Today, Xbox announced the availability of a new limited edition Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, a collaboration with Xbox that sees the brand take its first steps into the world of VR and mixed reality — and it's out now at meta.com and Best Buy for $399.

(A note to our friends from across the pond: Those in the U.K. can grab the limited edition Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition for £379 from Argos.)

"Never let them know your next move," appears to be the gameplan of both Meta and Xbox of late, with the former leaping into new hardware ventures with the ROG Xbox Ally and Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, and the latter choosing to make this announcement well in advance of the company's September Meta Connect 2025 event.

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition doesn't include any hardware improvements over the standard Quest 3S model, but it is a bundle of impressive value, especially for those looking to take their fabled "Xbox experience" to new heights, while also dipping their toes into the immersive world of VR/AR. Why? Let's dive into things to find out.

Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition: What's new?

• All-new black and green colorway for Quest 3S headset and Touch Plus controllers, influenced by Xbox
• Includes an Xbox Wireless Controller with a unique black and green design
• Also includes 3 months of free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Meta Horizon+ membership

If you were expecting an iterative update on the Quest 3S' hardware, then you'll be majorly disappointed to learn that the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is very much the same device released in late 2024.

Think of this less like a new release and more of a limited edition bundle. You get a fresh new design, and for most, a welcome into the world of VR and mixed reality.

Why should this appeal to you? Well, to put it plainly, while Xbox doesn't have any VR or mixed reality games of its own, the Quest 3S is a brilliant platform for playing flatscreen games also, thanks to its ability to generate absolutely enormous, cinema-like virtual displays absolutely anywhere in your home.

Factor in the headset's rich Dolby Digital surround sound in up to 7.1 channels, and you have all the makings of a truly immersive gaming experience.

As I've said before, if you can find me a 250-inch TV with a surround sound setup to match for only $399, I might change my tune, but until then, the Meta Quest 3S is one of the best ways to enjoy your game library around, with access to Xbox Cloud Gaming (with three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included) in standalone mode, or able to physically hook up to devices using UVC and UAC-compatible capture cards.

Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition: What's in the box?

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is a limited edition bundle that provides you with all of the standard Quest 3S fixtures but with the company's Meta Quest Elite Strap preinstalled, while adding a themed Xbox Wireless Controller to the mix and sweetening the deal further with a free, three-month trial of Xbox Game Pass.

And, for when you feel like exploring Meta's VR/AR titles, there's also three months of Meta Horizon+ membership included to give you a head start on the action with instant access to an expansive catalog of games to play, and allowing you to claim two curated titles each month.

Here's a look at everything included in the bundle:

• Meta Quest 3S headset (Black/Green)
• Meta Quest Elite Strap (Black, preinstalled)
• Standard Facial Interface (Black, preinstalled)
• Xbox Wireless Game Controller (Black/Green)
• 2 x Meta Quest Touch Plus controllers (Black/Green)
• 2 x wrist straps (Black/Green)
• 4 x AA batteries
• Glasses spacer
• USB-C power adapter (18W)
• USB-C charging cable
• Free three-month Xbox Game Pass, and Meta Horizon+ trial included

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Last week, I all but performed an act of journalistic necromancy, dredging up an announcement of an Xbox-branded Meta Quest VR/AR headset from over a year ago to speculate on the possibility of us finally seeing it unveiled during September's Meta Connect 2025 event.

Since then, the hornet's nest had been well and truly been kicked, and the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition has now been officially announced, and is available to buy right now for a limited time at $399 from meta.com and Best Buy.

Still, the news seems to be confusing some, who appear to be asking why the Xbox needs a VR headset when it has no VR games. Well, the answer to that is right in front of you — literally. It's all about the screen.

Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition: A portal to a better "Xbox Experience"

Before the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition was officially revealed, many seemed confused about this collaboration more than anything. And who could blame them? Sony's PSVR didn't exactly make a huge splash with most console owners, and Xbox doesn't even have any VR games to its name.

But this partnership isn't really about VR, it's about mixed reality. More specifically, the Quest's ability to conjure up cinema-sized displays with impressive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital surround sound in virtual space, anywhere and everywhere you need it.

While its "Play Anywhere" mentality means you can now enjoy more Xbox titles across a range of devices, Xbox's partnership with Meta gives more gamers access to enjoy big-screen experiences with high-quality audio at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a comically sized TV and speaker setup.

Seriously, go find me a 250-inch TV and a surround sound speaker setup for less than $400 anywhere else. Virtual or not, since enjoying flatscreen content through the Meta Quest, buying physical displays feels nothing short of daylight robbery.

While Xbox's cloud gaming efforts have made it so you can access the "Xbox Experience" on more hardware than ever, its limited edition Meta Quest 3S reminds you that the "Xbox Experience" isn't just about where you can play games, but how you can.

Xbox and Meta Quest: A mutually beneficial crossover

When the Xbox One released in 2013, Microsoft re-angled its console as a do-it-all device for games, movies, apps, TV, and even the internet. The Xbox One wasn't your run-of-the-mill console; it was an entertainment center.

This generation, with the Xbox Series S|X, Microsoft has been more aware of its hardware limitations, branching into cloud gaming to make the Xbox experience feel like something less shackled to a particular piece of hardware.

It's also the reason we're seeing Xbox games make the jump to other platforms, and even Xbox-branded hardware like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally.

Similarly, with its third-generation shift into augmented reality, Meta has been pushing hard to make the Quest a one-stop hardware destination, covering everything from gaming to productivity.

Meta's real challenge has been replicating the sales success of the Quest 2 and convincing flat-screen gamers to give its platform a shot. This partnership with Xbox gives it that opportunity.

It's a chance to get regular gamers across its hardware threshold, and hopefully sway them to the spatial gaming/computing experience, all while handing Xbox users a unique way to game: plastered across enormous, mixed reality displays that truly live up to Xbox's "Play Anywhere" branding.

While its pricing seems a little high at first, besting the regular Quest 3S by $100, the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition limited edition bundle includes an Xbox Wireless Controller, two Touch Plus controllers, a Meta Quest Elite strap, and the Quest 3S headset itself. That's a considerable serving that justifies the price, and a free, three-month helping of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Meta Horizon+ are the cherries on top.

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Along with dominating the VR headset market with the Quest, Meta also has the top spot for smart glasses.

Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses continue to be a big seller for the company, with more than two million pairs sold since their launch in 2023. On Friday, Meta announced it's releasing another set of glasses under a different brand.

The Oakley Meta glasses are the new smart glasses that the company plans on releasing this summer. Based on the HSTN style of Oakley glasses, the Oakley Meta version will have a few upgrades over the Meta Ray-Bans.

What's new with the Oakley Meta smart glasses?

To start, the Oakley Meta smart glasses will have improved battery life over the Meta Ray-Bans. The Oakley has eight hours of battery life with normal use and up to 19 hours of standby time, about double that of the latest generation of Ray-Bans. The newer smart glasses also have fast charging, can go up to 50% in just 20 minutes, and come with a charging case that provides 48 hours of charging.

The Oakleys record video in 3k quality, which is a significant improvement over the Ray-Bans' 1440 x 1920 video quality. Photo quality is still the same at 12MP.

Another improvement with the Oakley Meta smart glasses is the use of Prizm and Prizm Polarized lenses for impact and UV protection.

Aside from these differences in tech and, of course, the style, the Oakley Meta smart glasses have the same functionality as the Ray-Bans. There's a capture button on the frames for photos and video. When recording, the camera lens will blink, letting others know they're being recorded. Speakers are built into the frame to listen to songs from Spotify or Apple Music.

The Oakleys also have Meta AI built in. Wearers can ask the AI questions, and in its press materials, Meta focused on how the assistant can provide details related to various physical activities, such as weather conditions for a game of golf or checking out surf conditions.

The Limited-Edition Oakley Meta HSTN glasses will be available for preorder on July 11 and priced at $499. Meta plans to release the rest of the Oakley line later in the summer for $399 for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Other countries will get access to the Oakley Meta smart glasses later this year.

Meta Quest is the best-selling VR headset, and it looks like there is going to be a new variant coming very soon.

Last year, Meta released its Meta Quest 3S, which offers a similar experience to the Meta Quest 3, but at $200 cheaper with its $299 price tag. There are expectations that Meta will release the Quest 4 sometime in 2027, but it seems this new version coming out might help fill in the gap of time.

An Xbox Meta Quest 3S will reportedly be announced on Tuesday, June 23, according to Game Sandwich. The Xbox version of the VR headset will have the color scheme of the Microsoft game console and will retail for $399.

Meta and Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for confirmation on the new headset.

Meta teased this Quest 3S version last year. In a blog post from April 2024, the company said it was working with Microsoft to do a limited-edition Meta Quest that was inspired by Xbox. There was no date on when it would be released, with some expecting it would have been officially unveiled at Meta Connect 2025, scheduled for Sept. 17-18.

What's in the Xbox Meta Quest 3S?

According to the report, the Xbox Quest 3S will come with a black and green headset, matching accessories, an Elite Strap, an Xbox wireless controller, and three months of Xbox Game Pass. It will reportedly have the same 128GB storage and specs, which means this does appear to be the Meta Quest 3S with just Xbox colors.

Back in 2023, Meta added the Xbox Cloud Gaming app to its Meta Quest Store. Reviews for the app have been mixed, as many cite controller issues, dealing with being unable to pair their controllers to play a game, or a severe amount of input lag. This version of the Quest 3S might address these hardware issues.

Is Microsoft jumping into VR?

Microsoft appears to be willing to try to get the Xbox brand on whatever hardware trend is in these days.

With its Xbox Cloud Gaming, the company has made a push to declare that any device is an Xbox, whether it's a phone, tablet, laptop, or portable gaming device.

This VR headset could be Microsoft dipping its toes in the VR market before it releases the next generation Xbox, which should be sometime in 2027.

Microsoft is doing a similar test out the waters, teaming up with Asus for its ROG Xbox Ally, which is a version of the ROG Ally X that makes use of the Xbox user interface. The company was reportedly developing a portable Xbox alongside its home console version for its next-generation hardware, but the portable version has reportedly been canceled.

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2. Meta Quest 3 review: Elite features at an affordable price
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4. I tried the Meta Quest 3S: Is it game over for the Apple Vision Pro?
5. How Meta's Quest 3S could spell disaster for the Apple Vision Pro
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Despite strong alternatives in the form of VR and mixed reality headsets from Apple, HTC, Pico, Pimax, and more, Meta’s Quest headsets remain the most popular and widely adopted on the market.

Since the release of the Quest 3S, the power of Meta’s third-generation headsets has become more accessible than ever, securing an ultra-competitive $299 price tag while building an audience around a considerable library of productivity and entertainment-focused apps and games.

While the Meta Quest 2 (now discontinued) still stands as Meta’s best-selling VR headset to date, the reaction to the Meta Quest 3 — along with Meta’s unflappable drive to make mixed reality mainstream — all but guarantees that a Meta Quest 4 will follow.

So, what can we expect? What do we already know? And just how far off is Meta’s next-gen headset from making an appearance? Let’s take a closer look.

Meta Quest 4: FAQs

• Has Meta announced the Meta Quest 4?
  While Meta hasn’t officially announced the Meta Quest 4 yet, several people claiming to work closely on the project at one point or another have shared details of its ongoing development.
  
• Should I buy a Meta Quest 3 or wait for the Meta Quest 4?
  At the time of writing, the Meta Quest 4 isn’t expected to release until 2027. As such, don’t hold back. If you’re interested in trying our VR or mixed reality, the Quest 3 is a fantastic option that’s easy to get the hang of.
  
  If you don’t want to spend too much, only to replace your headset in a few years, the Meta Quest 3S offers the same performance as the premium model (though lesser quality optics), starting at only $299.

Meta Quest 4: Release date rumours

It’s a pretty safe bet to assume that the Meta Quest 4 is coming. Rumors about the headset have been circulating online for some time, with initial reports suggesting that it would arrive next year, in 2026.

However, it has been claimed that Meta is willing to push back the launch of the Quest 4, with fresh reports hinting at a 2027 release. A high-end, controllerless headset without the Quest branding is currently said to release in 2026 instead.

This headset, codenamed Puffin, looks set to replace a previously canceled follow-up to the Meta Quest Pro, codenamed La Jolla, and is rumored to be a more lightweight pair of mixed-reality glasses running Horizon OS that offloads much of the processing to a separate, tethered compute puck.

Meta Quest 4: Design rumors

Word on the Quest 4’s specifications and design is still speculative, and early leaks have suggested that Meta has multiple prototypes in mind for its fourth-generation headset. That said, there are two prototypes we can likely rule out.

According to The Information, in 2024, Meta was planning budget and premium models of the Quest 4 under a new design, codenamed Prismo Low and Prismo High. However, sources revealed to UploadVR in June 2025 that these headsets (originally planned to release in 2026) have since been canceled, with Meta seemingly seeking to stick to a more traditional form factor.

With this in mind, I’d expect the return of pancake lenses alongside improved display tech that may even stretch to Micro-OLED panels, a reduced weight profile, and potentially a slight improvement in battery life.

Beyond design, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long held goals for Quest headsets to be powered by custom silicon eventually. However, the Quest 3 and Quest 3S stuck with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chipset, and the company maintained that partnership by using Qualcomm chips once more for the compute puck of its Orion AR glasses prototype.

Given that Meta also chose to dismantle its Facebook Agile Silicon Team (FAST) in October 2023, it’s safe to assume that Meta’s next-gen headsets will once again likely lean on Qualcomm processors. The most obvious candidates are its upcoming Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 or Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 3 chipsets, codenamed Project Matrix — the same chips rumored to feature in Samsung’s Project Moohan XR headset.

These chips are expected to offer increased processing power — leading to better and smoother graphics, higher per-eye resolution, expanded concurrent camera counts — opening the doors to advanced tracking or scanning, and Wi-Fi 7 support.

Given Meta’s long-in-development Codec Avatars project, adding more sensors for tracking the wearer’s eyes and face seems like a no-brainer. However, high-resolution passthrough cameras for richer immersion in mixed reality mode and potentially an improved sensor for hand tracking would also be welcome upgrades.

Meta Quest 4: Price speculation

The price of VR headsets, and just about every other piece of tech right now, could be heavily impacted by U.S. tariffs over the coming years. As such, it’s going to be hard to estimate how much the Meta Quest 4 could cost when it eventually lands on store shelves.

Still, Meta is sure to want to maintain its competitive pricing, so a drastic leap in cost isn’t something we’d expect to see. It’s unclear whether Meta dropping development of the early Prismo Low and Prismo High models means we’ll miss out on a potential Meta Quest 4S this time around, which may make the headset slightly less accessible than the current catalog.

However, Meta may be able to shave some of the potential inflated costs off the headset for current Quest owners if it decides to maintain compatibility with its Touch Plus controllers and offers a headset-only option for purchase — something many speculated Meta might do to accommodate the low-cost Quest 3S’ launch in 2024.

Given the high price of Meta’s Touch Plus controllers (which Meta sells individually, not as a required pair, for $74.99), this could considerably reduce the Quest 4’s price tag, and make it a more compelling upgrade for those currently enjoying its third-generation headsets.

While we can’t say for sure what the Quest 4’s price will be at this moment, it’s probably fair to suggest that it’ll stick as close as possible to the price set by the Quest 3, with some wiggle room for pricier components or to combat any additional tariff-related costs.

Taking that into account, but keeping in mind that this is purely speculative, an early estimate of the Quest 4’s starting price could be between $499 and $599.

What's next?

With the expected release of the Meta Quest 4 still a few years out, all we can do for now is keep our ears to the ground and make sure our eyes are peeled for any new tidbits of information made available through leaks or reliable sources.

We'll be sure to upgrade this page as and when any additional information becomes available, but we can't say for sure when that might be.

In the meantime, Meta Connect 2025 is set to take place later this year, from September 17. While we don't expect to see the Quest 4 make an appearance, there's a good chance we might see another headset revealed: a limited edition Xbox-branded Meta Quest 3.

While it's not expected to vary in terms of hardware or features, it should at least tide us over while we wait to hear more about Meta's next-gen VR/AR offerings.

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says competitors, particularly Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, have been trying to poach OpenAI engineers with sky-high compensation packages.

“They started making these, like, giant offers to people on our team. You know, like $100 million signing bonuses and more than that in compensation per year,” Altman said this week on the Uncapped podcast, hosted by his brother, Jack Altman.

Altman said he was glad to see that those enticing offers haven’t worked on OpenAI’s best people. He assumes this is because they looked at the two paths, Meta and OpenAI, and concluded that the latter has a better shot at delivering on superintelligence and will eventually become the more valuable company.

Amid the digs, Altman said Meta is missing the one thing that truly matters in AI: a culture of real innovation.

Altman doesn’t think Meta’s money-first mindset will work

“There are many things I respect about Meta as a company, but I don’t think they’re great at innovation,” said Altman, when discussing Meta’s attempts to lure OpenAI engineers.

He explained that by trying to recruit OpenAI staff with massive guaranteed compensation packages, Meta is essentially building a culture that prioritizes money over the work and mission. He believes that focusing on money rather than purpose and product is a recipe for the wrong kind of culture.

Altman contrasted this with OpenAI’s approach, which he said attracts and retains talent by aligning financial incentives with a shared sense of purpose and innovative work.

“The special thing about OpenAI is we’ve managed to build a culture that is good at innovation, and I think we understand a lot of things they don't know about what it takes to succeed at that,” he explained further.

Drawing a parallel to past tech rivalries, Altman recalled hearing Zuckerberg discuss how Google tried to enter the social media space in the early days of Facebook.

However, to those at Facebook, it was clear that it wasn’t going to work for Google. Altman said he now feels similarly about Meta’s approach to AI, suggesting that Meta is making an error by trying to replicate OpenAI’s success directly.

Meta sees ChatGPT as the a Facebook replacement, says Altman

He even discussed how he believes many people at Meta simply copy OpenAI. Altman explained this with an example of how many other companies' chat apps resemble ChatGPT, down to the UI mistakes.

He drew from his own experience to argue that the copy-and-paste strategy is fundamentally flawed, and that trying to go where your competitor already is, instead of building a culture around innovation, rarely works.

When asked why he thinks Meta sees OpenAI as such a competitor, Altman mentioned how an ex-Meta employee once told him that Meta views ChatGPT as a Facebook replacement. He explained that the user experience with ChatGPT felt different, like one of the few tech products that didn’t feel “somewhat adversarial.”

He contrasted this with Google, which he said has started showing worse search results, and with Meta’s products, which try to hack users' brains to keep them scrolling. Instead of doing either, ChatGPT simply tries to help users with whatever questions they may have, and even help them feel better.

Beyond discussing Meta, the Altman brothers talked about a wide range of topics related to the future of AI, OpenAI’s strategy, and even Sam’s personal reflections.

Altman made a “crazy claim” that AI will discover new science, and that humanoid robots are one of his dreams — something he thinks will be achievable within the next 5 to 10 years.

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Say whatever you'd like about the predictability of Microsoft, but the Xbox brand has pivoted so wildly over the last several years that you'd assume its product roadmap was nothing but hairpin bends.

From banking heavily on Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming, to sharing exclusive games with PlayStation, to teaming up with Asus for the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, and even suggesting third parties will build their own Xbox consoles in the future, it's increasingly hard to know where Xbox is heading next.

Except, we do know one thing: it's been a year and change since a very different kind of Xbox hardware was quietly announced — one that won't be a console in the traditional sense, but a VR/XR headset. Given its scope, we may even see it revealed as soon as this September.

Xbox's take on the Meta Quest 3: Powered by Horizon OS

In April 2024, Meta announced that it was opening the door for third-party manufacturers to adopt the Meta Quest 3's operating system, Horizon OS.

Alongside this announcement, Meta (and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram) revealed that this decision would spark a new generation of VR/MX hardware, with several partners already lined up to spearhead the move, including:

• ASUS ROG: Who were earmarked to develop a new stand-alone, high-performance headset optimized for gaming and powered by Horizon OS
• Lenovo: Tipped to use Horizon OS' mixed reality features to power headsets for education, productivity, and entertainment
• Xbox: Set to build upon its partnership with Meta following Xbox Cloud Gaming's arrival to Horizon OS by developing a limited edition Meta Quest headset

We didn't get to see any of these devices as prototypes, and we weren't offered any form of release date or pricing information. But Meta did reveal that each headset could be fine-tuned to suit its target audiences.

In Xbox's case, Zuckerberg suggested that this model could "come straight out of the box with Xbox controllers and Game Pass, so that you can immediately just start playing on a big screen anywhere you go."

How that translates to the final product remains to be seen, and just how special Xbox's limited edition Meta Quest headset is from the standard Quest 3 model is also up in the air.

However, we have seen Meta provide limited editions of other products, namely its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, which have received new colorways and designs over the years. At the very least, this could mean that Xbox's Quest headset will visually stand out, likely opting for the black colorway that the console is primarily known for.

As a limited edition Meta Quest variant, we can likely rule out any dramatic changes to the Quest 3's current design or features. You can probably expect it to look pretty much the same as the current third-generation Quest headsets, though adopting the Xbox Wireless Controller's colored buttons would be a nice touch.

Big screen experience or fully VR ready?

That's if the Quest 3's Touch Plus controllers are included in the box, Zuckerberg did hint that the headset could come with an Xbox controller, after all. Thankfully, those who nab the headset when it launches will still be able to use its hand tracking for VR/MX content, and a lack of controllers could result in a sizeable discount on the headset's overall price.

If the limited edition Xbox Meta Quest headset adopts the Quest 3S as its baseline, instead of the more premium Quest 3 model, it could be an impressively affordable entry-level option for VR/MR first-timers.

However, many of the Quest's most popular games do require a pair of Touch Plus controllers. Which means, should you be swayed by the Quest's VR/MX game library, you would need to buy the controllers separately, which Meta sells for $74.99 — each.

When can we expect it?

Frustratingly, the last time we heard of this Xbox-branded headset was also the first time we heard about it. Since Meta's original post in April 2024, we've had pretty much radio silence.

Does this mean that the project has evaporated into thin air? Well, it wouldn't be the first time that Meta has announced something and failed to deliver (we're still waiting for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR).

However, with Xbox happy enough to work with third parties on Xbox-branded hardware (even to the point of cancelling its own plans) and the seemingly small scope of the collaboration, I'd say there's a strong chance that this headset is still due to release. The question is: when?

The answer to that question may be sooner than we think, with the upcoming Meta Connect 2025 event, scheduled for September 17-18, making an ideal stage to showcase a new headset, especially as the Meta Quest 4 is rumored not to make an appearance until 2027.

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In one of the clearest examples of how everyday users of technology sometimes don’t understand it – and the developers of that technology haven't fixed it – the Meta AI app is allowing deeply personal, private, and altogether embarrassing content to be shared to its “Discover” tab. And those personal questions can spread to Facebook and Instagram.

This is precisely the worst place for questions like “Tips for asking an Asian girl about dating older men” and “Can my wife see [the questions I ask]?"

Let’s briefly back up: The Meta AI app launched in April. It uses Meta’s own large language model, Llama, which acts as a chatbot for users. In that way, it’s like ChatGPT or the Google Gemini app. You ask it a question, and it provides answers.

But the truly cursed part of this app is that those questions can somehow become public to other users, and clearly, not enough users realize it.

Why the Meta AI app is confusing users so much that they put their private questions into a public feed

The Meta AI app looks a lot like the Instagram app. There’s a Home tab, a Notifications tab, a History tab, and a Discover tab. The Discover tab is a lot like the Explore tab on Instagram – it’s a stream of content produced by other users of the Meta AI app. A lot of it is "AI slop" -- low-quality, AI-generated images of like, Cookie Monster in handcuffs or Pennywise the evil clown as a baby. And between the slop are questions the users very likely didn't intend for anyone else to see.

Why does this happen? There’s a confusing button in the top right of your chats with the Meta AI app called “Share.” Do not press if you are asking a private question.

That “Share” button essentially turns your question into a piece of content -- a "public prompt" -- posted to the Discover feed. The instructions are vague, and you might think hitting “post” wouldn’t result in your content appearing in the Discover feed. There's a one-time warning, but that's it.

You might also have just made a mistake. After being notified that hitting the “post” button would put your content in the Discover feed one time, you are no longer met with the warning on subsequent shares.

Even worse, these public prompts could show up on Facebook and Instagram as "suggested" prompts for other users.

How to stop the Meta AI app from posting your questions to the Discover feed or on Instagram or Facebook

Thankfully, you can delete public prompts in the Meta AI app. You click on your user icon in the upper right corner, click “view profile,” and you’ll see those prompts. You can long-press on each and be met with the option to delete it.

You can also adjust the settings to avoid this sort of thing, which we can't stress enough, shouldn't have happened in the first place, given the history of digital design innovation and research in the last few decades.

We digress: Go to "Data and privacy," click "Manage your Information," and then select "Make all public prompts visible to only you." Click "Apply to all."

Next, go back to the "Data and privacy" menu, click on "Suggesting your prompts on other apps," and uncheck Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook has more than 3 billion users, and the Meta AI app is available in 22 countries. When designing content for oceans of people, especially when your app clearly states that any questions you ask are private, why add a “social” element?

The answer is obvious if you’re Meta, a publicly traded company that relies on engagement and growth numbers to continually move up.

The Meta AI app: Bad design or bad thinking?

A thriving Discover section of the app – and which pieces of content a user clicks on in that app – is another data source about user interests, which Facebook can bundle and sell to advertisers. It’s just like Instagram’s Explore tab.

Is Meta AI's obtuse UI to blame, or is the vagueness intentional to get more content in the Discover feed? It could be both. It feels like a situation where Hanlon's razor could be applied: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

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Meta has been dominating the smart glasses market with its Ray-Ban glasses. More than two million pairs have been sold since their launch back in 2023.

