Meta Connect 2026 is taking place September 23-24, and today, Meta has unveiled some seriously lightweight VR hardware – the Meta VR Glasses. We hesitate to call it the end of the Quest line-up altogether, but it feels like the company has evolved into a new form factor. The VR glasses ditch the traditional controllers in favor of hand gestures, but controller support is still there.

Meta says the new VR specs will be available in spring 2027, so there’s still some time to wait until customers can get their hands on them. However, we already know the price tag – $1,299 USD – making it much more expensive than the Meta Quest 3 (and, in turn, the Meta Quest 3S), but $200 cheaper than the productivity-focused Meta Quest Pro when it launched back in 2022.

There will be “over 75 games on day one” playable through Meta VR Glasses, says the company. These will all be games designed to be played solely with your hands – “no controllers required”. Support for Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming will also be there, or you can connect an external gaming system to play on a massive virtual display, similar to the ROG XREAL R1 AR glasses.

Meta VR Glasses specs explained

Along with the pricing and release window, Meta has also revealed its specifications, with the glasses weighing just 100 grams. As Meta proudly showcased during its keynote, they’re “5x lighter than Meta Quest 3,” although you should also account for the 300-gram puck. The glasses themselves have no processing power or battery inside, so they must be plugged into the (about phone-sized) puck with a cable. The puck also supports USB-C DisplayPort video input, so you can connect an external device – such as your laptop, phone, or gaming handheld – and have it shown as a virtual screen through the Meta VR Glasses.

Meta VR Glasses will also introduce the company’s first implementation of Hologram, which will “provide a photorealistic digital version of you,” including real-time expressions, says Meta in its press release. Similar to Apple Vision Pro’s Personas, Hologram will allow users to join traditional WhatsApp video calls as a face-tracked avatar. When calling other Meta VR Glasses users, it will also enable full-scale, realistic avatars, with support eventually planned for Quest 3 owners.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.