Meta Announces ‘VR Glasses’ Next-Gen XR Headset, Priced at $1,300
Meta today unveiled its long-awaited next-gen mixed reality headset: Meta VR Glasses.
Previously known under the codename ‘Project Phoenix’, Meta VR Glasses was announced today, but isn’t launching just yet; the compute puck-tethered device is slated to go one sale sometime in Spring 2027, priced at $1,300.
While we’re still waiting on a precise release date, Meta did reveal an avalanche of details on the hardware alongside a slate of new immersive and casual viewing content coming to the headset. You can catch Road to VR’s hands-on with Meta VR Glasses here.
Meta VR Glasses – Hardware
Meta VR Glasses feature what the company is calling its ‘5K Infinite Display’, which uses micro-OLED panels, offering a 5.5MP (2,412 x 2,288) per-eye resolution at 37 pixels per degree (PPD)—notably higher than Quest 3’s 25 PPD.
In fact, despite being significant lower resolution than Vison Pro’s 11.7MP per-eye resolution, Meta says VR Glasses has a higher PPD (34 vs 37) because VR Glasses spreads its pixels over a tighter field-of-view of about 88° diagonally (H70° × V66°).
That’s not the only thing that’s smaller. Meta VR Glasses weigh about 100g on the head, as the battery and compute have been moved to a separate puck connected to a proprietary port via an optical cable.
Inside that pocketable puck (~300g) is Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Reality Elite processor (XR2 Gen 3) and a battery with a claimed 3+ hours of mixed use. The puck can also be used charged while in use, when plugged into its included 45W USB-C power supply.
Lenses can be manually adjusted for a interpupillary distance (IPD) range between 56–70mm, and can also be fit with prescription inserts from Meta partner Zenni Optical.
As for sensors, VR Glasses comes with a wide array: eye-tracking cameras for UI selection and biometric unlock, front and downward-facing camera sensors for a wider hand-tracking range, and full color passthrough sensors offering 26 PPD. It of course also does the same capable 6DOF spatial tracking pioneered in the company’s Quest lineup.
Like its Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, Meta VR Glasses support a mix of gaze and hand gestures: look to highlight a button, pinch your fingers together to select, rub your thumb up or down, or side to side to scroll through content.
While that mix of eye and hand-tracking is its main input scheme (i.e., not shipping with physical controllers), Meta VR Glasses do support Quest’s Touch Plus controllers, which the company says you can either buy separately or actually use from your existing Meta Quest 3 or 3S.
Meta is also baking in Surface Keyboard—released earlier this year on Quest—to turn any flat surface into a keyboard and trackpad, which comes in addition to being able to pair Bluetooth peripherals like keyboards, gamepads, and more.
Meta VR Glasses are being offered in two sizes (for different head sizes), Standard and Large, which are notably two separate SKUs. Only one storage option has been announced thus far: 128GB internal storage with the option to expand up to 1TB via the puck’s microSD card slot.
When they do launch next spring, Meta VR Glasses are targeting broad international availability, with supported regions including: US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Poland, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand.
Meta VR Glasses Specs
| VR Glasses Sizing | Small, Large |
| Display Type | 5K Infinite Display using micro-OLED panels |
| Resolution | 5.5MP (2,412 x 2,288) |
| Pixel Density | 37 PPD |
| Refresh Rate | Up to 120Hz |
| Lens Type | Pancake lenses with integrated eye tracking |
| Field-of-view | H70° × V66° (D88°) |
| IPD Range | 56–70mm (independently adjustable) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite processor (XR2 Gen 3) |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Internal Storage | 128GB |
| Expandable Storage | microSD card slot (up to 1TB) |
| microSD Card | Not included with device |
| VR Glasses Weight | ~100g |
| Compute Puck Weight | 300g |
| Connection | Connected via optical tether |
| Media Playback | Up to 3 hours per charge |
| Power Supply | 45W USB-C power supply included |
| Charging | Fast charging (can charge during use) |
| USB-C Cable | USB 3.2 Gen 2 cable |
| DisplayPort Alt Mode | Full DP Alt Mode support |
| Video Streaming | Video streaming to Meta VR Glasses from DP USB video sources |
| Eye Tracking | 4 cameras, 2 per eye |
| Hand Gestures | Index tap, thumb swipe |
| Voice Control | Meta AI |
| Motion Controller Support | Touch Plus support |
| Wi-Fi | gen TBD |
| Bluetooth | gen TBD |
| Bluetooth peripheral support | keyboards, gamepads, etc |
| Virtual Display | Mac or PC |
| Phone Mirroring | Yes |
| Positional Tracking | 6DoF |
| Passthrough Cameras | 26 PPD RGB |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Depth Sensing | Yes |
| Biometric Authentication | Iris detection |
Meta VR Glasses – Software & Games
Meta VR Glasses run the same OS and store as Quest, so the entire Quest catalog of VR games and apps are there.
At least in terms of gaming without Touch controllers, Meta has promised 75+ games and apps optimized for hand gesture input, with its headliners including a modified version of Beat Saber for hand-tracking, 3D puzzle game Dragon Grove, courtroom sim Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Dual Destinies, and a modified version of Tetris Effect for hand-tracking.
Meta says all of your usual streaming apps will be there at launch: Disney+ and Peacock, both with 3D, plus HBO, YouTube, Prime Video and more. Other streaming services can also be accessed via the built-in browser.
Meta VR Glasses is also technically an ‘IMAX Enhanced’ certified VR device supporting Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos immersive spatial audio, which means you’ll be able to watch select films in IMAX’s exclusive expanded aspect ratio.
Outside of casual gaming, video, and 180-degree immersive sports content, which you also find on Quest, Meta is leaning particularly hard into productivity.
The device supports wireless multi-screen virtual desktop streaming from Mac, PC or phone, opening it up to be more of a general computing device. Native DisplayPort-In also allows you to directly wire into laptops, consoles and handhelds.
Disclosure: Meta provided lodging for one Road to VR reporter to attend Meta Connect 2026 where information for this article was gathered.
The post Meta Announces ‘VR Glasses’ Next-Gen XR Headset, Priced at $1,300 appeared first on Road to VR.
Filed under: Meta Quest 3 News & Reviews,XR Industry News - @ 24. September 2026 0:01