Being the leader of smart glasses, Meta wants to hold onto its big lead with new features for its upcoming Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Gen 3, which should be revealed at Meta Connect 2025, happening in September. One rumored feature, however, is raising privacy concerns.

Meta is reportedly working on adding facial recognition technology to its smart glasses and other devices, according to a report from The Information. There were no specifics provided in the report, but it did state that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company execs have been considering this feature for some time.

Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about adding facial recognition to its smart glasses.

There have already been attempts to add facial recognition software to Meta's smart glasses. A report from 404 Media from October told of two Harvard students who went a step further than just using the tech to identify a person's name just by their face. The pair was able to have the software pull up the person's address, phone number, and family members.

Smart glasses can be a privacy nightmare.

It's pretty evident why privacy is such a concern for smart glasses. Even though the wearables have a wealth of positive features, from being able to provide live translation of conversations to even adding a screen only the wearer can see to provide a mixed reality experience like expected in the Meta Orion, there is a lot of data that these glasses can obtain without anyone else realizing it.

The Meta Ray-Ban glasses' indiscriminate look makes it easy for someone to be recorded. All that's needed is to take that data and use it for nefarious reasons.

At the end of April, Meta updated its privacy policy for the smart glasses, which removed the option to disable storage of voice command data when using Meta AI. This means asking the AI to do a task, such as recognizing an object the wearer is looking at, would then have that query saved to Meta's cloud servers for AI-training purposes. So the user has no choice about whether their requests will be sent to Meta or not.

This, however, does appear to be the kind of wearables future that Zuckerberg is hopeful for. During a Meta earnings call at the beginning of May, Zuckerberg said he views the glasses to be the "ideal form factor" for AI.

"They enable you to let an AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk to you throughout the day. And they let you blend the physical and digital worlds together with holograms," he said.

Meta is doubling down on its determination to make smart glasses the next big device, especially for AI.

In Meta's Q1 2025 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the company's increasing focus on both AI and smart glasses, which could end up being closely tied at Meta.

Zuckerberg's comments indicate that Meta sees smart glasses as the "ideal form factor" for AI and it sounds like AI features will be front-and-center in the company's upcoming smart glasses. The question is, are smart glasses really the best device for AI (or anything, for that matter)?

See also: Best phone deals in May 2025

 "Glasses are the ideal form factor for AI": Meta doubles down on AI smart glasses

Meta held its Q1 2025 earnings call this week, and Mark Zuckerberg made some intriguing comments about Meta's plans for smart glasses when discussing the company's top-priority business opportunities.

He clarified that Meta sees smart glasses and AI as closely intertwined by including smart glasses under the umbrella of "AI devices," which Zuckerberg called " the next generation of computing platforms."

He laid out where he sees smart glasses in that "next generation" of tech, stating, "Glasses are the ideal form factor for both AI and the Metaverse.

"They enable you to let an AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk to you throughout the day. And they let you blend the physical and digital worlds together with holograms."

If you're like me, you're probably more concerned than amazed at the thought of an AI seeing what you see and hearing what you hear all the time, but Zuckerberg seemed confident during the earnings call that AI smart glasses will be ubiquitous sooner or later.

He said, "More than a billion people worldwide wear glasses today, and it seems highly likely that these will become AI glasses over the next 5 to 10 years.

"Building the devices that people use to experience our services lets us deliver the highest-quality AI and social experiences. This will serve as an amplifier for all the opportunities I mentioned so far and unlock some new opportunities as well."

It's worth noting that this week, Meta announced changes to the privacy policy for its Ray-Ban AI smart glasses that removed the ability for users to disable data storage in the cloud.

The changes seem geared toward increasing Meta's ability to store and analyze users' voice recordings and image data to train its AI, which also sounds like what Zuckerberg refers to above when he mentions the "devices that people use to experience our services."

Smart glasses might be good for AI, but they won't replace your phone

In the earnings call this week, Zuckerberg boasted that "Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses have tripled in sales in the last year," so it's no surprise Meta's confidence around its smart glasses is on the rise.

Meta also showed off an impressive demo of a prototype pair of "Orion" smart glasses at its Meta Connect presentation last year and has continued to hint at more advanced smart glasses, including a new version of its Ray-Ban glasses.

However, despite that confidence, I'm still not convinced smart glasses are the best device for AI or capable of replacing phones. At least, they won't be any time soon.

Smartphone innovation has stagnated somewhat over the past few years, but even then, the smartphone is still arguably the perfect form factor for a personal device. It's small enough to bring anywhere, and the touchscreen is the most streamlined, yet straightforward way of interacting with content and communicating.

Smart glasses aren't that intuitive. Visual content is harder to display on glasses (without making them too bulky like VR headsets), and there's no physical user interface, short of a controller. Smartphones are more accessible, affordable, and convenient to use than smart glasses, and you can use any AI assistants on your phone already. Numerous AI apps can do everything a pair of Ray-Ban AI smart glasses can.

Plus, even if smart glasses somehow end up being the best device for AI, AI itself would have to become essential enough to justify spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on what is essentially a dedicated AI device.

That didn't work out for the Rabbit R1 or the Humane AI pin, so Meta better have some seriously impressive plans for its AI smart glasses if it wants them to succeed in a challenging market.

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Update 5/1: A spokesperson for Meta tells Laptop Mag that only voice prompts that use Meta AI will be collected and used in training. That means "Hey Meta, take a picture" will not trigger the collection process, but "Hey Meta, what kind of car is this?" will.

Meta rolled out a critical change to its privacy policy that makes the best smart glasses a little less desirable.

On April 29, Meta implemented a drastic change to its privacy policy for Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses by removing the option to disable storage of your voice command data in the cloud.

This means you now have no choice but to allow Meta to store and analyze your voice command recordings if you choose to use Meta AI with your Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Unfortunately, the move is sacrificing user privacy to get more data for training its AI, which begs the question: Is a smarter AI assistant worth compromising your data privacy?

See also: Best phone deals in April 2025

Meta makes a major (creepy) change to its smartglasses privacy policy

In a notice effective as of April 29, Meta stated, "We will store voice recordings even if you unintentionally activate a voice interaction. If our systems detect that you didn’t intend to activate a voice interaction, we will label these voice interactions as 'false wakes' or misactivations, and delete them within 90 days of detection. Voice transcripts and stored audio recordings are otherwise stored for up to one year to help improve Meta’s products."

When Meta says your data is being used to "help improve Meta's products," it's most likely referring to its AI platform, which requires massive amounts of data to analyze and learn from.

Meta noted that you can still delete your voice recording data at any time, which will prevent Meta from using that data to train its AI.

However, it's frustrating that Meta is forcing users to manually do this. If you use your Meta smart glasses frequently and don't want your voice data stored, you now have to remember to manually delete your data on a regular basis.

In addition to storing your voice data, Meta may also be storing some of the pictures and videos you take using your Ray-Ban smartglasses. If you use Meta AI to analyze something you're looking at, that image data will be stored to help train the AI.

Luckily, in this case that only applies to image content shared with certain services, like Meta AI. It doesn't apply if you're just taking a regular photo or video.

As Meta clarified in a comment to Laptop Mag, "The photos and videos captured on Ray-Ban Meta are on your phone's camera roll and not used by Meta for training, including photos or videos captured by using the 'Hey Meta, take a photo/video' voice command. If you share those photos to a product — for example, Meta AI, cloud services or a third-party product — then the [data privacy] policies of that product will apply."

So, you can still use your Ray-Ban smart glasses to take regular photos and videos privately, but be aware that whenever you use Meta AI to analyze visual content, that content will likely end up stored in the cloud, where it could be used to train Meta's AI.

Are smart glasses worth sacrificing your data privacy? Probably not.

These privacy updates come as rumors begin heating up about the next generation of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Meta has been putting increasing emphasis on smart glasses and AR glasses recently, but as impressive as some of the demos have been, privacy updates like this should give you pause before slipping on a pair of Meta's glasses.

Any time you consent to allow a company to store voice recording data, you run the risk of your data being misused or sensitive data getting mistakenly picked up.

For instance, imagine you order a pizza while wearing your Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and Meta's AI accidentally records your credit card info? Or say you answer a phone call from your doctor while wearing the glasses, and Meta AI wakes up on accident?

There are countless situations where voice recording (with no real opt-out option) can pose a serious risk to your privacy and your data. As impressive as smart glasses can be, you might want to think twice about them after these policy updates.

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In February, Facebook parent company Meta made headlines by announcing plans to create a standalone Meta AI app to compete with ChatGPT.

Previously, Meta AI had only been available through the company's web portal and apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, and the suggestion of it becoming an app of its own fell in line with CEO Mark Zuckerberg's goal to put the AI assistant in the hands of over 1 billion people by the end of 2025.

While the news drew mild interest, Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT creators OpenAI, responded with sarcasm — and a smirk.

"Ok fine maybe we'll do a social app," he posted in reply to the news on X. A snarky, digital equivalent of a retina-snapping eye-roll. Following up on his comment, Altman continued, "lol if Facebook tries to come at us and we just Uno reverse them it would be so funny."

At the time, this was chalked up to nothing more than CEO reply-guy banter. However, recent news suggests it was anything but. Reportedly, OpenAI is working on its own social network, turning what was once an off-handed joke into potentially serious competition for both Elon Musk's xAI and Meta.

OpenAI's social media ambitions: From snark to prototype

According to The Verge, OpenAI has quietly been working on a social platform of its own, similar to Elon Musk's xAI-owned X.

While OpenAI has yet to officially announce any such plans, sources tell The Verge that an internal prototype pairing ChatGPT's image generation tools with a social feed currently exists — and that CEO Sam Altman has been "privately asking outsiders for feedback" about the project.

It's not yet known whether this tool will stand on its own or eventually be integrated into ChatGPT, or if it'll ever reach the light of day.

However, the mere suggestion that the company has a prototype in play could set alarm bells ringing for other platforms, especially now that ChatGPT has overtaken both Instagram and TikTok as the world's most downloaded non-gaming app.

The news is sure to put further strain on an already frayed relationship between CEOs Altman and Musk, with the two already engaged in a lawsuit and countersuit over OpenAI's claimed breach of contract for straying from its founding mission as a non-profit and Musk's supposed "bad-faith tactics" towards OpenAI, respectively.

Harkening back to another tongue-in-cheek post from Altman on X, OpenAI's interest in entering the social media game may have been further revealed in February.

Following Musk's apparent offer to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion, Altman replied, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."

Perhaps we should be taking Altman's social media posts more literally in the future.

What's next

Does OpenAI really want to become the next Facebook?

It sounds absurd. But then again, so does a talking robot assistant that takes over all forms of human thought, creativity, and planning while taking the form of a personal dietitian, psychologist, event planner, graphic designer, and guidance counselor.

Yet here we are.

Until now, OpenAI has largely played the role of infrastructure provider. It presents tools like ChatGPT and Sora for others to use. The most social element of each is the human-like responses made possible by its advanced LLMs (large language models).

A shift like the one reported changes that landscape considerably and potentially in a way that people may not respond positively to. Part of ChatGPT's appeal may be that it isn't tied into wider, more distracting social experiences like Grok and Meta AI.

Whether or not this prototype makes it to release has yet to be seen. Altman's prior tweets may have aged suspiciously well concerning today's news, but that doesn't guarantee them true prophetic status. Not yet, anyway.

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If there's one sad but universal rule in tech, it's that every developer, publisher, manufacturer, or personality will inevitably betray your trust or admiration for them.

Perhaps you encountered it when Konami remade Metal Gear Solid 3 as a Pachinko machine, the moment Xbox sold its soul to PlayStation, or the weird way Mark Zuckerberg drank water that one time. Regardless, heartbreak is practically an inevitability.

However, every rule has an exception. My personal exception is Valve — which, for ethical reasons, I'll freely admit may have something to do with the thousands of dollars I've saved thanks to various Steam Sales.

Of course, no company is perfect, and I can't speak for the people within it. For all I know the Valve headquarters breaks into a fervor on Friday evenings as everybody gathers around a TV to watch illegal dogfights.

What I do know is that Valve has yet to do me wrong on the hardware or software front. I've barely been able to express how enamored I've become with Valve's Steam Deck, and now escalating rumors of the company's plans to release a new VR headset in 2025, codenamed Deckard, have me practically doing backflips as I make heart eyes at the poster of Gabe Newell hanging on my office wall.

(This is hyperbole, I don't have a poster of Gabe Newell on my office wall. It's a cardboard cutout and it stands in the corner of my kitchen.)

I have been, and always will, be a proud champion of VR — thoroughly believing that gaming's future will heavily lean into this medium in good time. I'll save you the same old spiel you'll hear elsewhere about Valve's Deckard potentially being VR's big moment to break into the mainstream because VR headsets already are mainstream.

Instead, I'll simply say this: my time with the Steam Deck has been so good, that even if Deckard is little more than the same handheld with a head strap, I'm still buying one. Here's why.

Valve Deckard: More than a Steam Deck for your face

Thankfully, Valve's Deckard is expected to be so much more. The rumored headset is claimed to include a split-1440p resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate, running on a modified version of the Steam Deck's SteamOS platform, tailored to retool SteamVR as a standalone experience.

That means on-device PCVR gaming, free from your desktop umbilical. Better still, one reputable tech tipster claims that Deckard will run regular flat-screen games too (like the Steam Deck), using VR to project them onto large virtual screens for maximum immersion.

The cherry on top? Unlike Valve's previous VR offering, the Index, the Deckard reportedly uses inside-out body tracking, meaning you won't need to invest in expensive base stations for accurate upper body tracking.

It sounds fantastic. So, what's the catch? Well, current rumors suggest that the Valve Deckard VR headset may launch with a $1,200 price tag — far above the affordable Goldilocks zone claimed by Meta's Quest headsets.

Can't afford Deckard? Check out this $300 PCVR alternative

Rumored to cost $1,200, Valve's Deckard headset sets a pretty high bar for entry. However, that's not to say you can't recreate a similar experience to the one laid out earlier for far less.

Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets cost considerably less, with the Quest 3S retailing for just $299, while also expanding on the Deckard's core features with full-color mixed reality passthrough — though, admittedly, offering lesser performance and resolution as Deckard rumors suggest.

It's a similarly standalone device, but that will restrict you to games and apps available within the Horizon Store. While the Horizon Store library is nothing to sneer at, it is restrictive, and the Quest 3 family's affordability has resulted in a younger population with less cash to burn, causing it to lean into free-to-play and discount titles that risk making HorizonOS the VR version of Android and iOS' shovelware amusement park app stores.

As standalone as it may be, Quest headsets are made all the more better by PCVR. Not only can you play PCVR games on Quest headsets, but you can also use the Steam Link app to stream PCVR games from SteamVR directly to your headset.

While it's a little "The Valve Deckard we have at home," for all but the most hardcore of VR enthusiasts, this is a pretty affordable route to PCVR gaming with a few extra mixed reality bells and whistles for bragging rights.

PCVR needs a 'Steam Deck' moment

Before the Meta Quest 2 rolled around in 2020, it felt like VR had been stuck in early access for years, but that headset's unrivaled success painted a positive picture for the medium. Has it lived up to that hope? Somewhat.

The Quest 3 and Quest 3S were major milestones in VR's continued push for acceptance, but some five months on from the latter's release and it feels like that momentum has stalled harder than a particularly anxious learner driver at their first set of traffic lights.

I'm sure that's exactly the kind of feeling the pre-2022 handheld gaming PC community would resonate with, right up until the moment one healthily bearded Gabe Newell stepped into the market and turned everything on its head.

Now you can hardly move around in the tech space without needing to kick several variations of handheld out of your path, lest you intend to ski-doo your way around on a pair of ROG Allys.

While VR doesn't necessarily need Deckard to spur a new wave of hardware, its focus on PCVR gaming and making that vast and varied landscape of titles available to even more people (especially those who don't own a powerful VR-ready laptop or desktop computer) is vitally needed to ensure momentum continues to build.

Valve's Deckard is unlikely to be the headset that brings VR to the forefront of gaming. However, the company's effort to push PCVR to the forefront of accessibility may go a long way to promote the same mentality from others, marking an important stepping stone to the larger VR goal. One I hope to be a part of.

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Is Arm a chipmaker or just a silicon design firm?

A recent review by Laptop Mag of the official court transcript from the explosive Arm v. Qualcomm trial that ended two months ago reveals statements made by Arm CEO Rene Haas clarifying his company's role in the chip industry: "Qualcomm sells chips, and we don't." When further pressed by Qualcomm's attorney, Haas confirmed, "We don't build chips."

Yet, the Financial Times, citing "people familiar with the UK-based group’s plans," reported last week that Arm is planning to make and sell its own silicon — a significant departure from its current strategy. The FT reported that the Arm chips would be part of a contract with Meta for use in data centers.

While more competition in the computing space often breeds innovation, this is a significant change for Arm's business strategy that could put Arm at odds with its biggest partners. Arm primarily licenses chip designs to its partners and licenses its Arm instruction set for those machines.

Arm has not responded to requests from Laptop Mag to comment on the Financial Times report. The company also declined to comment to the Financial Times last week.

So what is Arm's new chip, and what does it mean for the computing industry?

Arm's ambitious new chip plans

As the FT puts it, Arm manufacturing chipsets is a "radical change" to the design firm's usual business model. Traditionally, Arm licenses designs and the Arm instruction set to companies like AMD, Apple, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. Arm's partners

While Arm is designing and selling these chips, Arm's new silicon will be manufactured by an external manufacturer. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Intel, Broadcom, and Samsung all produce chips, though it’s unclear who would handle manufacturing Arm's silicon.

Arm's parent company, SoftBank, is closing an acquisition for a chip design company called Ampere. This acquisition is believed to be part of Arm's chipmaking project.

How Arm's new chip could shake up the computing industry

The December case between Qualcomm and Arm ended in a ruling in favor of Qualcomm, and defended Qualcomm's ability to use the Oryon CPU cores in its Snapdragon X series chips that power Copilot+ AI PCs.

The cores were based on licensed Arm technology developed by Nuvia, which Qualcomm acquired in 2021. Nuvia was set to pay a higher royalty rate to Arm than Qualcomm based on a pre-existing deal with Arm.

However, Nuvia worked on data center chipsets before those designs were repurposed for Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips for consumer laptops. Arm's reported data center chip may be just the starting point.

One of Qualcomm's main arguments in the first court case with Arm was that Arm intended to make its own chips and viewed Qualcomm as a competitor rather than a business partner.

The trial also included an exchange between members of Arm's leadership about building a chip, which reads, in part, "Think of it: if we build [a chip], the rest are hosed." Laptop Mag has viewed transcripts from the trial that aren't yet widely available.

Qualcomm and Arm have a second court case scheduled for March 2026.

If Arm does indeed move into selling its own consumer-level chipsets, as the FT reported last week, Apple, Qualcomm, AMD, Nvidia, and MediaTek might become competitors, as all hold licenses to Arm's technology to create their silicon.

Granted, the Arm chip in question would be designed for data center use, but the Qualcomm Oryon cores started as part of data center chips, so there is certainly precedent for translating an Arm-based data center CPU into a consumer-level design.

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When it comes to tech trends, Apple can be the starter of the trend or come late to the party. It may have revolutionized the smartphone industry, but it lags behind in AI, as seen with Apple Intelligence.

Apple appears to have set its sights on a new technology that is still in its infancy, but it's advancing rapidly. The company that looks to be leading the push for this tech is none other than Elon Musk's company, Tesla.

The iPhone maker is reportedly interested in becoming a robot maker, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo as first spotted by TechCrunch.

"Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem, and these products are still in the early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally," Kuo said on X Wednesday.

Leading the company's robotic work is Kevin Lynch, the executive who was responsible for developing the software for the Apple Watch and formerly the head of the now-defunct Apple Car project, according to Bloomberg. These robots are likely several years away from ever coming to fruition.

Apple didn't immediately respond to an email asking for confirmation about its interest in making robots.

Tesla is betting big on robots

The tech company making the biggest push for robots is Tesla. The car company has been promoting its Tesla Optimus robot since 2021 when its announcement consisted of a person dressed up in a robot outfit.

Last year, the company heavily pushed the promise of a robot future with videos featuring the robot in action although there were questions on how much work the robot was actually doing.

A media event featuring several Optimus robots demonstrated how these machines could work the bar or serve drinks with witty banter, but they weren't totally independent and reportedly required humans to handle some interactions remotely.

Nevertheless, Musk expects 2025 to be a big year for the Optimus robot. During a Tesla earnings call last month, the CEO said while the company won't reach its goals in the number of robots he said it would produce, it's going to come close.

"Will we succeed in building 10,000 exactly by the end of December this year? Probably not, but will we succeed in making several thousand? Yes, I think we will," Musk said on the earnings call as reported by Business Insider. "Will those several thousand Optimus robots be doing useful things by the end of the year? Yes, I'm confident they will do useful things."

Meta wants in on the robots, too

Apple isn't the only one now getting into the robot race. Meta is reportedly interested in making its own robots.

The social media company began investing in robot technology and created a new team in its Reality Labs hardware division to handle the work, Bloomberg reported Friday. Meta reportedly plans to make humanoid robot hardware to take care of household chores, and the company wants to make the AI and the tech that will power robots manufactured and sold by other companies. The report says Meta doesn't want to make a Meta-branded robot to compete directly with Tesla's Optimus.

Meta is currently leading the market when it comes to AR glasses with its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The company reportedly sold more than 2 million pairs of the glasses.

Apple reportedly trashed its rumored augmented reality smart glasses, but it appears that the company isn't letting go of the idea of making its own glasses.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported Sunday that Apple does have plans in the works for standalone AR glasses. Details about those glasses aren't expected anytime soon.

The plans Apple reportedly scrapped were for a pair of AR smart glasses that tether to a Mac. Initially, the glasses would pair with an iPhone, however, the phones couldn't produce enough processing power for the glasses. Apple changed direction, deciding to use a MacBook to provide the processing power to the glasses, but disagreements over the glasses' design and features led to the whole project being shelved.

Apple, however, appears to be continuing work on standalone AR glasses. According to the report, these glasses have been a long-term goal for Apple, and the company is currently working on the technology such as screens and silicon to make the device work.

As is the case with a lot of tech trends, if Apple isn't first, it wants to make its version the best available in the market. That, however, is not always the case as evidenced by the company's VR glasses, the Apple Vision Pro.

Released last year, the Vision Pro shocked tech fans with its price tag of more than $3,000, leading to the glasses staying on shelves. The company's strategy for this high price tag is to attract professionals and not the casual customers who wanted to try out VR.

Apple is reportedly going to stop producing the VR goggles, but it's not giving up the VR fight. The company has plans for a more affordable Vision Pro, but when that may come out is still a mystery. When these cheaper VR goggles come out, there will be a lot of ground to make up to catch up with Meta, which has the largest share of the VR headset market.

Meta is also the big name in the AR goggle market. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses came out back in September. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company sold more than a million units of the glasses, and it appears to not be slowing down. Meta is reportedly moving quickly to add a display to the glasses in the near future.

Mixed reality is already a hot niche, but if a leaked roadmap from Meta is any indication, it's about to get even hotter.

According to a memo unearthed by Business Insider, Meta's Andrew Bosworth ("Boz" as he's known) says that there are lots of AI gadgets in store for the year ahead.

"Next year is going to be the most critical year in my eight years at Reality Labs. We have the best portfolio of products we've ever had in the market and are pushing our advantage by launching half a dozen more AI-powered wearables," said Bosworth in a memo according to Business Insider.

"AI-powered wearables," as we've learned over the past year, can mean a lot of things, but if there's one category I'm almost certain Meta has its eye fixed on, it's smart glasses.

A big year for mixed reality

It's no secret that Meta is big on mixed reality. It's poured billions into carving out a niche for its Quest headsets, creating a whole new category and ditching the likes of Apple and Samsung in its wake.

But just because headsets have been a magnet for R&D dollars doesn't mean they're the only device on the menu. Increasingly, smart glasses are becoming a category in their own right.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg revealed last week that the company sold 1 million units of its Meta Ray-Ban glasses last year, which isn't too shabby for a product category that's still technically finding its footing.

While Bosworth doesn't cite smart glasses specifically in the leaked memo, it wouldn't be too much of a leap to assume that the category will be a major part of its vision of an AI wearable — especially since the addition of Meta AI to the glasses late last year.

What its potential plans for smart glasses will look like is anyone's guess, but there's already some evidence that they could make Meta's Ray-Bans a lot more sophisticated.

According to a Financial Times report from December, Meta has plans to add a display to its glasses, which would be a significant step toward making a pair of smart glasses that feels smart.

As I've written previously, I'm a big fan of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, which are surprisingly useful for taking calls, navigation, audio playback, and taking pictures, but there's still always a minor disappointment when I tell people they lack a display.

Adding one might finally convince potential buyers who are on the fence but waiting for the smart glasses to feel truly smart.

And the most exciting part of all this is that with six new AI wearables in the works, Ray-Ban glasses might not be the only thing to get excited over. It's hard to say where else Meta will expand its ambitions, but I personally wouldn't mind seeing a device similar to what Xreal offers, which is to say a lightweight pair of AR glasses that doubles as a big virtual screen.

Yes, the Quest already does this, but bringing that ability to a form factor with a much lower footprint — that is to say, not a headset that covers your face — is a lot more convenient.

Which brings me to my next point...

A race to the AR future

As important as headsets are to the current crop of Meta hardware, it's clear that strapping a computer to your face is not the ultimate goal.

If that wasn't clear enough already, Meta hammered that home this past October in its annual Connect conference by revealing its vision for our mixed reality future: Project Orion.

In case you missed it, Project Orion is a novel, if still experimental, pair of holographic AR glasses, that combine the ability of a Quest into a form factor that's only a bit bigger than a pair of normal glasses.

For lots of reasons — miniaturization of components for one — that reality is a ways off still, but at the end of the day, that's what mixed reality titans like Meta are working toward.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Meta's push into mixed reality, or AI wearables as Bosworth put it, is that with enough investment and ingenuity, Meta stands to crack smart glasses wide open.

