Meta unveils wearable AI with $799 Ray-Ban display glasses

On Wednesday, Meta introduced three new AI-powered smart glasses, including its first-ever Ray-Bans with an integrated augmented reality display. 

Priced at $799, the new Meta Ray-Bans are the first widely available smart glasses with a heads-up display since Google Glass. They stick to the classic Wayfarer design, so they look like regular sunglasses, but discreetly pack in a camera, speakers, and a microphone. The glasses’ digital screen can also be controlled through a neural-tech wristband.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at the reveal, remarked, “These are glasses with the classic style that you’d expect from Ray-Ban, but they’re the first AI glasses with a high-resolution display and a fully weighted Meta neural band.”

Meta’s new Ray-Bans can make calls and send texts

The Ray-Bans’ right lens features a bright, high-resolution colour display that seems to hover just below the user’s eye line, capable of showing text, images, and even live video calls. However, it only lights up when the glasses are in use, and an LED signals when the camera is recording.

Additionally, users can control the glasses through touch panels on the arms or by voice. The included water-resistant Neural Band detects forearm nerve signals, enabling intuitive hand-gesture navigation of the display, from swipes and taps to thumb-based virtual d-pad actions. By the end of the year, it will also support finger-drawn handwriting.

The glasses can also send and receive texts, make video calls, and work seamlessly with Meta’s services like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, once connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Moreover, they provide live conversation captions, translate speech, offer navigation directions, manage music playback, and turn the lens display into a live camera viewfinder.

The glasses are expected in US stores on September 30.

Meta introduced Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and other Ray-Ban iterations

Meta also unveiled the Oakley Meta Vanguard on Wednesday, a pair of smart glasses built for extreme-sport enthusiasts like snowboarders and mountain bikers. Set for release on Oct. 21, they’ll sell for $499, coming in $100 higher than the Oakley Meta HSTN model that debuted in June.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard has a more athletic aesthetic than the Oakley Meta HSTN, featuring a wraparound frame that curves its vibrant lenses toward the temples. It also adds a conveniently placed button underneath the frame, making it easier for helmeted athletes to snap photos or record video.

The company is also collaborating with Garmin to integrate its glasses with the brand’s popular watches and cycling computers. Athletes can ask for live stats such as pace, speed, distance, and heart rate, and get a subtle LED alert inside the lens when they reach a preset milestone.

Meta also introduced the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), the newest iteration of its original smart glasses. Priced at $379, up from $299 for the 2023 model, the updated glasses offer twice the battery life, lasting up to eight hours, and feature an upgraded camera capable of shooting 3K Ultra HD video, per the company’s description. Not to mention, the glasses are already available.

Meta announced additional VR game titles

Meta also noted updates on its other works, including Hyperscape, at the event. First introduced at last year’s Connect demo, Hyperscape is designed to help creators build visually rich, realistic VR environments.

At the Wednesday event, the company shared that Hyperscape Capture is now available in Early Access. Quest users can scan and experience a room as a detailed, immersive VR space. The room capture is done in minutes, though the detailed rendering takes a bit longer, a few hours. Moreover, sharing options are not available now, but private invite links are expected down the line.

Meta also revealed its fall VR game lineup with titles such as Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Star Wars: Beyond Victory, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, and Reach. Furthermore, the firm also announced that its Horizon TV will expand its library by adding Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu integration.

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