What Meta announced at Connect 2026: 100-gram “VR Glasses” for $1,299, new Ray-Bans and no new Quest

Meta VR Glasses: the headset that looks like glasses

The star of the September 23 keynote was Meta VR Glasses: a virtual and mixed reality headset shaped like glasses that weighs about 100 grams on your face, five times lighter than a Quest 3 according to Meta. It costs $1,299.99 and ships in spring 2027.

The trick is that the processor isn't on your head. Compute and battery live in a roughly 300-gram “puck”, about the size of two phones stacked together, connected to the glasses by a thin fiber optic cable. Inside is Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite chip.

The displays are 2412×2288 micro-OLED panels per eye, at 120 Hz with HDR. The price of the lightness is a narrower field of view than a Quest: about 88° diagonal (70° wide by 66° tall).

You control them with your eyes and hand gestures. There are no controllers in the box: Touch Plus controllers are sold separately, now also in black. They run Quest apps and games.

What about the Quest 4?

There was no new Quest. The Quest 3 and 3S remain Meta's gaming line, and the big leap is saved for next year's VR Glasses. If you were about to buy, here's which of the two to get.

The new smart glasses

• Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3): from $449, on sale since September 23. A slimmer design, a new action button and up to 9 hours of battery, an hour more than Gen 2.
• Ray-Ban Meta Audio: the first camera-free model, from $349, with 12 hours of battery. They arrive October 13.
• Meta Adventurer: the brand's budget option, from $249, starting October 23.
• Meta Ray-Ban Display: the display glasses go on sale in Canada and the UK, with pre-orders in France, Italy and Germany for October 13.

Games announced

Beat Saber gets its biggest update ever in spring 2027, headlined by Flux, a new hand-tracking mode. Meta also showed titles for its headsets such as Tetris Effect: Mixed Realities, Two Point Hospital, Supernatural, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies and Dice Throne Digital.

What it means: glasses are eating the headset

In our preview, what Meta was going to show at Connect 2026, we said not to wait for a Quest 4 on shelves and that the likeliest thing was a preview of an ultralight headset for 2027. That's exactly what happened.

The direction is clear: Meta wants VR to reach people through glasses you can wear every day, not big helmets. We dig into it in glasses are going to kill the headset.

What we still don't know

Meta didn't announce local prices for Latin America: Mexico is the only country in the region on the VR Glasses launch list. Meta promises more than 75 games optimized for hand input, but the full list isn't out yet. As for battery, Meta quotes up to three hours of continuous playback per charge, but how long it lasts while gaming will come with the first reviews, close to launch.

Quick answers

What did Meta announce at Connect 2026?

Meta VR Glasses ($1,299.99, spring 2027), third-generation Ray-Ban Meta (from $449), camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio (from $349), Meta Adventurer (from $249) and new AI features.

How much are Meta VR Glasses?

$1,299.99. They ship in spring 2027 and don't include controllers.

Did Meta announce the Quest 4?

No. There was no new Quest headset at Connect 2026.

Do Meta VR Glasses run Quest games?

Yes. They run Quest apps and games; for titles that need controllers you'll have to buy Touch Plus separately.