And if rumors are true, it's not the only company that is devoting resources to trying. Samsung is rumored to be developing its own pair of smart glasses which could be released this year and Apple has been trying its hand as well.

The latter of the two companies, however, is reportedly shelving its plans for smart glasses for unknown reasons — tepid response to the Vision Pro and cost could be two major reasons.

So, that leaves Meta and maybe Samsung in the game, and only one of those companies actually has a product you can buy right now. It's obviously too early to say how Meta's plans to ship more AI wearables will go in 2025, but if there's one tech company with enough interest and funds to make it work, my money is on Meta.

Here's to hoping that Bosworth puts Meta's money where its mouth is and finally cracks the code to the future-leaning smart glasses we deserve.

We're only a month into 2025, and it's shaping up to be an interesting year, to say the least. There's a heavy focus on AI right now, especially with the U.S. government's $500 billion investment in AI and the recent rise of DeepSeek, the best ChatGPT alternative we've seen in a while.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg knows this, and is trying his best to capitalize on the demand for solid, reliable AI models. In a leaked all-hands meeting reviewed by Business Insider, Zuckerberg warns employees to "buckle up" for an "intense" year with a massive focus on AI.

In a contradictory statement, Zuckerberg can be heard saying, "This is a marathon, not a sprint. But honestly, this year feels a little more like a sprint to me."

Zuckerberg is in a race against multiple other companies —Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and many more — to create a "highly intelligent and personalized" digital assistant," which is what he believes is the key to success in 2025.

The rise of AI will be a double-edged sword

In the leaked recording, Zuckerberg can be heard predicting that 2025 will be the first year a "highly intelligent and personalized" digital assistant reaches 1 billion total users. And he thinks that "whoever gets there first is going to have a long-term, durable advantage towards building one of the most important products in history."

That sounds like a bold claim, but it's honestly not that far-fetched. When DeepSeek recently launched and demonstrated true competition for ChatGPT, stocks were affected almost instantly. We'll likely see the same stock market flux when one company prevails over the others with the "best" AI digital assistant.

Zuckerberg also thinks 2025 will be the year Meta starts seeing AI agents writing software and playing a bigger role in the company. When asked if this would lead to job cuts, he said it was "hard to know" and that it could end up leading to more engineering roles to harness AI, despite some roles becoming redundant in the process.

In non-AI news, Zuckerberg said Meta would be moving away from a third-party fact-checkers system to an X-style community notes system, rolling back DEI programs, and "resetting" relationships with governments worldwide.

How Meta plans to tackle this goal of being the first company with a personalized, super smart digital assistant, we don't know. But as with most technologies, winning in that race will require some deep pockets.

In April 2024, Quest headset maker Meta announced in a press release that the operating system and storefront that powers the standalone portion of its popular virtual and mixed reality headsets, Horizon OS, was going multi-platform.

Microsoft Xbox, Lenovo, and Asus ROG were among the first companies interested in adopting Meta's operating system for new hardware releases, suggesting that we could expect at least three Horizon OS headsets to make an appearance in 2025.

Unfortunately, since that time, word on third-party Horizon OS headset development has gone about as radio-silent as Microsoft whenever anybody mentions Windows 12.

In fact, within that span of time, Google announced its own operating system for virtual and mixed reality headsets, Android XR. Samsung's Project Moohan is reported to be one of the first devices to use the platform. A potential reveal of the headset is tipped for Wednesday's Galaxy Unpacked event.

However, according to one tipster, progress is well underway from at least one of the original trio of Horizon OS adopters, with Asus ROG's headset, codenamed "Tarius," reportedly offering eye and face tracking, and a considerable upgrade over the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S' LCD optics.

Asus' ROG Ally has tasted great success...

A little over a year after the Steam Deck's February 2022 launch, Asus unveiled its own handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally. At the time, the announcement was so unexpected that its April 1 reveal was taken as a legitimate April Fool's joke. However, Asus' console has been anything but a laughing matter, offering an impressive Windows gaming experience on the go and spawning a popular mid-cycle refresh in the ROG Ally X.

Asus managed to get into the handheld gaming market early while the going was good, establishing itself alongside the Steam Deck as one of the major players long before saturation became a hurdle for manufacturers to clear.

Right now, the handheld gaming PC market is rife with options, with Lenovo, Acer, Ayaneo, MSI, GPD, and OneXPlayer all competing for the high ground. Still, Asus' early adoption keeps the ROG Ally in the spotlight, even without as of yet announcing new models designed to take advantage of AMD's latest Ryzen Z2 chips which were unveiled during CES 2025 (a follow-up to the Ryzen Z1-Series chips that power current models).

Following the release of the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S, Asus finds itself in a similar position, able to capitalize early on the availability of Horizon OS and bring its own VR/XR/MR headset to market before others can stake their claim. But is Asus ROG's rumored "Tarius" headset up to the task?

... But can the ROG "Tarius" headset do the same for VR?

According to information provided by tipster Luna, Tarius will offer more features comparable to the Meta Quest Pro than Meta's standard third-generation headsets, including face and eye tracking and potentially a quantum dot LCD (QD-LCD) if not uOLED display.

Should this information prove true, Asus already has a pretty formidable headset on its hands, and that's without knowing anything about its processor, which could stretch as far as featuring Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3/XR3 chip, offering an impressive boost in performance over Meta's first-party hardware.

That said, Asus faces a unique problem if it chooses to target more powerful hardware. While the ROG Ally could outperform the Steam Deck, the results were far easier to spot, as Asus' handheld could effectively strive to offer improved frame rates, better graphical fidelity, and a higher resolution already available to Windows games.

When it comes to Meta's Horizon OS, much of Tarius' potential advancements may only matter if developers decide to incorporate them into their titles. Something that no doubt takes additional time and expense to do so.

However, the Tarius HMD's PCVR support may be where the majority of these advancements come into full effect, with its standalone mode mostly benefitting from improved resolution and smoothness.

What's next?

We're still without official word on what to expect from Asus' headset, but given the company's success in the handheld gaming PC market, it would make sense that its VR ambitions haven't been dampened.

With Horizon OS and Android XR both being viable platforms for future hardware to adopt, we're sure to see an influx of headsets released in the near future that can rely on Meta and Google's platforms in the push to bring this medium forward.

Exactly when we can expect this to begin, remains unknown. However, if these details prove accurate, then it would seem that we won't have long to wait before Asus ROG is ready to dazzle us all with a new hardware venture.

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CES 2025 is in full flow and brands from around the world are populating Las Vegas, Nevada to show off innovation from a diverse selection of consumer tech markets, including my personal favorite: smart glasses.

Not only did smart glasses have a pretty successful 2024 thanks to the surprise mainstream success of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, but last year also painted a pretty impressive vision of things to come thanks to display-touting concepts like Meta's holographic Orion glasses and Google's Android XR-powered frames. The latter adopts a multimodal Gemini 2.0 AI model previously seen in the Project Astra teaser from the Google I/O event of May 2024.

Heading into 2025, the next step for smart glasses was clear as day: while AI glasses like Meta's, the Solos AirGo3, and AirGo Vision would act as the tip of the spear, the addition of display tech would be the feature that truly pierces the hide of the mainstream.

Just days into a new year, we're already seeing several smart glasses featuring displays catch the eye of many amid the madness of CES 2025, and I predict these wearables might catch many by surprise by the time Samsung and Meta get in on the action with their own offerings rumored to release later this year.

The heads-up-display could be a major player in 2025: Here are the glasses that prove it

We're over a decade removed from the original launch of the Borg-like Google Glass, and smart glasses have managed to squeeze an incredible amount of potential into frames that you might have to look twice at before you notice anything different about them.

While some smart glasses certainly deliver an uncanny valley sensation due to their thicker profiles or oversized temple tips, they've ultimately become incredibly useful and wearable, if not impressively fashionable at times too.

If the big trend for smart glasses in 2024 was the adoption of AI assistants, 2025 promises to usher in the next generation of these wearables by adopting a visual component for reading messages on the go, navigating new places with ease, and even subtitling our lives, including the ability to translate languages on the fly.

CES 2025 has given us our first real peek at this new smart glasses wave, and here are three impressive products worth keeping your eyes peeled to across the year ahead.

Halliday Smart Glasses

Thanks to their unique DigiWindow projection method and proactive AI agent, Halliday's glasses have been the talk of the town at this year's CES, and perhaps rightfully so.

Halliday's frames look indistinguishable from your regular pair of bifocals but offer an invisible display (controlled by a gesture-controlled smart ring) that projects images directly to the eye allowing wearers to discretely and privately send and receive messages, receive navigational prompts, display the lyrics to their favorite songs, and act as a teleprompter for speeches or presentations.

However, it's Halliday's proactive AI that steals the show here, a genuine copilot for your day-to-day life that can translate languages, fact-check information, and automatically take down notes and propose answers to questions asked of you, all in real-time.

While that sounds like a concept you'd have to wait until the next decade to enjoy, Halliday's glasses are expected to ship in late March, with pre-orders open now at the Halliday website.

Even Realities G1

The Even Realities G1 are a more elegant option that looks to bring a luxurious, minimalist styling to the smart glasses realm. Their slender frames and temples are the last thing you'd expect to see on a pair of smart glasses capable of projecting a virtual display in front of you. However, its chunky temple tips give away that there's more to these glasses than meets the eye.

Even Realities' G1 smart glasses use waveguide lenses to display its HUD, offering what the company calls "undisturbed connections" through notifications, prompts, and tools that won't distract from the world around you.

Glasses like the G1 and others can seamlessly integrate into your life, affording you a fast and fluid way to interact with your tech without becoming lost in it, be that through breaking the language barrier with real-time translations or firing off a few quick replies to messages mid-meeting.

They're simple, they're elegant, and they're available to order now in Panto or rectangular frames.

RayNeo X3 Pro

Perhaps the most advanced smart glasses on show at CES are the ones presented by TCL RayNeo. The X3 Pro are a follow-up to the company's impressively forward-thinking X2 frames that also offered Micro-LED optical waveguide displays, this time returning with a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU for powerful standalone AI features to run on alongside Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor to handle augmented reality capabilities and even hand tracking.

The X3 Pro is a bit of everything rolled into one, and probably most closely aligned with Meta's Orion more than other glasses in this list, giving us a taste of tomorrow, today.

Its impressive features only continue, with a built-in high-definition camera for photography, an open-ear, four-speaker array for enjoying music, and a full-color virtual display that boasts a 200,00:1 contrast ratio with a 154% sRGB color gamut.

Quite frankly, it's one of the most advanced things you could put on your face today without duct-taping a MacBook to your head. You can expect these futuristic frames to launch in mid-2025, with more detailed release information to follow.

Meta and Samsung are rumored to join this vision for the future

You may not be familiar with the brands above, but this isn't a flash-in-the-pan venture by a few smaller names looking to cash in on the smart glasses hype.

It seems pretty clear from the actions of many smart glasses manufacturers that this year will be a big moment for face-worn displays. However, if that doesn't quite sell you, maybe the fact that both Samsung and Meta are rumored to be among the first two major names to take a stab at this technology themselves in 2025.

Samsung's rumored display-touting smart glasses could make an appearance as early as later this month, with the company's first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 taking place on January 22.

Alternatively, Meta will most likely showcase its third generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in September and is also hotly tipped to include a display in its latest model.

Why heads-up displays are having a moment

Having worn smart glasses daily for well over a year now, I feel pretty confident in my prediction that we're looking at one of the next staples of smart tech going forward. And the industry's desire to add a heads-up-style display to these devices could be exactly what's needed to propel smart glasses onto the faces of the average Joe or Jane, if for nothing else than convenience.

A report on cell phone usage released by Reviews.org in 2024 showed that the average American will check their phone up to 205 times per day, a 43% increase on the 144 tally racked up in 2023.

And why wouldn't we? Our smartphones have become a vital source of information in our everyday lives. It's how we stay in contact with those close to us, catch up on news or current events, browse entertainment, and even play games. Smartphones can do so much, that the same report suggested that, on average, Americans' screen time sits at just over five hours per day.

I'm not here to judge that figure or lay claim to the opinion on whether it's a good or bad thing. To each their own, that's my perspective. However, the heads-up display offered by smart glasses seems like the natural follow-on from our pocket-fumbling obsessiveness to check out devices.

To some, it'll be a way of staying connected to things without getting too distracted by their smartphone's other features, to others, it'll be a way of distancing themselves from their smartphone and opting for a more relaxed and aware approach to their digital lives.

Either way, both groups benefit, and that's without thinking about the great benefits to be found in navigation tools or on-demand AI assistance, all without completely pulling you out of the moment by forcing you to pull out your smartphone.

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Gaming's unlimited potential for exploring new worlds, being captivated by fantastical stories, and drawing you into immersive adventures is hampered only by one thing: hardware.

As AAA games push the boundaries further, more and more machines are left in the dust below minimum required specifications, eliminating countless gamers from enjoying the latest and greatest titles. Many of them are further restricted by the type of hardware they own, with the game libraries of their chosen console hampered by compatibility, hamstrung by performance, or held at arm's length by dastardly exclusivity deals.

However, there exists a great equalizer: the cloud-based, RTX-powered gaming potential afforded by Nvidia GeForce NOW and its 2,100-plus strong game library.

At CES 2025, Nvidia not only announced that it will be bringing a native version of the GeForce NOW app to Valve's Steam Deck later this year, but also adding support for various virtual and mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3, Quest 3S, and Apple Vision Pro later this month.

St(r)eam Deck

While Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais was quick to dash immediate hopes of a Steam Deck sequel on Bluesky following the reveal of the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU potentially prompting Valve's requirements for a "generational leap" in tech to bring about a follow-up to the company's popular handheld gaming PC, Nvidia's CES 2025 announcement of a native GeForce NOW app may have many asking, "Who needs a Steam Deck 2 anyway?"

It's bad news for Corsair and Elgato, as Valve's handheld may soon ironically be referred to as the real Stream Deck, but good news for Steam Deck owners feeling the hardware pinch in the wake of more powerful releases and announcements like the ROG Ally X or Acer Nitro Blaze 8.

With an Nvidia GeForce NOW subscription, Steam Deck owners can unlock a vast library of PC games, including titles on other platforms such as Epic Games Store, Battle.net, Xbox Game Pass, and Ubisoft Connect.

Not only that, subscribers can enjoy these titles with impressive GeForce RTX 4080-level graphics, far beyond the capabilities of the in-device AMD APU, with higher subscription tiers even offering DLSS 3 performance enhancements and ray tracing.

Connect your Steam Deck to a monitor and the benefits increase further, with resolutions and frame rates boosted up to 1440p at 120 fps (frames per second) with HDR, or connect to a TV to unlock 4K resolutions at 60 fps with HDR.

Desktop-quality gaming on Quest headsets is now a (virtual) reality

Thanks to options like Quest Link, Steam Link, Virtual Desktop, and more, playing PC games on Meta Quest headsets isn't something entirely new to those who already own a powerful gaming rig.

However, what about those who don't own a gaming laptop or desktop computer and want to get in on some of the biggest gaming titles unavailable for Meta's Horizon OS platform?

Well, thankfully, Nvidia has also announced that it plans to expand support for various virtual and mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro later this month.

Owners of supported headsets will access the game streaming service by visiting play.geforcenow.com through their platform's browser, where they can begin streaming hundreds upon hundreds of gamepad-compatible titles with the same host of graphics-enhancing DLSS 3 and ray tracing options made available.

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If Black Friday and Cyber Monday listings were anything to go by, Meta sold a massive number of Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets last year. Meaning, by the power of deduction, that was likely your Christmas present, either from someone else or yourself.

As a grizzled veteran of the VR space (having weathered the storms of motion sickness adjustment and testing the limits of my home insurance through various damaged furniture claims), I'd like to catch you up to speed on a few tips to help you as you kickstart your journey to finding your virtual self in the Metaverse. It's not all fun and flailing around like an octopus having a tantrum, after all. (Well, actually, it is. But that's sort of the problem.)

So, as you come to grips with your new headset, consider this your official guide to surviving and thriving in your virtual domain — and causing as little damage as possible to yourself, your home, and your reputation along the way.

12 rules for life (now that you own a Meta Quest headset)

Rule #1: Shut off the outside world

You don't know it because you can't see it, but I assure you: you don't look anywhere near as cool as you might feel while gliding between Gotham City's rooftops in Batman: Arkham Shadow.

From your perspective, you are the living embodiment of vengeance, skimming your way from point A to B on a quest to dish out justice to a coterie of supervillains via knuckle sandwiches and bat-shaped boomerangs.

To passersby who glance through your window, you're engaging in some form of avant-garde interpretive dance designed to plunge your social credit score into negative figures.

Just remember, it's not only the initial shame of hearing somebody call you out during your vulnerable VR moments; it's the fact that this person is likely equipped with a smartphone and a data plan.

Unless you want your sweaty, awkward, rhythmless visage to become 2025's most cringe-tastic TikTok video, close the blinds. For God's sake, close your blinds.

Rule #2: Always be prepared

Donning a headset can feel quite isolating, so it's no wonder that VR can make you feel like you're in your own little world at times. However, if you want to be in a world of your own, make sure you're actually alone.

While avoiding ridicule from passersby in the street is as easy as closing the blinds, avoiding the silent judgment of people you live with is a whole other story.

As such, it's probably best that you master the emergency pause and casual pose combination as fast as you can. The first of which is done by simply double-tapping the temple of your Quest 3 or Quest 3S to enable passthrough mode, granting you an immediate look at your real-world surroundings while still wearing the headset.

This gives you the opportunity to make sure nobody is readying their smartphone or sneering in your general direction. It also lets you become more aware of your surroundings, freeing you up to switch to a more casual pose that doesn't involve you squatting like Spider-Man on the edge of your sofa, making the entire VR experience seem a lot less strange to those unaware of what's going on within your headset.

Just act casual, and when you're sure they're gone, a quick double tap will return you to the action, free to be your Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube-self once more.

Rule #3: Create a safe space

More important than your social standing, for the sake of your sanity and the health of your heart, make sure that you're truly alone before indulging in some of VR's spookier and scarier titles.

The last thing anybody wants is a roommate or partner sneaking up on their sensory-deprived selves and whispering "Boo" into their ear unexpectedly. It's the kind of thing that will destroy all forms of interpersonal trust and have you trading virtual reality for cartoon reality as you leap so high into the air you leave a comical outline of yourself in the ceiling above.

Spare yourself the cardiac event on this one, lock the doors, and make sure you're alone, lest you spend the entirety of your play session completely on edge and unable to enjoy anything about the actual game at hand.

Rule #4: Clean your room

Americans suffered 36.1 million preventable home injuries in 2022. I'm not saying that a good portion of this figure had anything to do with the release of the Meta Quest 2 in late 2020, but I'm also not, not saying that either.

VR headsets offer the most incredibly immersive way to play games to date. However, it's easy to forget that, in actuality, you're being blinded from reality by two LCD screens — though it's incredibly easy to remember this as you tumble over your coffee table and directly onto your face.

Want to avoid VR-related injuries as much as possible? I recommend performing a quick sweep of your play area before donning your Quest headset. Avoid stray cables, poorly placed drinks, or general clutter at all costs.

The only thing worse than catching a stray hospital bill for a late-night ER visit is the embarrassment of having to explain to medical professionals that the reason your forearm has developed a new point of articulation is that you stepped on a rogue Lego while getting too invested in a game called Superhot.

Rule #5: Respect boundaries

Stressing the previous point, always make sure to set up an appropriate Guardian Boundary while gaming. Use your Quest headset to draw up a safe space in which you can play your game of choice, and then absolutely respect these guardrails at all times.

What might seem like an overprotective child-proofing measure forced upon you by the Meta nanny state will pay off in the long run, trust me.

With so much of the VR experience requiring the swinging and throwing of your hands, the last thing you need is to have your mindless flailing intercepted by your expensive TV or the sensation of your hand passing directly through drywall.

If you're a fan of using Roomscale while you game, then respecting the Guardian Boundary is even more vital. Darting, diving, and dashing about your living room can lead to disaster or deviated septum if you get a little too carried away with things and end up faceplanting into a door.

Rule #6: Do no harm

Thankfully, unless you're donning some sort of specialized haptic vest accessory, being attacked in VR can't actually hurt you. That said, those you accidentally attack in the real world while windmilling your fists like you've become a human propeller absolutely can be.

Thankfully, there are two solutions to this: you can either clear the room of beloved pets and smaller humans too mentally underdeveloped to understand the dangers of wandering carelessly into the realms of your one-man mosh pit (or "children," as they might be colloquially referred to as).

Or you can respec your life's attribute points into psychopathy and become immune to the guilt of giving Kibble the cat PTSD and your child or younger sibling a knockout haymaker.

I'm assuming that the former of those options is the most appealing to you. If not, you probably need 12 further rules for life written by somebody whose name is followed by medically approved post-nominal letters.

As such, while engaging in a pre-gaming clean-up of your play area for stray Legos and wires, be sure to shepherd out any particularly skittish pets or danger-oblivious children from the room. Or get used to being the worst human you know. Your choice.

Rule #7: Know when to let go (and when not to)

There's a reason that Meta's Touch Plus controllers come with those little wrist straps, and unless you want to recreate some of 2006's most awkward moments of plasma screen destruction by way of a kamikaze Wiimote, I'd recommend you make full use of them.

If you're new to VR then you're especially at risk of the signals between your brain and hand becoming confused when handling these controllers, resulting in anything from an accidental drop to launching it like a javelin into the face of your unsuspecting roommate.

While potentially hilarious in outcome, such mistakes can be costly, especially as replacing said controllers can set you back up to $75 a pop. Oh, and I suppose friendship is also a valuable thing to risk.

Use the straps. It's not uncool to do so, and it will save you (or someone else) a headache in the long run. Plus, these straps just make things a lot easier, allowing you to drop the controllers and let them dangle from your wrists like a set of high-tech mittens if you need to take a break, without needing to scramble around blindly in search of a safe place to put them down.

Rule #8: Trust wisely

Immersion is a vital component when it comes to allowing your mind to fully invest in the gaming worlds you inhabit. VR is probably the pinnacle of gaming immersion, tricking your eyes and mind into fully believing yourself to be within these spaces. It's the reason you'll be far more animated during gaming sessions, more impacted by the action you become a part of, and scream like a baby when a spiderbug crawls across your visor in Metro Awakening.

However, that immersion does have its downsides. Trick your brain enough, and you'll catch yourself doing absent-minded things like taking a sip of a drink and then trying to place it on a table that doesn't actually exist—leaving you to mop up Coca-Cola from your carpets from the next hour—or attempting to lean against a piece of virtual furniture, only to stiffly topple onto the floor like a felled Redwood of shame.

Yes, as much as you'll need to be aware of your physical surroundings in VR, you'll also need to stay mentally acute enough to be able to avoid careless mishaps like this.

While half the fun in VR is becoming a willing participant in its digital illusions, there's nothing more immersion-breaking than a bruised coccyx and soggy socks.

Rule #9: Adjust to new environments

To those new to VR and encountering a case of stomach churn after even the briefest gaming session, I've some bad news for you: VR motion sickness isn't a once-and-done affair, and it'll take exposure and perseverance to make it through to the other side.

While VR might have you initially feeling green in the gills, the motion sickness you feel while playing games is eventually something your body can adjust to and overcome. In the meantime, to help you on your way, make full use of games that offer tweakable comfort settings such as snap rotation, teleport-style movement, and screen vignetting.

Think of these options as training wheels for the VR experience, allowing your body to slowly adapt in the least taxing way available.

You can change these settings over time, and you'll eventually find yourself completely at ease with smooth movements and turning. At this stage, you'll be able to play games long enough to encounter VR's secondary impact on your body: the strange unreality hangover you'll feel after taking off the headset following extended play sessions.

Rule #10: Nourishment is flourishment

Just because the symptoms of VR motion sickness are inevitable for some doesn't mean you have to take it lying down. There are several steps you can take to combat this feeling, but the most effective steps will often require drinking and eating the right things before, during, and after your play sessions.

First of all, stay hydrated. You're likely being much more active in VR than you would be in front of a flatscreen. Add to this the pressure of an elastic strap around your head and the heat from the headset itself, and it's no wonder you can feel a bit sluggish, your eyes may feel fatigued, and your head a little tender. Thankfully, remembering to top up on H20 can solve most of those symptoms entirely.

As for the motion sickness, I recommend giving yourself an excuse to down a few ginger cookies. Ginger has been proven to help stabilize digestion, maintain blood pressure, and improve gastrointestinal motility. All of which is boring medical speak for "reduces nausea," allowing you to game for longer and feel less of the effects for it.

Rule #11: Know when to step back

If there's one other way to help you adjust to your new VR headset, it's ensuring that you're giving your body enough rest and recuperation so you can enjoy things for longer.

Time moves strangely in the Metaverse. One minute you're enjoying an afternoon by popping your headset on to check out the latest release, the next it's 4 a.m. and you're left completely confused about where the rest of the day went.

You're also more likely to suffer from that VR hangover sensation after such a long spell in your headset. It's essential to set alarms or timers to give yourself occasional breaks to prevent overstimulating your senses, grab a drink or a bite to eat, and take note of how long you've spent under VR's influence.

Rule #12: Laugh at yourself. Everyone else is.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly: Enjoy your VR experience, and laugh at the fact that you probably look ridiculous and unhinged while doing so. VR isn't the most flattering of platforms when it comes to maintaining an aura of cool, but that shouldn't detract from the amount of fun it offers.

If you're a new Quest owner, enjoy the fantastic library of games available to you (several of which can be played cooperatively in mixed reality with a friend who also owns a Quest headset), give spatial computing a try using some of Horizon OS' latest Remote Desktop features, or enjoy all of the headset's 3D entertainment features.

However, I wouldn't recommend wandering the streets in your new headset. Not only does it make you ripe for the picking when it comes to candidates likely to get robbed, but nobody likes a "glasshole."

