concert, I had no clue if the play button was actually selected or not.
This isn't a tracking issue; it's a highlighting problem. Instead of adding a bold border or changing colors, the icons you select just get brighter, like you've shone a penlight on them. On some darker shaded apps this is fine but on white play buttons it was nearly indistinguishable.
Presumably this could and should be fixed before launch.
The other problem I had was with the touted "Surface keyboard." It's a virtual keyboard and trackpad that you can put on a table in front of you and type. It looks cool, but in practice it's hard to actually type on without any haptic feedback on what your fingers are doing.
I mentioned using haptic devices like gloves or VR gaming vests like those from bHaptic, and Meta spokespeople didn't seem to know if they would work or thought it would confuse the headset. Pour one out for your VR headset accessories.
My verdict: The future of VR headsets
Right now, Meta and its Quest headsets dominate the VR headset market. Per Counterpoint Research, Meta has nearly 70% of the market. And if we're being honest, VR is just the Quest right now, though the Steam Frame could change that conversation a bit.
As mentioned, I find VR headsets bulky and isolating. I don't know that Meta VR glasses solve the second issue, but bulk is nearly gone, and it makes for a fascinating device.
This new form of VR headset is so intriguing and an actual improvement over current VR platforms that I believe it's only the start, and I hope, just the first step in a fascinating new direction for virtual reality devices.
We're slowly getting to a point where AI glasses and VR/AR headsets and glasses are going to become one and the same. This midpoint evolution shows both how far away we are and how far it's come.
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