Meta Connect 2026: VR glasses replace the headset, and smart glasses lose the camera

At the annual Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, Mark Zuckerberg and his team bet heavily on wearables and artificial intelligence. The star of the show was the new Meta VR Glasses.

VR without the bulky headset

Instead of the familiar strap-on headset, the company offered glasses that rest on your ears like ordinary sunglasses. Yet inside they carry full immersive displays for movies, games, and multi-screen work. Part of the computing hardware lives in a separate "puck" that sits in your pocket and connects to the glasses.

The key advantage is weight: just 100 grams, against 515 grams for the Quest 3. According to The Verge staff who tried the device, VR felt lighter not only literally but in spirit — easier to jump in and out of, rather than a cumbersome commitment. Sales are slated for spring 2027.

Meta also promised movie rentals and purchases: "hundreds" of titles will reach the US before the end of this year, with "thousands" available internationally by the time the VR glasses ship.

Glasses without a camera

Against mounting public unease over wearable surveillance — the smart glasses have earned the nickname "pervert glasses" thanks to a built-in camera some people used to record others covertly — Meta chose curious timing to unveil the Ray-Ban Meta Audio Glasses. These are smart glasses with Meta AI baked in, but no camera for recording other people.

Muse and accessibility

Just a couple of weeks after launching its Muse AI agent, the company said it is bringing the bot to its glasses. Users can summon the assistant by saying its name and ask it to guide a workout, log meals, or help shop for a product they are looking at. Muse itself is gaining its own email addresses for handling tasks, video-chat capability, and a Mac app that can operate the computer.

Meta also showed accessibility features: Hearing Enhancement, described as "FDA-cleared software" for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss (available later this year via a Meta One subscription or as a $149 add-on), more context-rich Meta AI answers about what a user is seeing, and audio balancing between the left and right ears.

Source: The Verge