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Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses can do a lot more than you probably think.

They're surprisingly capable Bluetooth audio conduits, have a decent camera, and even come equipped with Meta AI, which imbues them with computer vision and other tools like live translate.

However, the one thing they don't have is the one thing that would make them truly next-gen — a screen.

And according to a recent report, that revolution might already be in the works.

The screen we've been waiting for

If recent reports are any indication, Meta is on track to make the smart glasses breakthrough we've all been waiting for.

According to a report from the Financial Times, Meta plans to add a display to its Ray-Ban smart glasses as soon as next year. This would make them the first significant pair of glasses since Google Glass to feature an inter-lens screen.

The Financial Times, citing people familiar with the project, reports that the display will be used for precisely what you might think — delivering notifications and showing responses from Meta AI.

It's not difficult to imagine why a small display — even a limited one — could be useful. Screens, generally speaking, are ideal vectors for conveying information. Right now, Meta's Ray-Ban glasses lean heavily on Meta's voice assistant. If you've ever tried to use Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, you'd probably agree that the experience of using voice input can leave something to be desired.

To augment the non-display experience, Meta's Ray-Ban glasses pair with the Meta View app, which allows you to view pictures or get information about your glasses. The extended app experience works fine but makes the Ray-Ban glasses feel less like a standalone gadget and more like a smartphone accessory.

While a display might not seem like a big deal on the surface, it would mark a significant step toward the company's ultimate vision of lightweight, low-impact AR glasses like its Project Orion prototype.

It might finally convince people of something that Mark Zuckerberg and anyone pursuing AR desperately try to prove: smart glasses are the real deal.

A new computing platform

Zuckerberg and companies like Apple and Samsung, rumored to be developing their own pairs of glasses, have big expectations for the future of smart glasses. Smartphone-upending expectations, to be specific.

In case you had doubts about the smart glasses fervor, Zuckerberg recently made a confident claim on Threads, calling them the "next major computing platform."

Post by @zuck

View on Threads

On one hand, that's a lofty claim, but on the other, it doesn't feel entirely impossible.

Smart glasses are perhaps the most underrated gadget of the year. The addition of a display will make them even more helpful, and notifications are just the start.

With a savvy enough display and deep enough integration, a display could augment functional capabilities like turn-by-turn navigation or even enable video calling features. In the future, you might even be able to browse the web or see recent photos and videos.

In essence, a display would drive glasses closer to becoming a true, standalone wearable with genuine interest. Before smart glasses become the next platform, they have to become genuinely helpful — useful in the way that a watch or a smart ring is.

Of course, there are many "ifs," and Meta isn't alone in its ambitions. Recent rumors about Samsung suggest it's readying its own pair of smart glasses that could (in theory) outperform the Ray-Bans.

Coupling smart glasses with the tight integration of Samsung's phones would undoubtedly deliver the most seamless smart glasses experience we've seen yet. So, if Meta is going to remain top dog in the burgeoning world of smart glasses, it will have to push the boundary even further.

Whether it will be able to do that before the competition beats Meta to the punch is anyone's guess, but adding a display is a significant step toward defending its foothold.

Either way, there's never been a more exciting time to get into smart glasses, even if you're scarred from the controversial days of Google Glass.

Facebook is a good place to keep up with your favorite bands — tour dates, photos, and the occasional video.

That's exactly how Australian teacher "Jake" used Facebook to follow Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the long-running rock group. After seeing a video of Cave promoting a sure-fire investment on Facebook in 2023, Jake felt comfortable following Cave's advice. As Jake put it, "I respect him greatly as an artist, so I’m, of course, thinking sh*t that’s put the icing on the cake."

Sadly for Jake, Cave's video wasn't real.

Within months, Jake had been scammed out of AUD 130,000. It's yet another scam horror story, this time using AI to trick people into trusting popular celebrity figures.

On February 6, 2024, Meta announced a change to how it labels content made with AI. The change came too late for Jake but could prevent AI fraud in the future.

Meta continued to evolve its AI-labeling policy throughout the year

The AI labeling feature, originally announced in February, consists of a text label above photos and videos detected to contain some amount of AI content, whether the entire image was made with AI or manipulated in part.

Meta tweaked its policy for labeling AI-generated content in several ways throughout the year.

A lengthy blog post titled "Our Approach to Labeling AI-Generated Content and Manipulated Media" was published in April and updated again in May, July, and September of this year:

• In April, Meta announced it would stop removing AI-manipulated content that didn't violate its Community Standards. At the same time, Meta also widened its policy for the types of content that would receive an AI label, such as video, audio, and photos.

• It clarified in May that it would label only "organic content," which is another way to describe user-generated content made with AI.

• Then, in July, Meta adjusted its course again and changed its AI label from "Made with AI" to "AI info," making the label more inclusive of edited or modified content with AI tools. More inclusive, yes, but also quite a bit more vague as to how AI was used.

• And in September, Meta announced it would hide the AI label by moving it to the post's menu if Meta technology determined the image was only modified — not wholly created — with AI. Users also have to apply an AI label to images they upload. "There may be penalties if you do not label content as required," reads a note on help.instagram.com. For accounts that generate revenue via the social platform, a so-called "shadow ban" for violating the AI labeling policy could crush a business.

Meta did not respond to several requests for comment on its changing policy sent by Laptop Mag.

Does labeling AI-generated content work?

Most people will probably agree that labeling AI-generated content is generally a good idea, even if only to prevent confusion or identify which image generator someone used.

Studies have shown that some phrases are more effective than others when labeling AI, mainly because many people are still unfamiliar with AI terminology.

Considering the threat AI-generated deep fakes pose, labeling AI content is a net positive, even if it may spoil the fun for people trying to pass off their AI-generated cat photos as the real deal.

Whether these labels will eventually successfully prevent the spread of misleading content remains to be seen. However, Meta's struggle to tackle AI-generated content on its platform, mainly when used by scammers, continues to be an issue.

A September 2024 investigation by WANF, an Atlanta TV news station, uncovered a string of AI-generated images of overseas-serving soldiers being used in profiles and pages to trick and scam Facebook users. One romance scam involved retiree Jeanne Wasserman being robbed of a similar $130,000 sum.

Meta continually updates the tool, tweaking its visibility and ability to detect AI-generated content. In the meantime, the risks persist.

If you're anything from an AI enthusiast to the average AI tinkerer (or simply seeking out some of the additional features offered through Windows Copilot+ PCs or Apple Intelligence on Macs), then you'll need a powerful and performative laptop to keep up to speed with your needs.

At Laptop Mag, we review laptops year-round to ensure we're giving you expert-backed and up-to-date recommendations on which notebook is right for you. When it comes to the best AI PC category, our top picks are the excellent Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) for Windows users and the impressive Apple Macbook Air M3 for those running macOS.

So, if you're shopping for a new laptop and looking to invest in an AI PC (or just a great laptop in general), check out our current top-tier picks below.

The new Meta Quest 3S Batman: Arkham Shadow Bundle is one of the most-wanted gifts of holiday 2024. Meta now sweetens this excellent value even more by throwing in a freebie.

For a limited time, when you buy the 256GB Meta Quest 3S: Batman Arkham Shadow Bundle for $399 from Meta, you'll receive $30 of Meta cash for free. This bundle includes a Meta Quest 3S headset 256GB, 2 Meta Quest Touch Plus Controllers (with AA batteries included), 2 x Wrist Straps), a free full-game downloard of Batman: Arkham Shadow, and a 3-month trial of Meta Quest Plus (valued at $70 total).

That's a total savings of $100 and one of the best gaming deals I've seen all year.

The virtual spending cash included in this deal can be used in the Meta app store to snag Beat Saber, Blade & Sorcery Nomad, and NFL Pro Era. All priced at just under $30.

Browse: Last-minute gifts at Meta

Alternatively, apply the cash bonus to the Meta Holiday Starter Kit which is currently on sale for $72 ($47 off) and drop it to $42 ($77 off). The 5-in- 1 game bundle includes Synth Riders, Job Simulator, Walkabout Mini Golf, Demeo, and Moss.

One may also want to take advantage of Meta's VR game deals and snag two or more games like The Thrill of the Fight for $6.99 ($3 off), GOLF+ for $19 ($10 off ), and Among Us VR for $5.99 ($4 off). In fact, $30 in free Meta cash goes a long way since Meta's experience library is packed with a wide range of VR games starting from as low as $1.

In our Meta Quest 3S review, we gave it a 4 out of 5-star rating for its solid passthrough and hand tracking. It's the most affordable Editor's Choice virtual reality headset. Meta was kind enough to send me a review unit to try for myself and it changed my perspective of VR. Literally and figuratively.

While playing Creed: Rise to Glory Champion Edition with the Meta goggles, I was floored by how realistic it felt. Sure, it's only a game, one that I've previously played on PC and PlayStation. However, the VR version is a whole horse of a different color since it puts you into the game's environment which makes you feel like you're in a real life boxing match.

I was surprised by how nervous, anxious, and excited I felt while trading blows with the muscular, mean-mugging opponent across from me. While I didn't get a chance to play the much raved about Batman: Arkham Shadow game yet, I plan to over the holidays.

At just under $400 this Meta Quest 3S Batman: Arkham Shadow Bundle is an excellent value. Especially now that it includes a $30 Meta cash bonus. Act now to have the Meta Quest 3S shipped to arrive at your doorstep before Christmas Day.

This offer ends December 31.

Today's best Meta Quest 3S holiday deal

Smart glasses have come a long way since the failed launch of Google Glass just over 10 years ago. Right now, the shining star among smart glasses is the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses a well-performing pair that nearly earned a perfect score from Laptop Mag.

These top-notch smart glasses just got even better, thanks to Meta's v11 software update, rolled out on Monday. With this update, Ray-Ban Meta glasses gained a feature first announced at Connect 2024: live translation.

The live translation feature will allow Ray-Ban Meta glasses to "translate speech in real time between English and either Spanish, French, or Italian." The wearer will be able to both hear what they're saying through the glasses' speakers and see what they're saying via a transcript on a connected phone.

Right now, live translation only supports the languages mentioned above, but as with many newly introduced features, it will likely gain more supported languages as time goes on. If you want to test out the live translation feature for yourself, here's how to do it.

How to use the live translation feature on Ray-Ban Meta glasses

In order to test out the live translation feature on your Ray-Ban Meta glasses, you'll first need to be enrolled as an Early Access Program member, which is currently reserved for US- and Canada-based users.

Then, you'll need to update your glasses to the newest v11 firmware and make sure the Meta View app is fully updated as well. If you don't see an update for either your glasses or your app, it's possible the gradual rollout may not have reached you just yet. Give it a day or two, and check again.

Once you've downloaded and installed all updates, head to your Meta View app, tap the settings gear icon in the bottom right, and select Live translation from the menu.

Download the language pairing you need, choosing between any combination of English, Spanish, French, and Italian. For the purposes of this short how-to, we'll use the "They Speak: Spanish and You Speak: English" language pairing as our example.

After the languages are installed on your glasses, there are two ways to start using live translation. You can open the Meta View app, find Live translation in settings, and tap Start. Or, you can simply say, "Hey Meta, start live translation." When you hear a chime, you'll know live translation has started.

As you're chatting with someone speaking Spanish, you'll automatically hear live translation to English in your ear. You can also take a look at the visual transcript in Meta View to help make sure you're not missing anything important.

To stop, you can either say "Hey Meta, stop," or tap Stop in the Meta View app.

The most widely used scenario this feature will be helpful in is facilitating conversations while traveling between you and local residents who speak Spanish, French, or Italian, or even between you and a close friend or family member who have a bit of a language barrier.

However, it could also improve the language learning experience for English speakers wanting to learn Spanish, French, Italian, or any future languages Meta adds support for.

The v11 firmware update also brings two other features to Ray-Ban Meta glasses to test: live AI and Shazam integration. Meta also teases additional updates slated for 2025 and "maybe some surprises."

Meta's excellent third-generation Quest headsets offer impressive standalone gaming experiences in virtual and mixed reality. However, they're so much more than that, and a new experimental feature released with the latest Horizon OS v72 only proves my point further.

There's no arguing that gaming is the primary focus of Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets, but their mixed reality capabilities also make for an impressive spatial computing experience.

With the new Horizon OS v72 update (rolling out now), users will be able to enjoy these spatial computing moments even easier to access than before thanks to a partnership with Microsoft that unlocks seamless Remote Desktop access to Windows 11 computers.

Similar to how the Apple Vision Pro pairs with MacBooks, the Quest's Remote Desktop option allows you to mirror your PC or laptop's display simply by looking at it.

Windows 11 Remote Desktop on Quest

Microsoft may have decided to put its HoloLens dreams on ice for the time being (having revealed in October that HoloLens 2 production has ended, and so will support for the headset in 2027), but it's clear that the company still sees the value in mixed reality, or spatial, computing.

The latest update for the Meta Quest's Horizon OS platform offers the most direct integration with Windows 11 to date, granting users a faster way of pairing their Quest to PCs using the Windows 11 Remote Desktop protocol.

With your headset and Windows 11 PC paired, your display shuts off and you're presented with a large AR display, mirroring your screen. From here you can work as normal, or extend the display further with support for up to three virtual monitors at the same time.

It sounds too good to be true, but it isn't. However, there's also a catch. As easy as it will be to connect to your Windows machine through your Quest 3 or Quest 3S headset, it does require a little work to set things up.

First of all, you'll need to make sure that your PC is running Windows 11 22H2 or newer, that both your Quest headset and PC are on the same local network, and that your machine meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Following this you'll need to navigate the Microsoft Store and download the Mixed Reality Link app.

From here, put on your Quest 3/3S headset and open up the Settings menu, then to Advanced Settings and enable the option that says "Pair to PC with Microsoft Mixed Reality Link." Your headset should then attempt to pair with your computer and run you through a wizard to complete the process.

After this, you can connect to your PC at any time by looking at it in mixed reality mode and tapping on the virtual Connect button.

What else is new in Horizon OS v72?

Horizon OS v72 is no one-trick pony, and as good as Windows 11 Remote Desktop integration is, Meta has plenty more to show in this update.

• Hand Tracking 2.3: Meta has improved the accuracy, stability, and ease of use for interacting without controllers on Quest. Several updates will roll out across the next few weeks making finer interactions easier to control and a hand ray visualization to help with locating the cursor.
• Broader passthrough keyboard support: Meta has expanded its passthrough keyboard support to identify and track generic keyboards.
• Media Gallery: Meta has added a Media Gallery app to users' libraries to help better manage screenshots, video captures, and more.
• Better captions: Meta has expanded its accessibility options to allow for live, real-time captions to be displayed when making or receiving calls from the People app.
• Instagram Direct Messenger: Meta has expanded its Quest Instagram app to now include Instagram Direct Messenger, allowing you to chat and share with friends without needing to reach for your phone.

More from Laptop Mag

• Best VR-ready laptops 2024: 6 best laptops for VR tested and reviewed
• New XREAL One 3DoF AR glasses show that while Meta talks, XREAL walks
• Samsung may debut an all-new product during January's Galaxy Unpacked event

It might not feel like it yet, but the world of smart glasses is heating up.

On top of new entries from companies like Xreal, Meta took the next steps with its Ray-Ban smart glasses this year, imbuing them with AI and adding even more potential for future uses down the line. As I've written previously, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are arguably my favorite (and maybe the most underrated) gadget of the year.

They have great audio capabilities, they make taking pictures and videos easy, and they actually look like normal, Ray-Ban, glasses. When it comes to style and capability, they stand alone in the smart glasses category.

At least for now...

Samsung enters the chat

Looks like Meta might not be alone in the world of fashionable smart glasses much longer.

See also: Samsung Smart Glasses in January 2025? Here's everything we know so far

According to a report this week from Korean outlet Yonhap News, Samsung may be preparing to launch its own pair of smart glasses soon, potentially during January's annual Galaxy Unpacked event where it typically introduces its flagship Galaxy phones.

On one hand, that's to be expected — Meta has already made a clear case that smart glasses with a camera and solid audio are a marketable commodity. On the other hand, it could represent one of the biggest sea changes in smart glasses we've seen yet.

Let me explain.

Meta's glasses are great. They do a lot more than you might expect for a relatively nascent product category and they might do even more in the future thanks to Meta AI which imbues the glasses with a bit of computer vision.

But as solid as they are, they're still lacking something — something that actually has almost nothing to do with the glasses themselves. That something is an ecosystem.

Smart glasses, for all of their surprising use cases, still need to be coupled with a real computer, and in that case, that computer is your phone. Your phone is the only reason that Meta's Ray-Ban glasses are useful and thanks to that synergy they can play music, announce turn-by-turn navigation in your maps apps, take calls, and more.

But for everything Ray-Ban glasses can do thanks to your phone, there are just as many things that they can't. That has almost nothing to do with the glasses themselves or their technical limitations, but a lot to do with your phone.

Meta's Ray-Bans just don't have the deep system-level access to your phone to bring them the extra mile. Imagine for a moment a pair of glasses that plays nice with everything your phone does — I'm talking text messages, calls, voice assistants, timers, calendars, you name it.

Sounds useful, right? That's exactly what Samsung might have to offer.

A smarter pair of smart glasses

A pair of Samsung smart glasses has no real limitations when it comes to which apps it has access to and which it doesn't, and for that reason, they could unlock the true potential of the category.

Paired with system-level access, Samsung's rumored smart glasses would be a real-functional extension of your phone in the same way that a watch is — maybe even more so since it can capture media as well.

Think about it. A pair of deeply integrated smart glasses could take pictures and videos and send them directly to your photos app; it could take calls; it could send messages through voice; it could integrate with your phone calendar and send you reminders; it could interact with your phone's voice assistant to search the web or, heck, draft an email for you. By borrowing your phone's ecosystem and compute power, I can't think of anything that smart glasses can't do.

In short, they could cease on basically all the shortcomings of Meta's Ray-Bans.

This is all hypothetical for now, but when you start to unpack the possibilities, a pair of smart glasses made by a company that also manufactures phones just makes sense. It'd still be pretty far off from the AR future promised by prototypes like Meta's Orion, but it would also easily be the best pair of phone-like smart glasses we've seen yet.

As much as I love Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, favorites are a fleeting thing and if Samsung really pulls the trigger, we may have a new king of smart glasses.

Black Friday's Meta Quest headset deals were plenty tempting, but Cyber Monday is upping the ante, making today's best Meta Quest 3S deal one you simply can't afford to refuse.

For a limited time, Amazon has improved upon their $75 promotional credit offer when purchasing a Meta Quest 3S to $100 (when using code QUEST100), effectively making your purchase of a Quest 3S (128GB) headset cost only $199 — especially if you plan on doing further Cyber Monday shopping at Amazon.

On top of that, you still get a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow (val. $49.99) and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ (val. $23.97), further lending to the value of this impressive offer.

While there's no discount on the price of the headset itself, with the Quest 3S (128GB) model available for $299 on Amazon, when purchasing during Cyber Monday you gain $173.96 in extras.

Today's best Meta Quest 3S Cyber Monday deal

Smart glasses might not be the number one target on your Black Friday deals list, but, if I'm being honest, they oughta be.

This year I tried Meta's updated Ray-Ban smart glasses and they became the unexpected star of my gadget lineup. They're not the next-gen holographic AR glasses we've been waiting for, but they're great for taking calls, turn-by-turn navigation, and listening to music, and they just got a whole host of AI features that could make them even more advanced in the near future.

The only downside is that they are (like any pair of Ray-Ban glasses) pretty expensive.

But this is the season of deals and I'm happy to report that Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are getting a heavy discount. If you've been curious about what a pair of smart glasses can offer your day-to-day, now is the time.

For a while, it seemed like mixed reality technology might surpass virtual reality as the technology to finally breakthrough.

Whereas VR has been the technology of the future for decades, mixed reality — which combines real-world vision with digital elements — only emerged in the '90s and it quickly seemed to capture the public's imagination in a way VR never could.

The idea of spatial computing seemed to excite far more than the virtual realms had managed to — especially after Apple, perhaps over-excitedly, dove into the market with both feet on the Vision Pro, signaling to consumers worldwide that the augmented reality future is finally here (or there just about).

However, my fears about 2024 being a make-or-break year for VR have been eased. That's thanks to the Meta Quest 3S, and more importantly the Batman: Arkham Shadow game that comes pre-bundled with it.

Thanks to Arkham Shadow, VR, and more specifically the Meta Quest line of VR/AR headsets, finally has at least one undeniably killer app and it could be one of many with an incredible roster of games lined up over the coming months.

Batman: Arkham Shadow — VR’s killer app (that doesn’t kill)

“This game made me feel like Batman!” is the cliché cry you’ll often hear from reviewers of developer Camouflaj’s Batman: Arkham Shadow for third-generation Meta Quest headsets, and it’s one I’d love to agree with — if only I too were 6’2”, ripped to the gills, and looked just as good fighting crime with my underwear on show.

I do get where they’re coming from though. Arkham Shadow, while drawing my skepticism when first announced earlier this year, has turned out to be the most impressive adaptation of a flatscreen franchise to date. Yes, including the ever-impressive Half-Life Alyx.

Arkham Shadow might lack the sprawling open world of Arkham City or the mouthful-of-sandy-mashed-potatoes grit that covers Arkham Knight, but it retains the same "Metroidvania"-like gameplay of its predecessors, perhaps most closely matching the original Arkham Asylum in scope — all while retaining the Batman power-fantasy of being able to fight ten armed men at once using nothing but the very hands God gave you. (With several layers of padding and armor, and about a billion dollars worth of weaponized gadgets strapped to your chest and waist.)

It’s the ease at which all this comes together with the added VR elements that shines brightest. Be it gliding from point-to-point with your cape by holding out your arms, physically reeling in your Batclaw to topple objects, executing actual combination punches in free-flow-combat, or the all-new mechanics of traversal such as monkey-barring your way over hazards and scurrying up downspouts like a ceramic-clad peeping tom.

It’s bigger than The Bat

Props to Camouflaj, the Bellevue, Washington-based video game studio, that has not only developed a great VR game but one of the best entries to date in the Arkham franchise.

That’s no easy task, the Arkham franchise has basically been the Holy Grail of superhero games for the last few generations. Given how unfairly Warner Bros. Games Montréal’s Batman: Arkham Origins was treated after release, it must feel like a poison chalice to developers who are offered the chance to take the ball and run with it.

No matter how good your game is, meddle with the formula of the core trilogy too much and you risk getting the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade treatment and having your face melted off.

Thankfully, these additions feel natural and welcome, and only add to the overall Arkham experience. It has me itching for more from the universe after richly adding to Gotham’s lore and backstory to great effect. It may be the best VR game I’ve played on Quest to date.

However, what Camouflaj has achieved is bigger than just a great “VR game.” It’s even bigger than being one of the best Arkham games.

It has produced a piece of media that truly sells the platform it was released on.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a must-play game, and that makes the Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S a must-buy console.

Along with last year’s Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice and Assassin's Creed Nexus, Camouflaj’s Arkham Shadow may be the end of the beginning of AAA gaming finally finding a home on Meta’s console.

Arkham Shadow is granting Asylum

As I romped my way across the rooftops of Gotham and the (likely) ammonia-scented halls of Blackgate prison as Batman, I couldn’t help but think about the spate of games that Arkham Asylum’s free-flow combat influenced after releasing in 2009.

While initially feeling like lightning in a bottle, Arkham’s free-flow combat was a touchpaper moment for gaming that would inspire the core gameplay of popular titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Mad Max, the Middle-Earth franchise, and Sleeping Dogs.

Not since the twin-stick look-and-move controls of 2000’s Alien Resurrection for the original PlayStation has a game mechanic so effortlessly fallen into place in the wider gaming zeitgeist.

Similarly, I hope Arkham Shadow (along with a slew of quality titles still on the slate for 2024, including Alien: Rogue Incursion, Skydance's BEHEMOTH, and the recently released Metro Awakening) can leave its own impression on developers and act as a Bat-signal to blockbuster publishers.

Perhaps not for its adaptation of free-flow combat, but as an indicator that the VR platform and medium is more than capable of delivering meaningful, memorable, and outright exhilarating experiences.

More from Laptop Mag

• Meta Quest 3S review: I'm shocked that affordable mixed reality looks this good
• Meta Quest 3S is here and I've 3 reasons for Quest 2 owners to get it
• Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head

A major new hire for OpenAI may have revealed the direction of one of the company's more secretive projects, its first hardware consumer device.

Last year, reports emerged that OpenAI had recruited Apple alum Jony Ive to help design an "iPhone of artificial intelligence," a consumer device that would bring the company's ChatGPT software onto its own hardware platform.

This partnership was confirmed in September, with Ive revealing to The New York Times the involvement of his LoveFrom design company in OpenAI's hardware venture.

According to Ive, he and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believe that generative AI has made it "possible to create a new computing device" believing the technology can "do more for users than traditional software."

The form this new computing device would take has remained a mystery. However, we may have gotten our first clue about the direction of this device after Meta's former head of AR glasses hardware, Caitlin Kalinowski, announced on X yesterday that they've joined OpenAI to lead its robotics and consumer hardware division.

Is OpenAI switching focus to Meta-like smart glasses?

Kalinowski was previously involved with Meta's many augmented reality projects, including the recently unveiled Meta Orion smart glasses — a pair of holographic display glasses that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes will replace the smartphone by the decade's end.

Meta's smart glasses have brought mainstream success to the market thanks to the success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the hype surrounding Orion's future release.

That success is also attracting some strong competition, as both Samsung and Apple are reportedly developing smart glasses of their own. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon claimed during a September CNBC interview that his company was working with Google and Samsung to develop a set of mixed-reality smart glasses.

Likewise, Bloomberg claims Apple has reportedly begun to take its long-rumored smart glasses ambitions more seriously after forming internal focus groups to identify what works and doesn't work about products currently on the market.

