Meta moves the VR computer off the face and into a pocket puck

Put these on at 9am and there is a second object in your pocket to keep charged. Meta rates the puck at up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback, with 45-watt fast charging to get it back ^[8][9]. The glasses weigh about 100 grams because the processor, battery and storage live in that puck, joined to the frames by an optical tether ^[2]. Meta is pitching a private multi-screen workspace on this hardware, with flat surfaces acting as virtual keyboards and touchpads ^[10].

On intended use, I'd weight the launch content over the workspace demo. Meta says it is the first VR device to receive IMAX Enhanced certification ^[11]. Disney+ is bringing selected 3D movies, and HBO Max, Peacock and Paramount+ are preparing 3D catalogs ^[6]. The platform will carry more than 100 immersive live sports events a year through partners including ESPN and TNT Sports, according to Meta ^[18]. More than 75 games are expected to support hand-gesture controls at launch, with more through Xbox Cloud Gaming ^[4][5].

Meta said the system is five times lighter than its Quest 3 ^[3]. At about 100 grams for the glasses, that puts the Quest 3 near 500 grams ^[17].

At $1,299.99 the device sits between Meta's existing Quest headsets and Apple's Vision Pro ^[1][12]. Business Standard put it at about a third of the price of Apple's $3,699 headset and roughly a sixth of the weight ^[13]. The Quest line is still the cheap end of the range Meta described, and the strapped headset still sits inside it ^[12]. Spring 2027 is two selling seasons away, and the announcement did not include a developer kit date ^[1].

The nearest hard date is October 13, when the $349 Ray-Ban Meta Audio ships, camera-free at 43 grams, with up to 12 hours of battery and another 48 from the case ^[15][16].

Hearing Enhancement changes who the product is for: an FDA-cleared software feature that turns supported Meta Glasses into over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss ^[19]. The fitting is a guided test in the Meta AI app, which builds a hearing profile and sets amplification against it, boosting speech while machine learning suppresses background noise ^[20]. It arrives in the US later this year ^[21]. The user is identifiable: someone who keeps asking people to repeat themselves and has skipped the audiologist.

Hearing Enhancement has a ship date inside the next two quarters, and the person it is for already has the problem before any demo, at $149.99 as a one-time activation or included with a Meta One subscription, according to TechRadar ^[22]. Anyone planning a rollout waits for the VR glasses until spring 2027 ^[1].