Meta Unveils Glasses VR Headset—Lighter and Much Cheaper Than Apple Vision Pro

Meta has made a major move in the virtual and mixed reality industry by unveiling the Glasses VR headset. The new device offers a concept similar to the premium Apple Vision Pro, but in a fundamentally different, ultra-compact form and at a much more affordable price. Designed as a pair of lightweight glasses, the device is a technological hybrid: it is much lighter than traditional VR headsets but requires a connection to an external computing module for full functionality. This separation made it possible to achieve phenomenal ergonomics. The glasses themselves weigh only about 100 g, while the external unit adds another 300 g. By comparison, Apple's bulky headset puts 750–800 g of weight on the user's head, not including the 353 g battery.

Despite its small size, the new device has impressive technical specifications. The glasses feature advanced micro-OLED displays with a resolution of 2412x2288 pixels per eye, a 120 Hz refresh rate and a horizontal field of view of 70 degrees. The system is powered by the Snapdragon Reality Elite XR2 Gen 3 processor. Six external cameras handle spatial tracking and accurately reproduce the user's surroundings. Another four internal cameras continuously track the user's gaze and the condition of the iris, enabling intuitive interface control using only eye movements and hand gestures.

Meta is positioning the glasses as a versatile tool for both work and multimedia entertainment. The device can display enormous virtual screens for watching movies or become a multi-monitor workspace when connected to a computer. At launch, gamers will be offered more than 75 games with gesture controls, support for the company's Touch Plus controllers and full backward compatibility with Quest's extensive library of previous titles.

The developers are placing particular emphasis on cinematic content. In addition to hundreds of classic 3D movies and an exclusive immersive National Geographic project with a 180-degree field of view, Meta is introducing VR Enhanced Cinema technology. This system allows special effects to literally extend beyond the virtual display and interact with the viewer's actual room. The first movies to support the technology will be “Avengers: Infinity War” and the fourth episode of “Star Wars.”

The new device's biggest advantage will be its commercial accessibility. Sales of Meta VR Glasses will begin in spring 2027 at a price of $1,299, making them almost three times cheaper than their main Apple competitor, priced at $3,699.