OpenAI's procurement of Kalinowski could indicate that the company's dream of producing an "iPhone of AI" may involve them heading in a similar direction. However, if they are, Kalinowski didn't give too much away.

In sharing the news of their hiring, Kalinowski stated "I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity."

You don't have to wait on a wearable ChatGPT

While Kalinowski doesn't outright state that they'll be applying their years of AR glasses expertise into OpenAI's consumer hardware division, it would be leaving a sizeable opportunity on the table given the increased interest in this type of wearable.

It's believed that OpenAI's consumer hardware is still in the very early stages of development. Meaning that an actual product is unlikely to be released any time soon.

However, if you're a fan of OpenAI's ChatGPT and can't wait to take the next step in bringing your favorite AI into the real world, you don't have to wait at all.

While the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are locked to using Meta AI, there are other smart glasses on the market that have chosen to adopt OpenAI's ChatGPT as their assistant of choice, like the Solos AirGo 3 smart glasses.

Solos' smart glasses are lightweight frames that work almost identically to Meta's, relying on a smartphone app to do most of the computing, with touch controls on the frame of the glasses providing easy access to talk with ChatGPT, control your media, or adjust volume.

These smart glasses also include real-time translation and fitness and posture tracking. Plus, while you may be missing out on the built-in camera of the Ray-Ban Metas, a new Solos AirGo Vision model is expected to arrive in the near future to rectify this.

These new frames will also make use of GPT-4o's multimodal capabilities to use visual inputs for prompts, allowing wearers to ask questions about things they see or for ChatGPT to more accurately answer questions with access to more context.

Sadly, there's no release date attached to Solos AirGo Vision frames, but you can check out the AirGo 3 models on Amazon, or at the Solos Glasses homepage right now.

More from Laptop Mag

• What are smart glasses? Yesteryear’s ‘next big thing’ is finally finding an audience
• Meta's Orion smart glasses are a glimmer of our mixed reality future
• Why smart glasses will be the death of VR headsets

Everyone loves a good deal, but not everyone is willing to compromise for one.

So when rumors percolated that Meta's Quest 3S would cost just $299 — $200 below the price of the previously released Quest 3 — my alarm bells rang.

The question wasn't whether Meta could sell a headset for that amount — it's clearly been willing to be aggressive with pricing —but whether Meta could sell a headset for that amount that's actually worth buying.

After a week with the Quest 3S, I'm happy to report that I have the answer to that burning question. And it's exceptionally good news for anyone looking for an affordable way to get into mixed reality.

The "S" stands for "steal"

When you consider the Meta Quest 3S and its compromises, a few key questions arise.

The most significant material difference between the Quest 3 and 3S is the lens choice. While the Meta Quest 3 has short-barrel, "pancake" lenses, which emerged some 50 years ago, the Quest 3S opts for more affordable Fresnel lenses — a design first used in lighthouses nearly 200 years ago. The pancake lenses on the pricier Meta Quest 3 do a good job of mitigating visual artifacts, while the Fresnel peepers on the 3S fall short of the pristine visual quality of their more expensive counterparts.

Naturally, the next big question is: Will the Quest 3S deliver a notably worse-looking visual experience than the Quest 3?In my experience, no, not really.

I put the Quest 3S through my usual tests — I watched YouTube (3D and 2D content), scrolled Instagram, and played around in mixed reality (First Encounters, which, yes, is a demo game but is generally a good test for mixed reality and environment mapping).

In those tests, I was kind of floored at how the Quest 3S delivered. Outside of some visual distortion at the periphery of the Quest 3S' field of view, I found the fidelity of all my experiences to be more than sufficient.

And, mind you, I'm not even the target demographic for this headset. Most people, if I had to imagine, aren't coming into the Quest 3S already owning a Quest 3 like I do. Instead, they're most likely first-time VR/AR headset buyers. As a result, they won't have the same point of comparison.

Usually, that would be an issue — after all, if you don't know what you're missing, how can you know if a gadget is actually worth the money? In this case, however, as far as I'm concerned, that potential knowledge gap doesn't matter.

Even if you can enumerate the differences between the Quest 3 and Quest 3S, I'm willing to wager you won't regret buying Meta's most affordable headset.

Proper passthrough and a dutiful display

Before using the Quest 3S, my next biggest question was whether it could deliver the same level of passthrough as the Quest 3. From a camera standpoint, there's no reason to think that the Quest 3S wouldn't be up to snuff — it has similar outward-facing sensors like the Quest 3, albeit in a more bug-like cluster arrangement as opposed to a vertical alignment.

That said, mixed reality is still Quest 3's biggest selling point, and any change that might disrupt XR experiences is worth watching.

Like the visual fidelity of my previous experiences, I didn't notice much of a difference at all. While playing First Encounters, the Quest 3S mapped my living room with ease and rendered the game's fuzzy aliens around corners, under my couch, and dropping from the ceiling.

Even more impressive is that it seemed to do all that while also managing to do something better — hand tracking.

As observed by UploadVR, the Quest 3S has actually demonstrated better low-light hand and head tracking than the Quest 3. As someone whose apartment is perenially cave-like, I was excited to see if that alleged improvement was true, and I have to say — the Quest 3S impressed again.

Even in my dark, first-floor, New York apartment, hand tracking on the Quest 3S felt very smooth, especially while playing games in mixed reality, arguably one of the more important purposes of adept tracking.

In addition to passthrough difference, the Quest 3S's lower resolution was quite noticeable. While the Quest 3 has a resolution of 2,064 by 2,208 per eye, the Quest 3S has a noticeably lower resolution of 1,832 by 1,920 per eye. I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice the difference, but if you asked me whether I thought the bump up in resolution was worth spending $200 to buy the Quest 3, I'd have to consider it seriously.

That being said, your tolerance for a lower resolution will depend on what exactly you plan on using the Quest 3S for. If you're the type of person who wants to hunker down and spend an extended amount of time in your headset watching a movie (i.e. someone who wants a more Vision Pro-like experience) then you might feel compelled to shell out more money for a more premium display.

If you're someone who wants to dip their toes into mixed reality or VR and aren't necessarily concerned with having a more premium experience, then the Quest 3S is basically a no-brainer.

Who should buy the Quest 3S?

Sometimes, success is all about knowing your audience.

When it comes to the burgeoning world of VR and XR, Meta seems to know exactly who its audience is. While Apple's Vision Pro is an impressive headset with an incomparably premium display and first-in-class UI, most people don't know enough about XR or VR to justify its $3,500 price tag.

By lowering the barrier to entry, the Quest 3S represents an incredibly rare opportunity for XR newbies to upgrade hardware without breaking the bank.

And on that front, I can't think of a better way to get your toes wet. As someone who's used the Quest 3 and the Vision Pro (to a lesser extent), I can say with certainty that Meta's $300 Quest 3S delivers all of the highs of its $500 Quest 3 even if all the premium perks aren't necessarily present.

Is it technically an inferior product in terms of visual fidelity? Yes. Does that difference create a notably inferior experience? In my opinion, not really. The Quest 3S nails all of the fundamentals of XR headsets as we know them and even manages to excel over the Quest 3 in some ways.

In addition to the price being right, the Quest 3S has sufficient resolution, great hand tracking, proper XR passthrough, and many of the same perks as its more expensive counterpart, including the same processor, equally adept outward-facing camera sensors, the same controllers, similar battery life, and almost 1-1 form factor and weight.

In my experience covering XR — nay, gadgets in general — it's not often you get this much of a price drop without some major compromises in quality, but Meta managed to do it and, in the process, gave us a deal that's tough to pass up.

More from Laptop Mag

• Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head
• Meta Quest 3 review: Elite features at an affordable price
• Meta Quest 3S is here, and I've 3 reasons for Quest 2 owners to get it
• I tried the Meta Quest 3S: Is it game over for the Apple Vision Pro?
• How Meta's Quest 3S could spell disaster for the Apple Vision Pro
• Meta unveils its Quest 3S headset as the most affordable way to get a proper taste of mixed reality

The Meta Quest 2 was a huge success for VR gaming, reportedly counting for the majority of Meta's 20 million Quest headset sales as of March 2023, and is Steam's most popular VR headset, being used by over 36% of all PCVR gamers on the platform.

Having released just over four years ago, the Quest 2 still offers a lot in terms of entertainment potential. However, today marks the release of this headset's true successor: the Meta Quest 3S.

While Meta's flagship Quest 3 headset has been with us since October 2023, it's the Quest 3S that will likely be most appealing to many Quest 2 owners — offering a clear performance boost at a very familiar price.

If you're a Quest 2 owner, or even new to VR/AR entirely, the Quest 3S stands as the most affordable way to jump into a new generation of mixed reality gaming, entertainment, and even spatial computing style productivity.

There's never been a better time to make a leap to the next generation of Meta's Quest headsets, and here are three reasons why it's time to say goodbye to your Quest 2 and say hello to the Meta Quest 3S.

3 reasons why it's time to say goodbye to the Meta Quest 2 (and hello to the Quest 3S)

Goodbyes are never easy, especially when it comes to your favorite tech-cessories. However, an upgrade to the Meta Quest 3S should be one of the easiest you'll encounter and is one of the best ways for those only just hopping aboard the VR/AR wagon to get started. Let's explore a few reasons why.

3. The games

Gaming on Meta Quest headsets is incredibly fun, but the Horizon Store's line-up has often lacked a certain level of star power. While familiar franchises like The Walking Dead and Ghostbusters have done well to offer impressively fun and immersive experiences to players, titles like Assassin's Creed Nexus have kickstarted a new wave of AAA titles that will be arriving on Meta's third-generation headsets in the near future.

If you buy a Quest 3S headset today, you'll already be guaranteed a copy of the latest title from the Batman: Arkham series, a full VR sequel to 2013's Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: Arkham Shadow. However, there are still plenty of excellent titles in the pipeline for 2024 including Alien: Rogue Incursion, Metro Awakening, Skydance's Behemoth, Zombie Army VR, Starship Troopers: Continuum, and Square Enix's fan-favorite tactical RPG, Triangle Strategy — all of which will be natively playable on the Quest 3 and Quest 3S.

Not only that, you'll still have access to all of your Quest 2 content, with several games even offering improved visual fidelity on Meta's latest headsets thanks to the Quest 3 and 3S' Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor. This means you not only get to retain your former game library but that many of them will look better than ever, too.

• Read more: 5 upcoming VR games that may convince you to buy a Meta Quest 3S

2. Improved tracking

The Quest 2's passthrough was a grainy, black-and-white eyesore that felt a little too much like you were watching low-quality security camera footage of your surroundings. As such, a lot of the headset's mixed reality potential was squandered. But that's not the case with the Meta Quest 3 and 3S.

Both of Meta's third-generation headsets feature a new RGB passthrough mode that is much clearer and crisper than the Quest 2's offerings, and there are already plenty of apps making great use of this new, more accessible mixed reality mode.

The Quest 3S even offers dual IR illuminators, as opposed to the Quest 3's singular IR line projector, which results in improved low-light head and hand tracking, giving it a decent leg up on the deluxe model.

• Read more: Meta Quest 3S vs. Quest 2: Should you buy Meta's upgraded inexpensive VR headset?

1. The price

Seriously, let's talk about that price. For $299 you're essentially getting the same performance and general VR/AR experience as Meta's flagship Quest 3 headset at a greatly reduced asking price.

Part of that cheaper price is due to the Meta Quest 3S retaining the same Fresnel optics as the Quest 2, and missing out on some other more premium elements of the Quest 3 like an expanded resolution, a fine-tunable IPD wheel, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

However, much of what the Quest 3S offers will be instantly familiar to Quest 2 owners already, and its Fresnel lenses will mean you'll be able to re-use any lens inserts you already own right out of the box.

Outlook

At such an exceptionally affordable price, the Quest 3S is practically a golden ticket to a new generation of mixed reality games and applications.

These are just three main reasons to make the jump to Meta's new Quest 3S headset, but we don't even touch on other impressive features, such as Meta AI integration, the new Touch Plus controllers, or the immersive 3D audio from the redesigned temple-housed speakers.

All of which further propel the Quest 3S' impressive value for money. If you're interested in learning more about the Meta Quest 3S, catch our hands-on impressions with the headset, see how Meta's new headset compares to the Quest 3 directly, or catch listings around the net starting from $299 at Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart today.

More from Laptop Mag

• Are my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses spying on me? No, but college students are
• Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head
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If you've been itching to explore mixed reality experiences, you may have eyed the Meta Quest 3 before but didn't take the plunge. Now is a great time to stop sitting on the sidelines and delve into the world of VR and mixed reality, thanks to the big savings currently available on the Meta Quest 3.

You can now get a Meta Quest 3 for $499 at Best Buy, a 23% reduction on its regular $649 price. This sale is specifically on the capacious premium version of the Quest 3, with 512GB of local storage.

The larger storage capacity means you can store more games on your headset, and you won't likely run into the issue of running out of space any time soon. Game sizes vary dramatically, with some games requiring just a few gigabytes, others hovering around 10GB, and premium games with long campaigns and complex gameplay needing more still. For example, Asgard's Wrath 2, a previous freebie with the purchase of a Quest 3, and that game requires over 31GB.

The price includes a headset, two controllers, and the forthcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow game, and a 3-month trial of Meta Quest+ (the latter two are a combined $70 value according to Meta).

In our Quest 3 review, we gave the headset 4 stars out of 5. Our reviewer praised the headset's sleek and lightweight design, excellent audio, and full-color passthrough for mixed reality engagement.

You can also buy the Meta Quest 3 headset with 512GB for $499 at Amazon. Or spend $49 more and grab the bundle that includes the Elite Strap for added comfort (Meta Quest 3 512GB + Elite Strap bundle, now $528 from Amazon, originally $710).

While on the topic of Amazon, if these Quest 3 deals seem too spendy, then scope out Amazon's pre-order deal on the Quest 3S Comfort Edition: Meta's imminent headset refresh includes the 128GB Quest 3S and the Elite Strap bundle for $350 (a sale that knocks 5% off of the usual $369 bundle price).

Top deal on the Meta Quest 3 (512GB) VR headset

Apple's Vision Products Group, the brilliant minds behind the ultra-deluxe Vision Pro, are reportedly working on several new VR/AR/Mixed reality projects, including a part of smart glasses that may arrive by 2027.

Following this year's Meta Connect event, smart glasses are the talk of the town (in no small part thanks to Meta's Orion frames) and even VR and AR are receiving some notable attention in the build-up to tomorrow's Meta Quest 3S release.

To that end, it's no surprise that Apple would put pedal to metal on its own projects — especially as Meta's holographic smart glasses aren't expected to face a consumer release until we near the end of the decade.

From Vision Pro fumble, to ready to rumble

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple likely has four major projects in the works within its Vision Products Group: a lower-end Vision Pro, a second-generation Vision Pro, camera-touting AirPods, and a pair of high-tech glasses to go up against the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Sidestepping Apple's new Vision Pro models — which are no doubt destined to fall into the same price-tag punji pit that both the original Vision Pro and Meta Quest Pro fell into — Apple's smart glasses may have the most potential to perform, especially against Meta's smart glasses lineup. Apple will be late to the party on this one, but that's not to say it won't turn heads when entering.

As long as it shows up before Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sweeps everyone away to the private Orion after-party, anyway.

Apple: Late to the race, but often in first place

Apple has a long-standing tradition of showing up late to the party yet being credited for its inception — a feat they've managed to repeat ever since the iPod hit store shelves in 2001.

At the time, CEO Steve Jobs claimed that the iPod was a "Quantum leap" for portable MP3 players. If you forgot about the Nomad Jukebox offering the same features with more storage and a lower price tag, anyway.

Still, fittingly, there's no room for the Nomad in the history books, leaving its existence but a roaming memory in the minds of bitter tech fans like myself.

Being first through the door matters little when you have an adoring fanbase like Apple's behind you just waiting for the opportunity to blindly sacrifice their paychecks in lock-step unison at the altar of "different thinking."

This is something Apple may be able to bank on when going toe-to-toe with Meta in the smart glasses realm, especially as the next few generations of smart glasses become more advanced and more expensive, and Apple's history of delivering deluxe falls in their favor.

Outlook

Reportedly targeting a 2027 release, Apple smart glasses still have plenty of time to brew. However, when they do arrive it's unlikely that these will be the glasses to tackle Meta's Orion holographic glasses. Industry insiders claim that Apple's response to those hyper-advanced frames is likely five years off at least, placing them in the same end-of-the-decade release window as Meta.

In the meantime, we expect to see Meta release its third-generation smart glasses next year, the first to feature a heads-up display for visual feedback. These glasses will likely be paired with the company's neural wristband for control, which may find itself repurposed as a smartwatch.

With that in mind, if Apple is seeking to compete with Meta's glasses directly, we'd assume that the company's frames will offer similar features.

We've already seen the Apple Watch make use of gestures like double tap, and the device could be tweaked to capture more gestures in later models to better pair with the visual element of future smart glasses while strengthening the walls of Apple's tightly-knit eco-system.

More from Laptop Mag

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• What will the future of Meta Quest headsets look like?
• Why smart glasses will be the death of VR headsets

There's a new generation of smart glasses upon us and Meta is at the center.

On top of Oiron — Meta's prototype for the world's first pair of full-featured holographic glasses — it also announced a major update to its Meta Ray-Ban glasses last week during Connect. 

Instead of telling you what's new, I'll give you one guess what the biggest addition to the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses was... 

If your answer is AI, congratulations, you won tech's easiest guessing game. 

And sure, it's no surprise that Meta, like pretty much every tech company, is introducing AI into its glasses, but just because the move is expected doesn't mean it's not significant.

AI may not be appropriate for every product, but it could be an absolute game-changer for smart glasses.

Meta AI but make it fashion

In case you haven't noticed, AI is showing up everywhere: in Google search, in Photoshop, and in your email inbox.

Naturally, some of those applications aren't going to pan out — right now, there's a "throw AI at the wall and see if it sticks" mentality.

But some of those AI uses will stick, and after briefly using Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, I'm willing to bet smart glasses are one of those arenas.

There are many hurdles to making smart glasses — miniaturization is one that comes to mind — but devising a new input method will be among the top priorities. If smart glasses are to be the "next thing" after smartphones, they'll need to be fully featured but also as intuitive to use as our beloved glass slabs.

And they'll need a UI that people understand to be easy to use. The problem? Well, there is no touchscreen on a pair of smart glasses. In the future, smart glasses could adopt some hand/eye tracking input similar to the Apple Vision Pro, but right now, that tech is nowhere near viable in a form factor so small.

For now, we have one thing — voice assistants. Meta has already tapped that potential since its newest Ray-Ban update comes pre-loaded with Meta AI. I got a brief chance to use Meta AI at a recent event, and though it's still very much a work in progress, I can see the appeal.

The infusion of large language models (LLMs) promises to make voice assistants much more savvy. By nature, LLMs are better at understanding natural language prompts and are capable of executing more complex, multi-step commands.

That means, for example, you can put on your Ray-Ban smart glasses, look at a recipe written in French, and say, "Hey Meta, translate this recipe for me." I actually did this in Meta's demo space.

The results were maybe not perfect — I had to really focus my vision on the card, and the AI didn't quite hear my prompt in a loud room — but with some tinkering, we got there.

With a more capable, AI-supercharged voice assistant, smart glasses might not immediately need a more fine-tuned, complex UI. Want to launch music? Take a picture? Set a reminder or an alarm? Just shout. Meta AI is already promising to go beyond the banal alarm-setting and app-launching of our current crop of voice assistants.

For instance, Meta AI can identify objects in your field of view and give you information about them. That means you could have your "what are those?!" moment with a pair of shoes or maybe look at a piece of art and have your glasses give you more background on who made it.

It's still early days, but this kind of neural connection between computer vision and our neverending stream of information on the web feels genuinely novel but also (with refinement) actually practical.

The future starts now

There's a lot to do between now and our Orion future, but Meta AI will clearly be a stepping stone.

In the same way that Meta AI promises to simplify UI on headsets like the Quest, it also stands to pave the way for early-stage smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans.

I'm not sold on the usefulness of LLMs, but if there's one thing they're exceptional at, it's understanding us. It's taken a long time for voice assistants to mature, but with LLMs, we could finally get there.

Both Amazon and Apple have promised far more functional versions of their Alexa and Siri voice assistants, respectively, and Meta's AI has already started imbuing some of that LLM firepower.

AI might not open the floodgates for smart glasses, but it might just convince us that they're legitimately worth our investment.

In 2013, Google set off a firestorm of privacy objections when it strapped a camera to people's faces with the release of Google Glass. In 2024, much of the scopophobia surrounding camera lenses has been evaporated from society as we became more used to the presence of smartphones and our social media-spearheaded snap-happy culture — to which the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses undoubtedly owe a portion of its success.

However, much like Gen Z's successful revivals of analog tech, flared jeans, and velour, two Harvard students are bringing back the fear of face-worn cameras after showcasing a piece of facial recognition tech that can identify the names, addresses, and phone numbers of strangers at a glance.

The project, called I-XRAY, was showcased on X earlier this week, showing how effective it is in snaring the identity of passersby. The tool was built by students AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio who sought to highlight privacy concerns by demonstrating how easily readily available resources (like Ray-Ban Meta's smart glasses, LLMs, and public databases) can be used, or misused, to extract people's personal information from online sources.

I-XRAY: How it works (and how to protect yourself)

While I-XRAY seems like some nefarious, underhanded means of doxing regular folk, it's actually making use of publicly available data and resources to do much of the heavy lifting.

The tool itself is designed to educate, rather than exploit, and won't be released to the public. However, Nguyen and Ardayfio reveal the pipeline by which I-XRAY works its magic, along with guidance on how to protect yourself against this type of tracking.

I-XRAY uses a camera feed from a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which is streamed to Instagram. This feed is then used to snare captures of a person's face, which is then sent to a reverse image search engine like PimEyes or FaceCheck.

When a match is found, I-XRAY uses an LLM to scrape any URLs for further information about a subject such as name, occupation, age, etc. This data is then fed into another search engine such as FastPeopleSearch, to expand the amount of data collected. The data found here can include phone numbers, home addresses, and even relatives — most of which are sourced from public records and social media profiles.

Finally, the tool attempts to match social security numbers (SSNs) to any phone numbers gathered in the above process, using free and public services like Cloaked to see if an SSN has been compromised in past data breaches before validating the full SSN with the results.

While that seems terrifying enough, more frightening is the speed at which this is done, with the original video showcasing the tool being used in real-time on a public subway. Ultimately concerning is the fact that all of the information it can scrape about an individual is pulled freely and easily from the web.

So what can you do to prevent falling foul of such tactics? Well, luckily, quite a bit. Though it may be time-consuming.

Nguyen and Ardayfio list several sites and services they made use of in the building of I-XRAY, all of which offer free services to remove yourself from their databases. The links shared by the duo are found below.

• PimEyes: How to remove images from results
• FaceCheck: How to delete your photos from FaceCheck Search Engine
• FastPeopleSearch: Remove Your Record From the FastPeopleSearch Database
• Instant Check Mate: User Data Tools

A more lengthier process involves removing your information from a wider source of data brokers.

How to stop Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from using your data

Owners of Meta's smart glasses or spotters of them in public can breathe a sigh of relief, as while these smart glasses are used in the process, they're by no means a part of the intended use for the device.

In fact, any camera-touting pair of smart glasses would fit into I-XRAY's pipeline, or any camera for that matter. Meta's smart glasses are just a readily available piece of technology that offers hands-free capture potential due to its live streaming potential.

Still, there is plenty of skepticism surrounding Meta's glasses when it comes to privacy and data collection — albeit far less than the flak Google Glass was subjected to.

Whether that's a sign of the times, I can't say for sure. But I can say that there's a fair reason for some users to be concerned, especially after the company confirmed to Tech Crunch that it uses images and video shared with Meta AI for future model training.

However, as a rule of thumb, unless otherwise explicitly stated, almost all interactions with AI models should come with the expectation that conversations and actions will be used for training purposes nowadays.

Thankfully, while interactions with the company's AI should be performed with the knowledge that results may turn into training data, Meta's glasses do allow you to disable the sharing of additional data, voice data, and the removal of activities through its Meta View partner app.

Of course, for those still wanting additional peace of mind, there's always the option to turn off the power switch for the glasses when they're not actively in use, found on the left-hand temple hinge of each pair.

Not only is this one of the ways Meta recommends respecting other's privacy in sensitive spaces but it also helps to maintain battery life for longer periods.

More from Laptop Mag

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• What are smart glasses? Yesteryear’s ‘next big thing’ is finally finding an audience
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Take the leap into the virtual world with the Meta Quest 3 — one of the best VR headsets on the market. It has a beautiful 4K display and excellent sound quality to help immerse you into the experience, and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor to help it run the latest VR games.

Right now, you can pick up the Meta Quest 3 (512GB) for $499 at Best Buy. That’s already $150 off the MSRP, but on top of that you’ll also get a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ and a copy of the upcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow thrown in for free.

The Meta Quest 3 is already one of the most affordable VR headsets out there, offering exceptional value for money when compared to competing options from Apple and HTC. Sure, it’s more expensive than the Meta Quest 2, and that’s still the ultimate budget VR choice out there, but the hardware upgrade on this successor was significant enough to justify that price hike. It has a faster processor, more RAM, high-resolution displays, and sports a new pancake lens design that offers increased sharpness and reduces image artifacts.

And, with this current deal, you can offset a lot of the increased price and get some freebies thrown in for good measure. We should also note, the Meta Quest 3 128GB version is also on offer, down to $429. You still get the free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, but the overall discount is a lot lower and we'd recommend the higher storage model unless you're on a super tight budget.

If you’re looking for more VR and gaming discounts, check out our roundup of the best gaming deals for October. It’s packed with offers on PC, console, and VR games and hardware. Oh, and keep an eye on our Prime Big Deal Days coverage to find all the biggest savings ahead of Amazon’s fall sale.

