Meta VR Glasses Are Here: Meta Has Designed Them As 100g Eyewear

September 24, Meta Connect 2026. Zuckerberg didn't talk about the metaverse; instead, he pulled out a pair of glasses.

Codename "Project Phoenix," officially named "Meta VR Glasses." Priced at $1,299, it is set to launch in the spring of 2027. The headset itself weighs approximately 100 grams, with the computing components and battery housed in an external unit.

This is not an upgraded version of the Quest; rather, it represents a new product line from Meta distinct from the Quest series.

The form factor has changed—shifting from a headset to glasses.

The most significant difference with these Meta VR glasses lies in their form factor: they are neither all-in-one headsets nor bulky helmets, but actual glasses.

The headset features a magnesium alloy frame, an open-peripheral design, and a fanless, passive cooling system. The weight has been reduced to approximately 100g by offloading all heavy components—such as the processor and battery—to an external compute unit connected via a cable.

It is a straightforward trade-off: using a cable to achieve a pair of glasses comfortable enough for extended wear.

In terms of display, the device utilizes dual Micro-OLED screens offering a per-eye resolution of 2412×2288 and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This makes it Meta’s highest-resolution VR device to date, boasting an angular resolution of 37 PPD. However, to keep the size and weight down, the field of view has been reduced to 70° horizontal and 66° vertical (approximately 87° diagonal)—significantly lower than that of the Quest 3.

Meta’s strategy is to first get you willing to wear the device, and only then address immersion.

Regarding chips and interaction: gesture-first.

The external compute unit is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite XR chip and runs the same operating system as the Quest 3, enabling it to run existing content from the Quest platform. It features 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with support for microSD expansion.

In terms of interaction, the Meta VR Glasses do not come with Touch controllers by default, focusing instead on hand tracking. Eye tracking is handled by four cameras and supports foveated rendering, while facial tracking is used to generate realistic avatars. The color passthrough function offers an angular resolution of up to 26 PPD.

Those requiring controllers can purchase the Touch Plus separately or simply use the controllers from the Quest 3 or Quest 3S; some retail channels also offer bundles that include controllers.

Meta has also adjusted its content strategy: it announced a lineup of VR and MR games designed for hand tracking and introduced "Flux," a hand-tracking mode, for Beat Saber. Additionally, it debuted a "Hologram" feature powered by Codec Avatars for use in WhatsApp video calls and VR social interactions.

Positioning: A path distinct from the Quest.

Meta positions this device as a cinema, a ringside seat, and a workspace that fits into a bag.

This isn't meant to replace the Quest; it’s designed to fill a different niche. The Quest series has consistently focused on packing in more onboard computing power, resulting in increasingly heavy headsets. Meta VR Glasses take a different approach: offloading the processing to an external unit to reduce weight, transforming the VR device from a bulky helmet into a pair of glasses.

The $1,299 price point reflects this: it is more expensive than the Quest 3 but significantly cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro. Meta is targeting a middle ground—users willing to pay a premium for a high-quality experience but who do not want to strap a "brick" to their faces.

Source：MicroDisplay