Meta VR Glasses Hands-On: $1,299 Wearable Arrives Next Spring

Meta's VR Glasses will cost $1,299 and are expected to ship between April and early June of next year, according to a TechRadar hands-on report. The publication's writer wore the device for a 45-minute walkthrough and came away reluctant to remove it.

The frames weigh 100 grams and resemble an oversized pair of sunglasses. Meta shifted processing, memory, storage and power into a separate puck of roughly 300 grams that can be clipped to a belt or carried in a pocket, a decision TechRadar credits with making the glasses comfortable enough to forget you have them on.

Because the headset carries no CPU, GPU, NPU, RAM, battery or SD storage, Meta could concentrate on appearance. The design keeps wearers connected to their surroundings, and an optional light shield is planned for those who want isolation. There is no need for animated eyes on the lenses, the report notes.

TechRadar's writer had doubted that the small lenses and lack of visible cameras would deliver much immersion. Eye tracking setup followed a familiar pattern: users look at a ring of floating dots and pinch to confirm each one, similar to Apple Vision Pro, and pupillary distance can be adjusted though it was not required.

Cameras handle eye, hand and environment tracking, and the writer found the accuracy on par with Vision Pro. Magnetic prescription inserts, which added clarity for the tester, will likely add about $150 to the purchase price. Meta describes the Micro-OLED panels as 5K resolution, and the writer found that claim credible based on the image quality seen.

App icons including Disney+, a TV app and an Avengers: Infinity War VR experience expanded as the writer looked at them. Opening, closing and repositioning windows caused no trouble. A scrolling gesture, made by forming a light fist and sliding the thumb along the index finger, proved quick to learn.

The session began with an 8K VR Billie Eilish concert that placed the writer front and center, though the report covers only a handful of apps.