Today's best Meta Quest 3 deal

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Following last week's impressive Connect event, Meta is wasting no time in bringing many of its newly announced features and products to market.

While we still have to wait until October 15 for the Meta Quest 3S to release, today the platform that powers Meta's Quest headsets receives an impressive release of its own: a major overhaul of Horizon OS avatars.

However, this is more than a simple visual update. It's an opportunity for Meta to captivate its audience further and press on for the kind of AR/VR user retention it has often lacked in the past.

Believing that Meta's avatars could play a vital role in the platform's social and community growth, a former Meta artist tells Laptop Mag, "It's essential that users are able to feel a genuine connection with their digital alter-egos."

A digital 'You' worth returning to

Meta might have the biggest market share for VR headset ownership thanks to the incredibly popular Meta Quest 2, but according to an internal Reality Labs presentation from February 2023, user retention and engagement is one of the company's primary struggles.

During the presentation, Meta's president for VR Mark Rabkin revealed, "Right now, we're on our third year of Quest 2, and sadly, the newer cohorts that are coming in, the people who bought it this last Christmas, they're just not as into it [as the ones who bought it early]." Rabkin stressed, "We need to be better at growth and retention and resurrection."

At the time, Rabkin pushed for easier content sharing to other platforms and a more dynamic way for developers to promote their content within the Quest Store. However, other ways of improving retention have come from Meta, including a bigger push to bring AAA titles and franchises to Horizon OS, and an upcoming fresh new look for the Horizon OS UI.

The new avatar update is another method, giving users more of a connection with their digital avatar and those of others.

New Horizon OS avatars: A metaverse remodelling

When discussing the potential impact of Meta's new avatar system, Todd Taylor tells Laptop Mag, "Expanding customization options for meta VR Avatars is clearly an effective way to drive personalization and foster stronger emotional connections between users and their digital identities."

Todd Taylor is a Principal Technical Artist for Genies, whose avatars have featured in everything from Times Square billboards to Decentraland concerts, award show performances, and the social media profiles of popular musicians.

Taylor has 25 years of experience specializing in 3D digital characters, seven of which were spent working at Oculus/Meta where he contributed to the platform's avatar system and SDK.

Talking more about the newly-released avatar update, Taylor continues, "Meta's new VR avatars show a significant improvement in their overall appeal, striking that elusive balance between realism and a stylized aesthetic that resonates with users."

Commenting on Meta's new stylized figures, which offer increased animation possibilities, improved facial animations, and greater ability to express, Taylor tells Laptop Mag "Taking a step towards realistic proportions while staying true to a stylized look, the new avatars resemble the quality of Disney animated characters or the iconic avatars in Fortnite.

"Art directing customizable characters is a major challenge, especially when users have a wide range of personalization options, but Meta's new avatars demonstrate a thoughtful approach to this complexity."

Meta's new avatars offer a much more diverse array of body types, skin colors, apparel, face, eye, and nose shapes to name just a few of the changes, and this is something that Taylor believes will aid Meta's goals and benefit the Quest community.

"Meta continues to focus on appealing to a diverse user base across its various apps, creating avatars that are versatile enough to resonate with a broad demographic while offering robust customization.

The evolution of Meta's avatars is rooted in creating more relatable and visually engaging digital personas."

Looks can kill, or thrill: Why avatars matter

Avatars in gaming have had their occasional moments to shine. However, on most platforms, they feel somewhat abandoned.

While Xbox avatars of past generations would feature in games like the surprisingly fun Doritos Crash Course or A World of Keflings, and other titles would offer unique rewards for achievement progression, they're now little more than profile dressing.

Some platforms excelled at avatar adoption, particularly the Nintendo Wii, where Miis were used to represent players, often featuring in many of the platform's games and greatly adding to the immersion of mixing motion controls with on-screen results.

Similarly, Meta's avatars seek to add a deeper sense of immersion to activities and social interactions. However, while this new avatar update could aid Meta greatly in improving the social and community aspects of the Horizon platform, it's not without its risks.

Todd Taylor tells Laptop Mag, "For Meta VR avatars to gain widespread adoption, it's essential that users are able to feel a genuine connection with their digital alter-egos. If an avatar doesn't reflect how users want to present themselves, or if they are unhappy with its appearance, they are unlikely to engage with it on an emotional level."

Thankfully, the new avatar update is quite extensive, offering a much more detailed and expansive suite of options to fine-tune and customize your metaverse appearance. Everything from hairstyles to clothing colors and body customization has been given a fresh lick of paint. However, Taylor suggests that even this has its downsides.

"While extensive customization can be fun and powerful, giving users too much freedom with control over physical form can potentially be a liability that results in avatars that feel 'off' in terms of art style or lose overall appeal. They might just look bad.

"For example, the more levers and dials available to fine-tune features of the face, the closer the process becomes to the actual art of sculpting." At which point I feel Taylor personally attacks every custom RPG character I've ever made as he tells Laptop Mag, "Not all users have the discerning eye of an artist."

Outlook

Luckily for Meta, the new avatar system does have its limits. This isn't exactly on the level of Dragon's Dogma 2 or Soul Calibur V, but still versatile enough to produce some very effective recreations of yourself in Meta's 3D animated form.

The new avatars are also met with a new SDK (software development kit) that will allow developers to take full advantage of the enhanced movement, animation, and emotive capabilities of Meta's avatars, and make full use of them in VR/AR games and apps.

What appears on the surface to be a cosmetic enhancement could actually have a big impact on keeping Quest users tuned in to Meta's VR worlds, and greatly add to immersion in titles that feature them thanks to more fluid movement and human-like proportions. It's an exciting update, and we're looking forward to seeing Meta's new avatars put to further use.

If you're a Quest user and you want to check out Meta's new avatar system, be sure to head to your profile and update your avatar from today. Not within reach of your headset right now? You can also update and customize your avatar within the Meta Horizon app on iOS and Android.

More from Laptop Mag

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Google Glass was a revolutionary product. Not only for what it hoped to achieve, bundling together an everyday wearable that you could dictate texts to, capture photos and video with, or take calls through, but also for the amount of ire it inspired in people following its unveiling.

Hi, I’m Rael Hornby, resident Laptop Mag reviewer of AR and VR tech and probably someone that would have been considered a “glasshole” back in 2013. Thankfully, some ten years later, I’m happy to say that smart glasses are making their long-awaited comeback.

Leading that charge are the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. While these stylish spectacles might seem a long way away from the stellar Meta Orion holographic glasses showcased at Connect 2024, you’re looking at the launching pad of how Meta gets there — and an impressive improvement over the Ray-Ban Stories that came before.

So, what makes these glasses so special? Well, there are several factors at play here. While they may look like a simple pair of frames on the outside, they offer so much more. Let’s take a closer look at Meta’s smart glasses.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Price and availability

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are available starting from $299 / £299. Meta’s smart glasses come in three styles: the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer and the new Headliner and Skler frames. The price of each pair will vary depending on style, color, and lens, and even more so if you’re seeking prescription lenses.

This is a similar price to the Ray-Ban Stories that preceded this generation of smart glasses, and while it’s much more than you’d pay for a regular pair of Ray-Bans, these are no regular pair of Ray-Bans.

Factoring in everything you get beyond the style, build quality, and branding of the frames, this isn’t an outlandish price for a pair of smart glasses — especially when taking into account the impressive charging case that comes with it.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Specifications

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Design

Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica brings with it the iconic style of the Ray-Ban Wayfarer, a design often imitated but never duplicated in the smart glasses realm. You’ll see stylings of the same shape on many AR glasses, but this is the real deal. Meta’s smart glasses exude every drip of style and quality as any in EssilorLuxottica’s catalog.

Cast a casual eye at these robust frames, and you may struggle to tell them apart from a regular pair of Ray-Bans — until you notice the LED and camera lens that now takes up residence where the iconic frame’s rivets would typically sit.

The temples, which each house the iconic Ray-Ban logo, are less obviously belonging to a pair of smart glasses, potentially owing to the many different sizes that Ray-Ban has applied to its Wayfarer frames over the years. The only giveaways here are a single button at the top of the right temple and two subtle speakers further back that sit just before the temple tips.

Their position is mirrored on the underside of the temples by two more speakers with pinhole microphones close by — which make up two of the three visible microphones (the other is located on the nose bridge of the glasses) which are part of a wider five-mic array.

Including these speakers adds to the thickness of each temple, but not to the point of being distracting. They still fit comfortably over the ears, and there’s no noticeable weightiness from this part of the frames, either. Along much of the available right temple is a touch sensor that allows you to tap, swipe, and hold for various interactions you can assign in the Meta View mobile app.

Meta’s frames have the same balance point along the temples that my regular Ray-Ban’s have, meaning it’s the bridge of your nose that shoulders most of the 50.8 grams weight. To put it into perspective, that’s about the weight of two AA alkaline batteries spread fairly evenly across the front and sides of your face. Given that my regular Ray-Bans weigh ~45 grams, this change was barely perceivable.

Perceivable changes include a switch from the Wayfarer intersecting hinges to a more cylindrical design, creeping further up the temples to show a Meta logo on the right-hand side and a power switch on the left.

If you size your glasses right, you’ll be able to reach this switch without taking off the frames. This is a subtle and simple way of cutting back on battery drain when you don’t need any of the smart-tech bells and whistles the Ray-Ban Metas offer.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Audio

Open-ear speakers and great audio don’t always go hand-in-hand. In fact, they’re often seen traveling in different directions and spitting on the ground at the very mention of one another. However, this is not always the case. While the TCL RayNeo Air 2S AR smart glasses had their faults, open-ear audio was not among them.

Thankfully, the same can be said here. While there are no EQ adjustments available within the Meta View app, or preset sound profiles to switch from, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses come out of the case ready to go with a fresh tone and a well-rounded sound to them — even if it is lacking a little when it comes to bass.

Audio quality is more than serviceable — in fact, it’s pretty excellent. Thanks to a starkly apparent spatial element, the sound is crisp, clear, rich, and solidly immersive. As mentioned, there’s a noticeable drop-off in bass, but this has been a recurring experience when it comes to open-air audio for me.

That said, cranking up the volume can help alleviate many of your gripes, giving the full scale of the audio more chance to swamp your ears.

This all comes from the improved speaker setup, which improves the bass from the Ray-Ban Stories that came before and boosts the peak volume by up to 50% while reducing audio bleed.

In this context, that means how much sound leaks from the open-ear speakers into your surroundings. This is very noticeable at max volume, but it's not that noticeable at 40-50% — especially in more crowded public spaces.

Individual voices have much less bleed to them, so making a call is a bit more discrete. It’s once again incredibly crisp audio, but more than that, the five-mic array of the Ray-Ban Meta’s captures your voice beautifully. I mean, beautifully. 

Whether you’re taking a call in a crowded environment or calling on Meta AI while music plays loudly through the temple speakers, the Ray-Ban Metas offers incredibly precise audio capture. You don’t even have to speak up much for the glasses to register you calling on the AI; a mumble or a whisper can do it, even in noisy environments.

It’s fantastic for discretely calling in a snapshot or asking Meta AI to quickly send a reply to a message on your behalf. Speech recognition has been mostly flawless during my time with the glasses. Voice commands and inputs work a treat, whether I ask Meta to skip a music track or send my friends a poem about trains—you know, the basics.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Camera

There’s something especially charming about the Ray-Ban Meta’s camera. While only 12 megapixels (MP), the quality is impressive. It’s not going to blow any of your 24-50 MP smartphone sensors out of the water any time soon, but there’s enough here to be happy with the results of your on-the-fly snaps.

Just make sure you’re standing still long enough to capture that moment in time, and don’t be fooled by the initial chirp of the glasses as it registers your request. I’ve had to learn this lesson repeatedly, only realizing the error of my ways when the shutter sound follows. This leaves me to shamefully mourn another 12 megabytes of my storage, now dedicated to the turning of my head away from the thing I originally wanted to take an image of.

Not that this would be an easy thing to accomplish, anyway — with no available viewport, photography through the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses is tricky to adjust to.

You can’t ever take a photo with complete confidence that you’ve managed to capture what you thought you did until you pull out your phone and check the app. That almost defeats the purpose of having a camera on your face, if I’m honest.

That said, you still get some interesting results. They’re a little bit quirky and a little bit misaligned. They’re images that don’t quite line up with how you remember things because although it's supposedly from a first-person perspective, it somehow feels like it was the perspective of a person standing just behind you and peering over your shoulder.

It’s almost its own genre of photography, whereby the aim is to capture a false memory. Still, between the 3:4, made for social media, aspect ratio, and liminal perspective shift, you can’t deny that there’s “something” about the off-kilter results that is quite charming. Plus, you can often crop what you don’t like; the 3024 x 4032 resolution of each image mixed with the ultra-wide angle can be pretty forgiving, at least.

On the other hand, video, while retaining some of that liminal weirdness, feels somehow much easier to manage, thanks to a healthy dose of image stabilization that will eat away at the original 1440 x 1920 resolution.

Still, the results are pretty impressive, even if they are only captured at 30 fps and limited to 3 minutes at a time. As a bonus, they don’t nearly look as much like you’re watching declassified body cam footage as you’d think they would on playback.

However, picture and video quality were only half of my concerns with Meta’s smart glasses. The other was how people would react to the camera itself in everyday life.

Ironically, while the inclusion of a camera had many an undergarment in a twist with Google Glass, most don’t seem to notice (or care) about their appearance on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. It’s often forgiven as part of the design, and those who have noticed simply said, “Cool.”

It seems we’ve crossed some cultural divide, and having cameras in our presence is now commonplace as opposed to something beyond the norm. We livestream ourselves and snap selfies with reckless abandon. Pulling out a smartphone to record any moment of human joy, misery, or distress is practically commonplace.

The fact you’re wearing a camera on your face only signals who’s prepared to catch someone else's moment of celebrity as they shout, “You can’t park there, mate,” while chortling at the scene of a devastating car crash.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Camera samples

Videos are similarly crisp, and showcase some solid image stabilization at the cost of resolution. Once again the Ray-Ban Metas capture very clear and accurate audio in the process, with the results outperforming what you'd expect from such a tightly packaged product.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Meta AI

“Trains chug along the track, carrying dreams and freight, a symbol of journey and a marvel of might, connecting towns and cities, day and night” — Meta AI

The intersection of AI and messaging apps is a privacy nightmare for some. However, I’ve learned to overcome my fears and fully embrace our artificial overlords, especially as it means I can annoy all of my friends by sending them random poems about trains, Bigfoot (capitalized because it’s real), canoes, and the state of Utah.

Never has generative AI made more sense to me than the ability to simply call out “Hey Meta” before spouting some truly unhinged nonsense, asking for a reply that rhymes, and selecting my unwitting victim from my WhatsApp contacts.

Taking some of the anxiety out of letting an AI message people on your behalf, Meta AI will repeat your message back to you before asking if you’re sure you want to send it. Allowing you to avoid any potential voice recognition disasters.

Aside from granting me a special new way to lose friends and alienate people, Meta AI actually comes in pretty handy. And it’s getting handier still, thanks to a series of feature-enhancing updates.

During a walkabout at my local museum, Meta AI was on hand to help me recognize various fish, and instead of reading the plaques below each display, I was able to ask Meta AI to “Look and see what this says” before going about my business and receiving a summary of what was captured. It was a bit like having a virtual tour guide with me at all times, albeit slightly embarrassing to walk about in public, muttering in the general direction of a bunch of plastic dinosaurs.

Meta AI can also translate foreign languages, identify various things within the framing of your images, upload images on your behalf to social media, and even fetch information about the weather. You can even ask Meta AI to fetch a recipe from ingredients in your fridge or help you piece an outfit together. These replies can also be followed up within a brief window of time, turning a small engagement into an actual conversation — and it all flows well together.

Don’t worry — it won’t get all Her on you. Meta AI is rather terse, often choosing to answer your questions in the shortest, simplest way possible. While that’s not great for most AI, it works here. Throughout your day, you’re likely to only call on Meta AI when you need some information or to get something done, so the cutting of the fat is welcome.

That said, Meta AI still communicates in that awkward synthesized text-to-speech manner, which can get a little grating afterward. I’m looking forward to the upcoming voice mode announced at Meta Connect 2024 and the celebrity tenors that come with it. I can’t wait for John Cena to wax lyrical about the pigeon fowl to my dwindling number of friends.

Other features expected to arrive soon include remembering things from images, setting reminders, sending voice memos, and real-time video help that lets the assistant answer and comment based on everything it can see.

Not only that, Meta’s smart glasses will be able to translate speech in real-time, a feature similar to that of the Solos AirGo 3 smart glasses with their ChatGPT-backed translation capabilities. If I’m lucky, I’ll finally be able to figure out what my Bulgarian neighbors really think of me. 

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Software

Using the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses requires linking them via Bluetooth to a smartphone using the Meta View app. The app is available on iOS and Android, and the experience is practically identical.

There’s not a great deal to write home about regarding the Meta view app. It’s pretty straightforward in what it does, giving you a record of Meta AI conversations to call back on and access to the glasses’ 32GB of onboard storage to transfer media to your smartphone. Frustratingly, you cannot stream the images from the glasses and will instead need to transfer them to your device before seeing them in full.

Beyond this, Meta View is a way to ensure the firmware of your glasses is up to date and tweak any settings or gestures you wish to use. Unfortunately, gestures are limited to accessing only a select few apps. While Meta intends to expand on these, for now, all you’ll get is quick access to apps like Spotify or Amazon Music.

However, while the app is open on your phone, you can stream from the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to Facebook and Instagram and even use your first-person perspective in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger calls.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Battery life

It’s all been rather positive up until now, even with the weird liminal first-person photography comments. However, no device is perfect. The Ray-Ban Metas struggle in one key and vital area: battery.

Equipped with a paltry 154 mAh battery capacity, perhaps these glasses were doomed from the start. Great in quick bursts, but having the stamina of a marshmallow atop a naked flame.

Leave them on without much use, and battery life will trickle down at a relatively acceptable pace, but start taking pictures, listening to music, or interacting with Meta AI, and you’ll notice a sharp drop in battery life.

You can reduce its background battery drag by turning off Meta AI’s always listening stance, instead relying on a three-finger tap to the right temple to activate chat. But there’s no real way to cut down on the incredible draw of other activities.

As mentioned much earlier in this review, I’ve begun to leave the glasses off for most of the time while wearing them, only turning them on when I actively want to engage with their wider functions. The blessing of smart glasses like these is that even when they’re turned off, or the battery has run out, they’re still excellent glasses.

Using this method, I can eke out a full day’s use most of the time. However, leaving them on, being a bit more indulgent when it comes to their features, I’m likely to get around 3-4 hours of usage. However, if you plan on tackling an entire Spotify playlist while you get to work, that number will drop again to 2-3 hours depending on volume. Capturing videos will burn the wick even faster.

Still, there is a positive. Meta’s smart glasses come with a charging case that not only protects your expensive frames but also keeps them juiced up on the go. It can deliver a full charge in about an hour and 15 minutes or reach 50% in around 25.

The case itself takes around 3-4 hours to charge over USB-C, and when fully charged, it can top your glasses up to full, maybe four or five times, depending on what level you’re charging from.

Bottom line

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are often, in my opinion, incorrectly dubbed as “social media” or influencer glasses — potentially due to their ability to share media and livestream to platforms like Facebook or Instagram and its portrait-orientated output. But there’s more going on with this product than food selfies and being able to use both hands while recording video.

They’re a transitional product, leading the way from what glasses are to what glasses could be. Better still, they manage this while looking unobtrusive. In fact, they’re downright cool. I’ve never seen a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers that I didn’t like, and these smart glasses are no exception.

My kingdom for added battery life, but the charging case is an absolute blessing, and I’ll often use it to squirrel away my previous frames while the Ray-Ban Metas are in use, switching between the two as needed.

While its battery life is difficult to defend, outside of the obvious constraints of everything needing to fit into a stylish form, there’s still so much to praise. My time with Meta’s smart glasses has been a treat, and when it comes time to hand them back over, one of the first purchases I make will be to replace them with a pair of my own.

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While Meta began its Connect 2024 event in style by announcing the new Meta Quest 3S mixed reality headset, by the close of the Mark Zuckerberg keynote, people had only one product on their mind: Meta Orion.

Meta Orion's bulky proportions be damned, the vertical slice of Meta's smart glasses of tomorrow was just too impressive to be denied. Touting breakthroughs in "virtually every field of modern computing," Orion was a heavy blow dealt to anyone doubting the impact smart glasses may have in the future and a sign of the many great things to come from this corner of the market.

But this market isn't Meta's to own entirely. While they're a big-name player in the space and have been investing heavily in how to bring smart glasses to the forefront of technology, there are more than a few other names you can expect to see play a big part in the years ahead when it comes to AR and smart glasses.

While companies like Meta and Snap offer landmark moments in the progression of AR glasses, smaller names (with just as vital an impact) like XREAL, VITURE, Rokid, TCL RayNeo, and more are on the frontlines as they logically connect the dots, bringing this future vision of smart glasses into the hands of consumers as a pace and progression other markets would find hard to believe.

AR glasses: Forget the future, what's happening right now?

I've been a massive proponent of smart glasses for several years now, but it's only recently that I've had access to several products that have made me a true believer in the space. However, unlike Meta Orion, these devices exist in the here and now.

I can't say that we're at the point where the tech displayed by Orion is ready to sit in the palm of your hand as a consumer. Even if it was, one insider tells Laptop Mag that Meta's prototype headset may have cost upwards of $10,000 to build, making it highly unlikely you'd be willing to splash the cash to get it anyway.

However, I can say that the current smart glasses market is a bubbling cauldron of innovation that will beat a path in the consumer space for years to come ahead of Orion's tipped end-of-decade release. If I were to highlight just a few of the brands to keep an eye on between now and then, I'd have two names at the top of my mind: XREAL and VITURE.

XREAL

The XREAL (formerly NREAL) family of Air 2 AR glasses have been a popular choice among early AR glasses adopters thanks to their Wayfarer-esque looks, vibrant augmented reality displays, and affordability.

Unlike Meta's Orion, these AR glasses are tethered, meaning they connect to compatible devices via a USB-C cable. However, that also means that you won't have much to worry about when it comes to lag or delay, with the displays also able to register super smooth refresh rates of up to 120Hz.

On their own, they're essentially a wearable display, able to mirror any DisplayPort over USB-C compatible device such as a laptop, handheld gaming PC like the Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, or your smartphone.

However, the thing that elevates XREAL's latest Air 2, Air 2 Pro, and Air 2 Ultra glasses is their companion "puck" device that adds further spatial computing capabilities. XREAL's original companion, the XREAL Beam, was a rather small and chunky iPod-like device with limited software and results. It's follow-up, though? That's something else entirely.

XREAL's Beam Pro is a game changer for the company's AR glasses, unlocking a full 3DoF (three degrees of freedom) spatial computing experience that you can fit in your pocket.

The Beam Pro runs on Android 14 with the company's Nebula software running on top. However, you have access to the Google Play Store in its entirety making millions of Android apps and games available to you in the Beam Pro's smooth and responsive AR space.

It's an experience that you'd need to see to fully take in, something I did for an entire week as I gave up my laptop for this XREAL spatial computer and smart glasses combo, finding it to be an incredible leap from the capabilities of the original Beam device and the formation of a genuinely impressive spatial computing experience.

What's next for XREAL?

A recent Reddit post by XREAL's founder, Chi Xu, suggests that a new product could be on the way, and with the recent release of the Beam Pro still freshly on our minds, it's entirely possible that this could be a new pair of AR frames.

There was roughly a year gap between the release of the XREAL Beam and the Beam Pro, and it's been nearly a year since XREAL released its latest consumer-facing smart glasses with the XREAL Air 2 Pro, with the more developer-focused XREAL Air 2 Ultra being made available in July. With that in mind, we wouldn't bet against the company continuing its ceaseless innovation and releasing a new pair of AR glasses in the very near future.

The next step in XREAL's AR glasses lineup remains to be seen, but we do know that it will likely feature a custom chipset. The company has recently teased the results of a two-year project with images of XREAL X1 branded chips.

Just what this chip will power or be capable of remains to be seen, however, given its incredibly small size, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that this chip could be positioned inside XREAL's next set of AR glasses.

VITURE

VITURE is another big player in the AR glasses space that is always pushing forward when it comes to innovation and improvements. The company's VITURE Pro XR glasses scored an impressive 4.5 stars in Laptop Mag's review of them earlier in the year, praising its sharp pictures and the performance of its multi-platform 3DoF unlocking SpaceWalker software.

It uses the same Bird Bath projection as the XREAL Air's AR glasses, which work similarly to the Pepper's Ghost illusion, bouncing the light of a micro-OLED panel into the eyes of the wearer through a triangular prism.

What makes VITURE's glasses stand out is their impressive clarity and the vividness of the image presented, along with their 3DoF potential without the need for anything but your smartphone, laptop, handheld gaming device, or tablet.

However, while you're good to go with VITURE's glasses, that hasn't stopped them from creating an excellent array of gaming-focused accessories to improve the experience further.

VITURE's accessories are all designed to maximize the effectiveness and impact of the company's glasses, without the need to constantly re-release frames that become bigger, heavier, and less appealing due to feature overload.

For an example of that, we'd need only look at the recently revealed Snap Spectacles 5, which wave goodbye to any semblance of style in favor of getting everything on board at once.

In discussing the Snap Spectacles 5 and how VITURE does things differently by way of accessories like its computing "puck" Neckband, co-founder Emily Wang tells Laptop Mag "Two key issues for consumers are the 226-gram weight and the 45-minute battery life.

"This is exactly why we designed the Neckband, which many users feel is a consumer-friendly solution. It offloads the extra weight to the Neckband, making the glasses easier to wear."

Using an external computing puck appears to be the way forward when it comes to maintaining visual appeal and all-day wearability with AR glasses. Even Orion offloads much of its computing to a wireless, pocketable puck, and Meta is reportedly working on a wired version too.

In VITURE's favor, the Neckband also reduces cable clutter, aids battery life, unlocks a standalone 3DoF experience, and allows for seamless interactions with modern consoles.

What's next for VITURE?

VITURE celebrated Connect 2024 in its own way, offering us a glimpse at what's to come via a mysterious teaser image of what appears to be the next version of its impressive Neckband accessory.

In fact, we can confirm just that. In highlighting the features of Snap's latest AR glasses Wang tells Laptop Mag, "On one hand, Spectacles employ a waveguide display, which, although nearly matching the FOV of the VITURE Pro’s Birdbath + MicroOLED combination, falls short in brightness, resolution, contrast, and color accuracy due to current waveguide tech limitations."

Casually revealing what's in store for VITURE users, Wang counters Snap's offering by telling Laptop Mag "On the other hand, our Pro Neckband offers much more powerful computing capabilities, a significantly longer battery life (4-5 hours), and is suited for consumer-level applications.

"For example, gesture recognition, native AI functions, remote streaming, cloud gaming, and multi-screen capabilities, and even providing stable 6DoF tracking combined with our next-gen glasses."

Not only is that an impressive reveal of what's to come from VITURE's new Pro Neckband, but it's also an impressive claim that the company's future next-gen smart glasses will work in tandem with the Pro Neckband to deliver full 6DoF tracking — the kind usually reserved for full mixed reality headsets.

Outlook

Taking a look at both VITURE and XREAL's upcoming projects is exciting, and it's a reminder that we needn't busy ourselves too much with what's on the far and distant horizon when there's so much to appreciate in the present day, and just over nearby hills.

It's an exciting time for the smart glasses market, and AR glasses in particular are in something of a boom period as popularity and advancements seem to grow hand-in-hand.

Check out the XREAL website and VITURE homepage for more information about these companies and their offerings, or check out our reviews of the XREAL Air 2 and VITURE Pro XR glasses for my in-depth thoughts about each of these excellent frames.

Stay tuned to Laptop Mag for more information surrounding upcoming AR glasses news and reviews.

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VR isn't as much of a buzzword as AI this year, but with new affordable headsets and a growing library of VR-compatible apps, it's a great time to get into VR.

Meta's Quest 2 headset earned top marks for being the best budget-friendly headset since its launch in 2020, but there's a new affordable headset in town. At Meta Connect 2024, the company debuted its new Meta Quest 3S headset, the cheaper alternative to the more powerful Quest 3.

But is it worth upgrading from your Quest 2 to the new Quest 3S? Or, if you're completely new to VR, is it worth paying an extra $100 to get the Quest 3S over the Quest 2? Let's dive in and find out.

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Specs

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Price and availability

On October 15, the Meta Quest 3S will replace the Quest 2 as the budget-friendly alternative to the higher-end Quest 3. It will start at $299, the same initial price as the Quest 2.

The $299 starting price includes the base 128GB model, while the larger 256GB model costs $399.

As of April 2024, the Quest 2's 128 GB model's starting price permanently dropped to $199, $100 lower than that of the Quest 3S. However, it's difficult to find a new Quest 2 model now since Meta was phasing them out to prepare for the Quest 3S launch.

It's also worth noting the Quest 2's tumultuous price history, just in case Meta plans to do something similar with the Quest 3S. The Quest 2 launched at $299, went up to $399 a year later, came back down to $299 the following year, and then received the permanent price drop a little less than a year after that.

Considering how much public outrage the Quest 2's price increase drew, it's not likely that Meta would chance a price increase again without adding new features.

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Design

Meta's Quest 2 has a noticeably different design than the new Quest 3S. That's because the Quest 3 is equipped with a pre-installed Standard Facial Interface that adds tracking cameras and RGB passthrough cameras to the front. 

The Quest 3S is almost imperceptibly larger and heavier than the Quest 2, just 11 grams or 0.4 ounces. Despite its larger size, it should be more comfortable to wear for long sessions than the Quest 2, thanks to some design improvements.

The Quest 3S ditches the Quest 2's coarse foam facial interface — or in other words, the headset's cushioning — in favor of a more comfortable fabric-woven interface. It also gains an improved head strap and a slightly more curved design that helps prevent wobbling during play.

Meta's new headset will be a more obvious choice for those who wear glasses, thanks to a four-step spacer mechanism that creates more space between the lenses and the wearer's face. The Quest 2 also has a spacer insert, but it doesn't create nearly as much space.

Lastly, the Quest 3S features two built-in speakers at the temple that are designed to deliver immersive 3D audio with 40% extra volume. The Quest 2, on the other hand, only features one speaker per temple.

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Display and optics

Meta's Quest 3S features an almost identical display setup compared to the Quest 2. The only small exception is that the Quest 3S offers a 96° horizontal field-of-view (FOV), whereas the Quest 2 only offers a 90° horizontal FOV.

Otherwise, the two headsets share the same fresnel lenses and single LCD displays with 1832 x 1920-pixel resolution and 120Hz max refresh rate.

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Controllers and tracking

Just like the Quest 3, the Quest 3S features new front-forward locations for its sensors. Within its two lens arrays, you'll find 6DoF IR tracking sensors and 4MP (18PPD) lenses for RGB color passthrough. There are also two "Canyon" IR tracking sensors along the sides of the headset.

Alternatively, the Quest 2 isn't capable of RGB passthrough. In simple terms, this means that when you're viewing the physical world, not the virtual world in your headset, you can't see it in color. Instead, it'll show up in greyscale.

The Quest 2 can also track movement, but it's IR-based tracking by the headset. The Quest 3S's controllers use a hybrid tracking method of using computer vision and machine learning. 

The standard Quest Touch controllers that come with the Quest 2 offer basic haptic feedback, while the Quest 3S's upgraded, ergonomic Quest Touch Plus controllers feature TruTouch variable haptics.

That said, both the Quest 2 and the Quest 3S are compatible with Meta's top-of-the-line Touch Pro controllers.

Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 2: Performance and battery life

Here's where you'll see the biggest differences between the older Quest 2 and Meta's new Quest 3S. 

The Quest 2 is equipped with Qualcomm's Gen 1 Snapdragon XR2 CPU and Adreno 650 GPU, whereas the Quest 3S features an upgrade to the Gen 2 Snapdragon XR2 CPU and Adreno 740 GPU. On top of that improvement, the Quest 3S also gains an extra 2GB of RAM for a total of 8GB of RAM. 

With more RAM and a stronger CPU/GPU combo, the Quest 3S is poised to offer stronger performance, whether you're watching a movie, hanging out in VRChat, or playing a demanding game. Most games and apps that are available for the Quest 3S will also be available on the Quest 2, but they will be at a performance disadvantage.

To offset the Quest 3S's more power-hungry performance capabilities, Meta gave it a beefier 4,324 mAh battery. According to Meta, the headset can last up to 2.5 hours, with data "based on general usage." 

Alternatively, Meta says the Quest 2's smaller 3,640mAh battery can only last up to 2 hours with "general usage." 

Charging time for both headsets should be relatively similar at approximately 2 and a half hours.

Bottom line

With the Quest 2 quickly selling out of new stock at popular retailers, the Quest 3S is starting to look like the only viable option. And luckily, it's the better headset anyway. 

Considering Meta tried to raise the Quest 2's price to $399 a year after launch, it's surprising that the company debuted the Quest 3S at the Quest 2's initial launch price of $299. But listen, we're not complaining. 

Meta continues to make it an affordable option for more people to get into VR, and the Quest 3S is perhaps the best budget-friendly VR headset you can buy right now. If you're thinking of grabbing a Quest 3S once it officially launches on October 15, make sure you grab it before April 30, 2025 and you'll get Batman: Arkham Shadow for free.

If you have the budget, you may want to consider the Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S. While the Quest 3S looks like an outstanding entry to VR, there are advantages to the Quest 3, and you can often find it for under $450 as it celebrates its first year of availability.

More from Laptop Mag

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Mark Zuckerberg finally took the wraps off what Meta considers to be the Holy Grail of AR glasses.

The Orion holographic AR glasses, which debuted during Meta's Connect 2024 livestream, were formerly known as "Project Nazare," and the "True AR glasses" generated tons of interest even before being announced on Wednesday.

Meta considers Orion the "most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made" and while the prototype looks like a somewhat clunky pair of regular plastic-frame glasses, the AR device features two holographic lenses that can display both 2D and 3D content.

Here's everything you need to know about Orion and Meta's vision for mixed reality.

What are the Orion smart glasses?

Orion, a pair of fairly compact smart glasses, has support for gesture, voice, and eye-tracking control as well as a neural interface that uses a wristband to measure the correct biometric signals for truly hands-free and voice-free control.

The glasses combine several recent breakthroughs in "virtually every field of modern computing" according to Meta and hope to create the most seamless AR experience yet. Assuming, of course, that Meta can deliver on its lofty promises.

We've seen prototypes of Orion in action thanks to the Meta Connect stream, and Meta has put the device in the hands of employees and select members of the media.

The company is currently expanding the Orion test pool to seed it as a developer platform, so once the glasses (or a version of them) finally go on sale, it will launch with a fully populated ecosystem. The glasses will also be getting some hardware changes before the consumer launch to make the displays clearer and to make the glasses more affordable. We'll have to wait a bit before we see Orion on the shelves, but the glasses' appearance on the Meta Connect stream today is an indication that we may not be waiting for too long before we can experience a truly sci-fi AR experience.

And when you compare the Orion prototypes to the Apple Vision Pro and Snap's Spectacles AR Glasses, Orion feels like a clear win for Meta. It's not a headset, it has no wires, and you can take it anywhere. It's not bulky and the glasses look just a bit thicker than a pair you might wear normally for eye-correction or for the sake of pure fashion.

So, yeah. Meta's Orion is absolutely worth being excited over. We might finally get AR glasses that are useful, seamless, portable, and that look at least a little stylish.

More from Laptop Mag

• Meta unveils its Quest 3S headset as the most affordable way to get a proper taste of mixed reality
• Intel Lunar Lake battery life rundown: Which new Intel Lunar Lake laptop comes out on top?
• Dell XPS 13 (9350, 2024) review: Lunar Lake lands with stellar battery life and solid performance

Welcome to the Laptop Mag live blog for Meta Connect 2024. While the Connect keynote has come and gone, our pre-event coverage and live blog recap remain. Here you can get a measure of the event, and still gain further insight from our pre-event build-up — which successfully managed to hit on many of Meta's major reveals.

From the new Meta Quest 3S to Meta Orion AR glasses, our pre-event, event, and post-event coverage has all of the news, rumors, and details you'll need. So stick around, recap on the Meta Connect 2024 showcase, and get up to speed with our latest Meta Connect stories.

Meta Connect 2024: Post-event Coverage

• "Orion isn’t just a window into the future — it’s a look at the very real possibilities within reach today...": Meta's Orion smart glasses promise a mixed-reality revolution
• Meta's Orion smart glasses are a glimmer of our mixed reality future
• Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head
• Meta unveils its Quest 3S headset as the most affordable way to get a proper taste of mixed reality
• Is Apple's affordable Vision Pro enough to take on Meta's Quest 3S?

Meta Connect 2024: Live blog

Meta Connect 2024: VR, AR, AI, and "Hi!"

Good morning from the Laptop Mag team as we kick-start today's coverage of Meta Connect 2024. We'll be with you throughout the day, bringing you the latest word surrounding today's event, while getting you up to speed with everything we know in advance.

So, why not dive straight into things? Perhaps the most widely anticipated reveal of today's event will be the official unveiling of the Meta Quest 3S. But what is it and what can we expect? Let's take a closer look.

Meta Quest 3S: What is it?

Meta has an impressive history of VR headsets under its belt thanks to the glowing success of the Quest 2. However, a shift in focus to mixed reality called for a new generation of headset to emerge, and so we saw the Meta Quest 3 release in October 2023.

The Meta Quest 3 offers impressive virtual reality and augmented reality experiences using its pancake lens optics and RGB passthrough cameras. It's a more powerful headset capable of more graphically impressive results, and its swanky new Touch Plus controllers are a solid improvement over the Quest 2's also.

However, that advancement comes at a price, literally. With all of Meta's improvements, the Quest 3 wasn't able to maintain the same ultra-affordable pricing that made the Quest 2 such a popular choice among VR users and first-time adopters.

That's where the Meta Quest 3S comes in.

Meta's Quest 3S is less of a mid-cycle refresh as it is a 'lite' version of the current Meta Quest 3. It's expected to be a more affordable (more on that later) option, with the goal to give mixed reality headset adoption a considerable boost, similar to the impact the Quest 2 had on the VR landscape.

However, most interestingly, the Quest 3S isn't expected to compromise on core performance, meaning we won't be seeing a split in headset capabilities like how we've seen in the past with consoles like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Meta Quest 3S: What to expect

There have been several substantial leaks surrounding the Meta Quest 3S in recent months, from leaked slides of a seemingly official Meta presentation to full-on, high-resolution, hands-on images of the headset appearing on a Korean message board.

As such, we've been able to piece together much of what we can expect from Meta's upcoming headset, and it's looking like an excellent addition to the Quest catalog of headsets.

Despite its reduced price, the Quest 3S will still make use of the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip that powers the Quest 3, including its Adreno 740 GPU and 8GB of RAM. That's as good as it gets when it comes to performance parity, though there will be some cutbacks in other areas — most notably, with the Quest 3S' optics.

The Meta Quest 3's adoption of pancake lenses allowed Meta to greatly reduce the overall size of the headset (as shown in the above image). This is partially because the pancake lens housing takes up considerably less space compared to the more sizable housing for fresnel lenses, like that found in the Meta Quest 2.

The Quest 3's pancake lenses also cut down on potential artifacts such as god rays, while maintaining better clarity around their edges. It's a worthwhile upgrade for Meta's mixed reality headset, but it won't be an upgrade that carries over to the Meta Quest 3S.

Taking a closer look at leaked images of the Quest 3S reveals the telltale concentric circle patterns you'd expect to find on fresnel lenses, meaning that while the Quest 3S will have the power and performance of the Quest 3, its optics will likely be similar to the Quest 2.

It also means that the Quest 3S will not be as slim as its Quest 3 counterpart. Though how this impacts the headset's overall weight remains to be seen.

The Quest 3S is also reported to make use of a lower 1832 x 1920 per-eye resolution at 20 pixels-per-degree (PPD), compared to the Quest 3's 2064 x 2208, 25.5 PPD offering. Thankfully, the Quest 3S will at least remain as comfortable to use, thanks to refresh rates of 120Hz.

On the surface, these adjustments point to a less sharp, less immersive visual experience on the Quest 3S. However, the Quest 3S' lower resolution could also result in smoother gameplay with it needing to render fewer pixels at any time compared to the Quest 3.

The change in optics will also mean a change in display. Which could potentially once again work in the Quest 3S' favor when it comes to battery life.

The Quest 3's pancake lenses might be superior, but they require much brighter panels due to how much light is lost when traveling through them. The Quest 3 also has a dual LCD setup, one for each eye.

On the other hand, the Quest 3S' fresnel lenses don't have the same high levels of light loss, meaning its singular LCD won't need to be as bright or high-powered to deliver similar results.

Despite the difference in expected battery sizes (4,879 mAh for the Quest 3, and 4,324 mAh for the Quest 3S), the lower power draw of its display mixed with the improved efficiency of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset could see the Quest 3S equal if not outperform the Quest 3's 2-3 hours of battery life.

Several other changes of note can be found across the headset's overall design. It's not just a bulkier chassis that we can expect the Quest 3S to sport, but also a more simplified layout.

The Quest 3's IPD (Interpupillary distance) wheel is absent from the Quest 3S, indicating that the headset will also adopt the Quest 3's three-step lens spacing. The Quest 3S also looks set to ditch the Quest 3's four-step lens spacer, instead reverting to the need to add a lens spacer between the headset's viewport and facial interface manually.

Speaking of facial interfaces (which is an altogether too fancy word for the cushioning surrounding the headset's viewport), the Quest 3S will carry over the Quest 3's woven fabric padding, which is far comfier than the foam padding of the Quest 2.

Also absent from the Quest 3S will be the 3.5mm audio jack formerly housed on the right-hand temple of the Quest 3. Given the headset's Bluetooth capabilities, it's not a dramatic loss to face, though it may be something for wired headset users to keep in mind.

Thankfully, the Quest 3S retains the improved dual-speaker 3D audio temples of the Quest 3, so even without a headset the Quest 3S will sound pretty remarkable.

The Quest 3S power button has also been shifted to the bottom of the headset, now placed next to the volume rocker. While this is a small change, it is one that many Quest 3 owners will envy.

Myself especially. I've lost count of the number of times I've tried finding the power button by touch, only to realize I've been trying to press one of the Quest 3's outer "Canyon" sensors by mistake.

There's been some talk that Meta may ship the Quest 3S without its latest Touch Plus controllers, relying solely on hand tracking to keep the price of the Quest 3S as low as possible.

However, we do know that the Quest 3S will be compatible with these controllers, as Meta has updated its help section of the Meta homepage to indicate such.

While it's unheard of for Quest headsets to ship sans controllers, Apple's Vision Pro may have set the standard for hand tracking to be considered a primary method of control, and Meta may follow suit.

Then again, an early look at a Quest 3S store display says otherwise...

According to the information of one in-store Quest 3S display, Meta's new headset will ship with Quest Touch Plus controllers in the box. The display also confirms that the headset will be available in 128GB and 256GB configurations.

But what about the headset's price?

According to an Amazon ad perhaps incorrectly released too early on the Peacock streaming app, the Meta Quest 3S will reportedly secure the Quest 2's incredibly popular $299 price tag.

The Quest 2 sold millions of units and propelled the VR market towards the spotlight of the mainstream, and it would appear that Meta is now prepared to strap the same rocket onto the back of its more affordable third-generation headset and attempt to place it in the hands of as many consumers as possible to give mixed reality a similar boost in popularity.

The $299 price point has a proven track record for Meta, it opened up the Meta Quest 2 headset to a wider audience than ever and pushed overall sales of the Quest headset lineup well over 20 million units as of February 2023.

It's also the same opening price as the company's Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have also proven to be a success for both Meta and luxury glasses maker EssilorLuxottica who recently extended their partnership into 2030 with a view to make "multi-generation smart eyewear products" together.

Meta Quest 3S: When will it release?

While we're confident that the Meta Quest 3S will be revealed during today's Connect keynote, the question of when we'll be able to pick one up remains unanswered.

We expect the Meta Quest 3S to become available for pre-order either during or following the Mark Zuckerberg-led Connect conference later today, but we can look at previous Quest headset releases to gain a better idea of when we can expect the new headset to be available for purchase.

Both the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 were released on the second Tuesday in October, which would suggest that the Quest 3S should be released on October 8. However, an early Quest 3S bundle listing on Amazon Australia suggests otherwise, citing October 16 as the date you'll be able to purchase these items.

Accounting for the time difference, that would indicate that the Quest 3S may go on sale from October 15 in the U.S., which is, confusingly, the third Tuesday of the month. However, this could be the date bundles are released and not the headset itself.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: What do the leaks say?

We're still some time away from the Connect keynote's 11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET kick-off, so if you'd like to learn more about the differences between Meta's third-generation headsets, then we've compiled a more detailed look at everything from design to optics in our Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S face-off.

Or, if you want to dive into the Meta Quest 3S in more detail, our Meta Quest 3S rumors page has all the information we've gathered on the upcoming headset.

For now, let's shift gears and talk about a reveal widely reported to take place at Meta Connect 2024: Meta's Orion AR glasses.

Meta Orion AR glasses: What are they?

The Quest 3S will likely be the most immediate hardware to become available following Connect 2024, but Meta appears to be prepared to showcase another product that won't make it to store shelves for some years to come, Orion AR glasses.

Meta's Orion glasses aren't so much long-rumored as they are long-spoken-about. Orion has been seen as Meta's end goal for smart glasses, offering a true AR or holographic visual experience to rival its main Quest lineup in glasses form.

It's not clear how Orion's AR frames will work, whether it's similar to the Snap Spectacles 5's waveguide lenses, a Birdbath projection method, or an opaque display relying on passthrough similar to the company's rumored Puffin glasses.

While there's some way to go before a product like this is cost-effective for Meta to manufacture at scale, the prototype Orion AR glasses are said to offer a wider field of view than current AR glasses that is capable of more headset level AR experiences and a tight integration with Meta AI.

Meta's Orion AR glasses have built up considerable hype surrounding today's event, and how could they not? They are the device that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg refers to as a "Holy grail" device, and the same pair of glasses that Meta CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth claimed to be "the most advanced thing we've ever produced as a species," at least in the realm of consumer tech.

While it's not uncommon for a company to talk up its products, Orion has been given the VIP treatment whenever they're brought up by those in the know. The bar has been set pretty high for Meta's future smart glasses, and today's event may give us our first real look at them.

Meta Orion AR glasses: When can we expect them?

While all that sounds radically impressive, when could we expect Meta's Orion AR glasses to actually become available?

Sadly, that's where the air is let out of the tires slightly, as it's expected that we won't be getting our hands on a pair of smart glasses like Meta's Orion until we're closer to the end of this decade.

Even more disheartening, when they do arrive, they could be incredibly expensive. As Meta CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth revealed to The Verge when talking about the cost of production, "It's prohibitively expensive. There isn't a real path to making it cost-effective. We thought maybe there would be breakthroughs on the drivers of cost, and that just hasn't materialized and doesn't look like it's going to materialize."

Ouch.

Third-generation Meta smart glasses: What are they?

While Meta's Orion glasses are a snapshot of what's to come, Meta may also showcase what's next for its smart glasses lineup.

We haven't heard a lot about Meta's third-generation smart glasses heading into Connect, but an internal VR/AR roadmap leak from Meta has suggested that they're on the way in 2025. This could make this year's Connect event a great launch pad for the upcoming frames and work to fill the void left by the realization that Meta's Orion glasses are many years away.

Thankfully, these third-generation Meta smart glasses are no slouch, building upon the success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses by adding a visual element for the first time.

By "visual element," we don't mean the full AR experience that Orion is supposedly set to deliver. Instead, Meta's third-generation smart glasses are said to offer more of a low-field of view, holographic, heads-up display that Meta refers to as a viewfinder.

It'll likely still be tied to your phone, as the current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are, but will give wearers the ability to read incoming texts, translate text visually, and even scan QR codes by looking at them.

The viewfinder could also solve one of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses' most frustrating issues by giving you a view from the camera built into the frames to better line up photographs. We saw something similar from a tech demo Meta presented a few years ago, and it'd be great to see something like this come to fruition.

However, with a heads-up display, we'd need something to control it through, and touching your glasses constantly to navigate menus seems like a really obtuse way to go about it. Thankfully, Meta may have the answer to that also...

Meta Neural Wristband: What is it?

The price of the Meta Quest 3S will likely amaze. The capabilities of Meta's Orion will potentially stun. But the possibilities of Meta's Neural Wristband could outright make heads explode.

There's no real indication that we can expect this at today's event, but it is a product heavily tied to Meta's third-generation smart glasses as a method of interaction.

Meta's neural wristband measures the electrical signal between your brain and your hand and can translate those signals into inputs. Meaning that future Meta devices (and potentially non-Meta devices) can be controlled by hand and finger gestures without the need for a controller or tracking sensors.

It's a wild concept, but it's not just a concept. Meta has been working on its neural wristband for some time now, and CEO Zuckerberg said earlier in the year that the company was closing on turning the prototype into a final product.

It's also likely the method of interacting with Meta's Orion AR glasses, which potentially furthers the notion of an appearance at today's event.

It's improbable, but not impossible.

Third-generation Meta smart glasses & Neural Wristband: When can we expect them?

According to the earlier mentioned VR/AR roadmap leak, which has so far proven accurate, Meta's third-generation smart glasses are expected to launch in 2025. The Neural Wristband is said to be an accompanying wearable to the glasses, potentially taking the form of a smartwatch.

Meta AI: What is it and what can we expect?

Meta AI launched last year, bringing the company's large language model to Instagram and its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, before finding a home in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, as a web portal, and even on the Meta Quest 3.

It's a virtual assistant and multi-modal AI that can be interacted with through voice, text, and visual prompts, powered by Meta's Llama 3 model. It's been an eventful year for AI as a whole, so we'd expect Meta to have plenty to shout about when it comes to its own AI platform.

The company recently gave users the ability to create AI counterparts trained on social media posts, comments, and interactions through Meta AI Studio, but there's word that the AI could be receiving a similar voice update to ChatGPT's Advanced Voice mode or Gemini Live.

However, Meta AI's new voices will reportedly be sourced from Hollywood, with celebrities such as Kristen Bell, Awkwafina, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, and Dame Judi Dench all tipped to lend their voices to the platform in a future update.

Horizon OS: What about that new "hardware ecosystem?"

Back in April, Meta announced that it was opening the doors for other VR and mixed reality hardware to adopt its Meta Horizon OS. Among the first interested parties were Xbox, Lenovo, and Asus ROG.

While the Xbox headset seems to suggest nothing more than a limited-edition version of a third-generation Quest headset, Asus ROG was reportedly looking to develop an all-new performance gaming headset, while Lenovo was said to be focusing on a mixed reality device for productivity, learning, and entertainment — which could be a new version of the company's ThinkReality A-series AR smart glasses.

It'd be good to get an update on how these projects are going, and whether or not new partners and projects are being worked on.

Horizon OS: A new look for Metaverse Avatars

Another feature we may be hearing more about during today's Connect keynote could address recent teases of an avatar overhaul. It seems likely that a Metaverse makeover is right around the corner.

A recent message appearing on the Horizon app when attempting to change your avatar's appearance indicates that there are big changes "landing soon," along with images that show more detailed avatars with the suggestion of better customization, and the ability to quickly change outfits.

Meta Connect 2024: How to watch (online and in the Metaverse)

It's almost time for the Meta Connect 2024 keynote to take place, so before we transition away from today's build-up we're here to remind you that you too can watch the Connect keynote as it happens if you have a Facebook/Meta account through the Meta event page.

You can also choose to attend Meta Connect 2024 live in the Metaverse should you be a fan of large empty spaces and free avatar swag. To do so you'll need to head to Meta Horizon Worlds on your Quest headset or through the Meta Horizon mobile app and seek out the Connect 2024 event.

Is anyone there?

It's not just you. We're 15 minutes past the alleged start time for Connect and there's still nothing happening on the livestream. That anticipation builds!

Finally, the Quest 3S

Zuckerberg didn't waste any time unveiling the Quest 3S, Meta's new, cheaper, headset that is debuting at $299 on October 15.

Surprise, there's no surprise

The Quest 3S looks exactly like what leaks said it would. After months of drips, the reveal is a little anti-climactic (if you've been paying attention), but that doesn't mean it won't impress when we finally get a chance to try.

Hyperrealistic spaces

Models in the metaverse are getting more realistic graphics. Here's a snapshot of the studio where Green Day recorded it's famous album, "Dookie."

A Meta AI upgrade

Meta AI is coming the the Quest. Naturally, Meta is incorporating its Llama model into the Quest and the applications seem fairly far-reaching.

One of the most exciting is an integration with Meta Voice to make the Quest's UI feel more seamless. If you're sick of sifting through Quest menus, this should come as a welcome upgrade.

AI and AR glasses

Zuckerberg calls glasses "the perfect form factor for AI" in an update on its Ray-Bans which are getting a few major upgrades.

Among the upgrades is a "memory" that will help you recall where your car is parked or to pick something up at the grocery store.

Translation coming to Ray-Bans

Fans of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses will also soon be able to take advantage of a live translate feature.

It's hard to say how well the feature works without using it, but on the surface, it could be useful if you don't feel like whipping out your phone.

The future of AR?

Zuckerberg also took the wraps off its Orion AR glasses which give a full mixed-reality experience in a form factor not far off from its Ray-Ban glasses.

They're 100 grams; they have a real XR display; and they get a lot closer to a real, mobile, face computer than pretty much anything else on the market.

But wait, there's more

It's not just a prototype for the first consumer holographic glasses the stole the show. Meta also further elaborated on its neural wristband that could act as an input method for Project Orion.

The idea is a compelling one: just think something and have your glasses carry out the task. How far off we are from that future is an entirely different question.

Orion is Meta's star

While a cheaper XR headset (the Quest 3S) is compelling for the more practical observers among us, for anyone looking to the future, Orion is easily the most compelling thing Meta announced.

Sure, headsets are the current-best tech for experiencing mixed reality, but ultimately, making hardware smaller but just as functional will convince the masses to hop on board. That's exactly what Orion is promising to do.

That's a wrap

Well, that was a lot to take in. The Quest 3S was exactly what we thought it would be — an enticingly cheap mixed reality headset meant to further push Meta's hardware to the masses.

Project Orion, however, was an exciting surprise. You shouldn't expect to be wearing a pair of holographic glasses any time soon, but it's clear Meta has high ambitions for our mixed reality future.

There's a little bit of everything in Orion. There's some neuralink; some Vision Pro; and a lot of Ray-Ban. Mostly, there's a lot of optimism on Meta's part. It's hard to say if it'll come anywhere near delivering on its promises, but I for one can't wait to watch Meta try.

Meta is days away from kick-starting its annual Meta Connect event and we're expecting the company to showcase its latest advancements in AI, wearables, and AR/VR.

We expect to see the Meta Quest 3S, a glimpse at the company's future Orion AR glasses (or potentially a third-generation follow-up to its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses), and a host of Meta AI improvements.

However, we'll also be sure to see Meta offer several announcements surrounding Horizon OS too, including further details about major game releases and new features heading to the platform.

One such reveal could be linked to a freshly teased update for Meta's Metaverse avatars, your virtual representation in VR spaces, and customizable digital doppelganger in stickers for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.

Meta Connect 2024 to unveil new Horizon OS avatars?

Those opening the Meta Horizon mobile app and attempting to update their avatar are currently being greeted by a pop-up message highlighting some fairly substantial changes to the platform's avatars happening shortly.

The three-card tease highlights an upgraded appearance for Meta's avatars, offering a more detailed figure with a "whole new level" of customization available. The avatars appear to feature a much more diverse appearance of facial structures, body sizes, and outfits, which would be a great way to add more personality to your digital self throughout the Metaverse.

Another of the cards highlights how avatars will provide a greater range of expressions also, especially when it comes to stickers. Meta's avatar stickers appear in several messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger and allow you to send personalized images featuring your Meta avatar to others to suit various moods or responses.

The final card reveals that there'll be quick ways to switch up your look, which could allude to being able to save outfits as presets that you can quickly call up depending on the occasion. Swapping in and out of styles on the fly to suit whatever activity you find yourself in across your stay in the Metaverse.

These new avatars are a departure from Meta's current, doll-like, bobblehead personas, and bring in more realistic proportions.

It's not made clear as to when this update to the avatar system will go live, but given the "New look landing soon" title on one of the cards, it's not beyond the question to expect this new feature to be showcased in full during Meta Connect 2024, which takes place Wednesday, September 25.

However, as much of an improvement as this will be, It's just one of many steps Meta hopes to take on their path to creating the most immersive avatars possible for VR/AR use: Codec avatars.

A step closer to Meta's Codec Avatars

From Nintendo's Miis, Apple's Memojis, or the classic Xbox avatars, creating visual representations of yourself to be used in gaming, chats, or social experiences is nothing new and has proven quite popular over the years.

Meta's avatars are your visual representation in a virtual world and one of your primary ways of interacting with others across the Metaverse. However, with the Quest 3's lack of eye or face tracking, these avatars are oftentimes left looking like blank slates unless reacting to user-made hand gestures.

The Meta Quest Pro has both of these tracking capabilities, and it's also where the foundations of Meta's future avatar ambitions are being tested via its super realistic Codec avatars.

Meta has been pretty revealing about its work on Codec avatars, introducing the concept as far back as a 2019 Facebook blog post. However, since then, Codec avatars have come on leaps and bounds, with perhaps the most impressive showcase of this technology being when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took part in the first Metaverse interview using Codec avatars during a September 2023 episode of the Lex Fridman podcast on YouTube.

To Meta, Codec avatars are the future of human interaction in virtual or augmented reality spaces, offering incredibly life-like interactions where every detail of your face and the way it moves is captured and rendered by a hyperrealistic virtual representation of yourself.

Sadly, this tech is still some ways away from reaching wider audiences. According to Zuckerberg, the company needs time to refine its scanning capabilities, which can currently take hours and only be done within a special lab, into something a smartphone app can handle.

Users will also need a headset capable of tracking face and mouth movements, a feature not expected to return to Quest headsets until the Quest 4's release, at least — which, should a leaked Meta AR/VR roadmap hold true, may not happen until 2026.

What else to expect from Meta Connect 2024?

However, while the Meta Quest 4 and Codec avatars are still some years away, you won't have to wait long to catch up with the company's immediate offerings (and some further insight into future goals) as Meta Connect 2024 takes place later this week.

Not only will be seeing the official unveiling of the Meta Quest 3S, a new, affordable mixed-reality headset based on the impressive Meta Quest 3, but we're also set to hear more about upcoming games, apps, Meta AI features, and plenty of talk surrounding the company's smart glasses efforts.

Want to know more about Meta Connect 2024? Catch our dedicated Meta Connect 2024 hub for all the latest news, information, and rumors ahead of Wednesday's Connect keynote.

More from Laptop Mag

• Quest 3S, smart glasses, and AI: Here's what to expect from Meta Connect 2024
• Meta secures vital smart glasses partnership ahead of Connect 2024 — Here's why it matters
• Samsung's mixed-reality smart glasses could bring Google's Project Astra to life
• This Meta Connect reveal could change AR and gaming forever — and it's not a VR headset or smart glasses

VR headsets might not have fully emerged into the mainstream, but building momentum surrounding spatial computing and Meta’s continued efforts to bring the hardware into the hands of millions for less is certainly pushing things in the right direction.

Meta Connect 2024 introduced us to Meta’s latest mixed-reality headset, the Meta Quest 3S. Similarly to mid-cycle releases such as the Nintendo Switch Lite, the Quest 3S offers the same performance as the Quest 3, with a few caveats in visual specs and optics to accommodate an even friendlier price tag.

Which begs the question: The Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S? Which of these mixed-reality headsets is right for you? Let’s find out.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Specs

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Price and availability

The Meta Quest 3 launched with a $499 price tag for the 128GB model and $649 for the 512GB configuration. The Quest 3S, however, debuts at $299.

Thankfully, that lower price point won’t result in a similar split hardware base as we’ve witnessed with mid-cycle releases for consoles like the Xbox One X or the upcoming Sony PS5 Pro.

Whether you buy a Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S, you’ll have access to the same vast library of games and apps, the same mixed-reality functions of Horizon OS, and parity in performance, visual fidelity, and overall experience.

Meta has claimed that a large portion of the Quest lineup’s total 20+ million sales are thanks to the Quest 2, which launched with a 64GB model for just $299 in October 2020. And that's the exact same price point the company is targeting once again, granting the Quest 3S a tried-and-tested $299 price tag, similar to the cost of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

This is a popular price point for smart glasses and VR headsets, with both Meta's smart glasses and the Quest 2 both selling incredibly well. It's good news for mixed reality as a whole, and could spur Meta's third-generation of Quest headsets to new heights.

As for availability, the Quest 3S will drop on October 15.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Design

The Meta Quest 3 dramatically improves on the design of the Oculus/Meta Quest 2 that came before it. Not only is the body 40% slimmer, but it adopts a more curved design that in my experience prevents the ‘weight wobble’ of the wider ‘fenders’ of the Quest 2 when moving your head.

While the Quest 2 features a spacer insert, the Quest 3 includes a four-step spacer mechanism to create more space between its lenses and the face of the wearer. This is great if you wear glasses. Ironically, it’s not so great if you wear Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, whose Wayfarer-style frames do not fit within the Quest 2 or Quest 3’s viewing ports.

Similarly, the Quest 2’s manual three-point lens spacing mechanism has been replaced on the Quest 3 by a freely adjustable solution, controllable by the new IPD (Interpupillary distance) wheel found at the bottom of the headset (which ranges from 53mm to 75mm).

Also notably changing from second to third-generation Quest headsets are each temple’s built-in speakers. The Quest 2 has one speaker per temple, whereas the Quest 3 has two — each positioned to deliver immersive 3D audio at 40% louder volume.

Finally, the Quest 3’s facial interface, a very fancy way of referring to the headset’s cushioning, is made out of a fabric weave, ditching the irritating, coarse foam that came with the Quest 2.

Many of the other changes between generations come down to button layout, a repositioning of the USB-C charging/data port and 3.5mm audio jack, a minor tweak to the head strap, and a magnetic pogo pin connector array for use with a charging dock/cradle.

That’s a lot of talking about the Meta Quest 3 compared to the Quest 2, but what about the Quest 3S? 

The Quest 3S chassis is incredibly similar to its sibling — though noticeably bulkier. This includes the upgraded temple speakers, head strap refinement, and fabric-woven "facial interface."

The IPD wheel, pogo pin connectors, and 3.5mm audio jack are all absent, leaving only the power button and volume rocker as available inputs with the former now joining the rocker at the bottom of the headset.

Will these changes make a world of difference when it comes to the overall experience? Potentially. The lack of IPD and viewport spacing will be a considerable loss for fine-tuning the visual clarity and comfort of the device. However, from my past experiences with the Quest 2, the vast majority of users will be fine returning to the three-point lens adjustment system.

Still, these were excellent additions to the Quest 3, and the Quest 3S’ overall experience may feel somewhat less refined.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Display and optics

This is the section of the face-off where the Quest 3S’ differences will become much more apparent. 

The Quest 3S uses fresnel lenses. Meta made the leap to pancake lenses for the Quest 3, a style of lens that is far thinner and more lightweight than a fresnel lens with its housing, no doubt greatly impacting the company’s ability to make its headset slimmer.

Pancake lenses typically provide a much better image, one that is clearer, sharper, and has fewer visual artifacts. But how pancake lenses work causes a very high (up to 90%) drop-off in light, meaning they require much brighter panels to work with.

On the other hand, fresnel lenses will typically lose only 20% of the light that passes through them, meaning they don’t require more powerful, brighter displays to fully function. That said, fresnel lenses are also more prone to artifacts such as “god rays” and the loss of clarity around the edge of the frame.

While both the Quest 3 and 3S both make use of 120Hz LCDs (with the Quest 3S using a single panel across both lenses, while the Quest 3 has a dual-display configuration) the differences between the two further as the Meta Quest 3 has a per-eye resolution of 2064 x 2208 with a 25.5 pixel per degree (PPD) measurement and a 105-degree field of view (FoV) compared to the Quest 3S’ 1832 x 1920 resolution at 20 PPD with a more narrow 89-96-degree FoV.

Jargon aside, this positions the Quest 3 as the superior headset of the two in terms of visual output. It’s able to produce sharper, clearer images that show a wider virtual space, resulting in a more immersive overall image.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Controllers and tracking

The Quest 3 repositioned many of the Quest 2’s sensors onto the front of the headset, separated into three columns. The outer columns each contain two cameras, one acting as a 6DoF (Six Degrees of Freedom) IR tracking sensor, and one 4MP (18 PPD) RGB lens for full-color video passthrough.

The middle column houses a depth sensor (in the form of an IR line projector) to aid with mixed reality positioning and dynamic occlusion (allowing virtual objects to appear ‘behind’ real world objects), and the sides of the headset host individual “Canyon” 6DoF IR tracking cameras that also aid with hand and inside-out body tracking.

The Quest 3S layout appears quite different at first glance. But that’s mostly due to the shift from three island-like blocks being replaced for a trypophobia-inducing dual floating lens array. The two 6DoF IR tracking sensors and 4MP (18PPD) RGB lenses remain in the same position, as do the “Canyon” IR tracking sensors on the flanks of the headset.

However, differing from the layout of the Quest 3, the Quest 3S features two depth sensors, positioned at the outer edges of each of the other pair of lenses. These IR illuminators offer a stereo approach to depth estimation that could lead to more accurate results than the base Quest 3 headset’s monocular capabilities — potentially improving on the Quest 3S’ mapping, hand tracking, and dynamic occlusion accuracy.

The Quest 3 also introduced a new controller for the platform, the Quest Touch Plus. The Touch Plus controllers ditch the halo tracking ring for a sleeker design, shifting the IR tracking lights to the rim of the peripheral’s faceplate. The Quest 3S will continue the use of Meta's Touch Plus controllers.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Performance and battery life

Both the Quest 3 and Quest 3S feature identical Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipsets backed up by an Adreno 740 GPU and 8GB of RAM. On paper, both headsets should be able to perform almost identically.

Interestingly, due to the Quest 3S’ lower resolution, it may have the performance advantage thanks to the potential for smoother frame rates, even if that comes at the cost of a narrower FoV and less overall visual fidelity. 

Beyond this, both headsets will offer the same overall experience, with the cheaper headset not facing any sort of limitations in terms of compatible apps and games or AR passthrough capabilities.

In terms of battery life, the Quest 3 houses a 4879 mAh, 18,8 watt-hour (Wh) Li-ion cell, whereas the Quest 3S contains a similar battery with a 4324 mAh, 16.74Wh capacity.

Given the differences in optics, with the Quest 3 requiring two brighter panels to offset its pancake lenses, battery life could swing in favor of Meta’s newer headset. However, the difference in total capacity may balance things out to a more even keel — where each headset will likely be able to run for between 2-3 hours per charge.

Bottom line

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Quest 3S is how Meta intends to maintain its performance alongside the more expensive model. While the differences in lenses will play a factor in the overall visual outcome, performance-wise, consumers won’t be punished for picking the more affordable headset of the two.

It’s an incredibly gutsy move for Meta to ship the Quest 3S at the same $299 price of the Meta Quest 2, but it could prove to be an excellent long-term investment in getting users to upgrade from its popular VR-only headset, or to tempt the wider market into buying an AR/VR headset for the first time.

Meta’s Quest 3S pricing will likely sway many into paying it more attention.

Meta can be thankful that the closest competition to the Meta Quest 3 doesn’t come from Pico, Pimax, or VIVE, but by way of its latest Quest 3S mixed reality headset.

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Meta Connect 2024 is now less than a week away and promises to be an impressive showcase of the company's advancements in wearable tech, from a debut VR headset in the Meta Quest 3S to a rumored peek at what the future holds through the Orion AR smart glasses.

However, while the latter has seemingly been alluded to several times, could we be set to see Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcase a completely different pair of smart glasses at the Connect keynote on September 25? I'm beginning to wonder.

Meta Orion AR glasses: Written in the stars?

We may not have officially seen Meta's Orion smart glasses yet, but the company hasn't been shy about talking up its "true" AR smart glasses.

While some projects fizzle away in the darkness of an R&D lab, it seems like only a matter of time before Meta pulls the trigger and showcases Orion to the public in full — and there's a growing belief that this month's Meta Connect 2024 event will be the moment it happens.

Meta's future AR glasses, which may have previously gone by the name Nazare, are set to feature a holographic display that allows for a true mixed reality experience. We've seen the company bring mixed reality and AR to the forefront with its most recent Meta Quest 3 headset, but Orion stands as the product that brings similar functionality to the smart glasses form factor.

We've already seen a snapshot of what Meta wants to accomplish with its mixed-reality smart glasses during the 2021 Connect event, which focused on the company's grander vision for the Metaverse.

It was here we saw Meta's smart glasses ambition showcased as the future portal for mixed-reality interactions, with two friends playing chess at a public bench, one of them represented as a ghost-like hologram.

It's the device Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called a "Holy grail," believing it will "redefine our relationship with technology." The Meta boss isn't alone in those thoughts, with the company's CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth also stating that, in the realms of consumer tech, "It might be the most advanced thing we've ever produced as a species."

But are these the frames Meta plans to showcase later this month? I'm still on the fence, but the recent reveal of Snapchat parent company Snap's fifth-generation AR smart glasses is making me doubtful.

Snap back to reality

Snapchat parent company, Snap, has been in the smart glasses game since 2016. In that time they've unveiled five generations of glasses that range from the conventional to the downright questionable.

Its latest pair, the Snap Spectacles 5, unveiled on September 17, fall into the latter category — offering an almost novelty-sized pair of fully AR-capable frames through the technological magic of WaveOptics' (a company Snap acquired in 2021 for over $500 million) waveguide displays and Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) micro projectors.

The combination of these technologies allows for an AR viewport with a 46-degree diagonal field of view (FoV) and a 37 pixels-per-degree (PPD) resolution, all of which is powered by two Qualcomm Snapdragon chips and running off of a built-in battery that is said to offer 45 minutes of use per charge.

While Snap hasn't exactly shown itself to be a marker of style when it comes to the design of its Spectacles smart glasses in the past, its latest reveal showcased an enormous pair of frames that resembles the kind of ridiculous, disproportionate eyewear you'd doodle onto the faces that adorn a broadsheet newspaper out of boredom.

They're also a world away from the set of frames, captured in a photo of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year, that kickstarted many of the Orion rumors regarding Meta Connect 2024.

Zuckerberg's smart glasses tease for Meta Connect 2024

In a post shared to his personal Threads account in February 2024, Mark Zuckerberg may have accidentally (or intentionally) given us a glimpse of the smart glasses set to debut at Meta Connect 2024.

In the background of an attached image is an unfamiliar pair of smart glasses that feature a hinge further down the temples than other Meta frames, something very reminiscent of AR glasses currently on the market such as the VITURE Pro XR or XREAL Air 2.

When these glasses were pointed out by Boston Globe general manager Matthew Karolian, Zuckerberg responded by stating, "Will be ready to share more later this year."

It's this moment that sparked many theories that we were to finally see Meta's Orion AR glasses at Connect 2024. However, after having seen Snap's Spectacles 5, I have my doubts.

For the time being, the tech required for 'true' AR glasses to function, like that housed within the Snap Spectacles 5, isn't quite suited to effortlessly slotting into the stylish frames of today — much less the frames sat atop Zuckerberg's cluttered desk.

Either Meta is incredibly far ahead of the competition when it comes to its Orion AR smart glasses prototype or the glasses captured within Zuckerberg's Threads post are not the Orion glasses at all.

Meta Hypernova smart glasses: What we know

While Zuckerberg has made claims during recent interviews that the company is "almost ready" to begin showing off its "full holographic glasses," there's no guarantee that he was referring to Orion, or that the term full holographic hasn't been misinterpreted.

Codenamed Hypernova, Meta's third-generation glasses are set to follow the surprisingly popular (even by Meta's own admission) Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

While Meta's current-gen smart glasses offer music playback through built-in temple speakers and a camera to capture media or live stream from a first-person perspective, the Hypernova glasses are said to also feature a holographic heads-up display (HUD).

According to a leaked Meta VR/AR roadmap, these glasses will feature a viewfinder that takes up a small portion of the glasses' visual window which will allow users to read incoming text messages, translate text visually, and even scan QR codes.

Meta showcased a similar HUD during Connect 2022 when it highlighted the work it's been doing with neural interfaces, particularly through its neural wristband — a non-invasive wearable that interprets electrical motor nerve signals in your wrist using Electromyography (EMG).

In the Connect 2022 vignette, Meta's neural wristband was seen allowing the wearer to control the HUD of a pair of smart glasses using subtle hand and finger gestures. Interestingly the same neural wristband also featured in the leaked VR/AR roadmap as a companion to Meta's third-generation Hypernova smart glasses.

During an appearance on the Morning Brew Daily show in February, Zuckerberg (when talking about the neural wristband) stated, "We've been working on this for a while ... it's not a one-year project, but we're quite a few years into it and we're actually kind of close to having something here that we're going to have in a product in the next few years."

Seemingly lining up with this estimation, the leaked VR/AR roadmap implies that both the third-generation Meta smart glasses and neural wristband (which may take the form of a smartwatch) are set to release in 2025.

Outlook

Meta is undoubtedly closing in on an unveiling of its "true" AR glasses. However, given a reported 2025 release date and the size of the frames teased by CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier in the year in contrast to Snap's Spectacles 5, I'd be inclined to believe that there's a more likely smart glasses debut for Connect 2024: Meta's third-generation Hypernova smart glasses.

Of course, we can't say for certain which of Meta's wearables are set to wow the crowds of the Meta campus in Menlo Park, those watching along online, or those attending the virtual Metaverse event in VR. However, the reveal of Snap's smart glasses has certainly poured cold water on the Orion rumor in my mind.

That said, Meta isn't beyond providing some surprises, so we'll be paying close attention to the Connect keynote that kickstarts Meta Connect 2024 on September 25 to know for sure. 

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One of the most vital pieces of information set to come out of Meta Connect 2024 appears to have already been revealed after an advert for the upcoming Meta Quest 3S appeared online early, revealing the price of Meta's latest mixed-reality headset.

While we'll still have to wait for the upcoming connect event to get the scoop on any of the finer details surrounding the headset's specs and configurations, we are now able to say with confidence that Meta has fully delivered on its goal of providing an affordably priced AR/VR headset while still clinging on to the qualities that make its Meta Quest 3 headset so impressive.

Meta Quest 3S price revealed in Amazon ad

The Winchester Model 1873 is often referred to as "The gun that won the west," but in the realms of VR headsets, $299 is the price point that won Meta millions of Quest 2 customers and kept its Metaverse dream alive and well.

Now, with the VR-focused Quest 2 finding itself delisted on Meta's official storefront, and being quietly retired as the company shifts gears to fully embrace mixed reality, that price point is returning — and it's doing so in style.

According to a post on Reddit, an early showing of an Amazon ad on Peacock has revealed the price of the upcoming Meta Quest 3S as $299 for the 128GB model, which not only matches that of the 64GB Meta Quest 2 at launch but does so while doubling the available storage to 128GB.

$299 Quest 3S 128GB Confirmed by Amazon Ad on Peacock from r/OculusQuest

Not only does the Amazon ad in question seemingly confirm the Quest 3S' starting price and configuration, but it also offers a clear look at Meta's upcoming headset, confirming earlier leaks about its overall design, button layout, and tweaked camera and tracking sensor layout.

A price with a proven track record

Despite VR and AR being afforded more of the mainstream spotlight than ever, this corner of the market still has some way to go before many consider it a true platform to rival its console counterparts or get past their skepticism of spatial computing.

However, that's still a great deal of progress when compared to how the VR landscape used to look before Meta secured the Quest 2's $299 price point. Since then, according to Meta's VP of VR Mark Rabkin, Meta had sold almost 20 million Quest headsets as of February 2023.

This influx in VR users has helped to propel the market from an enthusiast-focused space into a much more diverse area that continues to grow year after year.

Mixed reality: More accessible than ever

Sadly, the Meta Quest 3 failed to retain the same price point as the Quest 2, instead adopting a $479 starting price, and sales may have suffered because of it. It's loosely estimated that the Quest 3 may have sold just over a million units as of June after the headset's introductory app First Encounters' total player count hit seven figures.

While being incredibly fairly priced when compared to Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro, many weren't sold on the inclusion of mixed reality as a vital upgrade and instead stuck to their trusty VR-focused Quest 2 headsets.

While speaking to Emily Wang, co-founder of AR glasses manufacturer VITURE, earlier in the year, Wang told Laptop Mag of the hurdles faced in the AR market when building a solid audience stating "We see the market booming as more and more people are excited about it, but another hurdle we've hit is that people have to see it to believe it."

That statement appears to hold true, potentially being one of the primary reasons that Apple chose to host in-store demonstrations to push the experience out to the wider public. It's also why such a low cost on entry into the space could work wonders for the Quest 3S, as Meta found out with the Quest 2.

Outlook

With the Quest 3S now adopting the popular price point of the Quest 2, interest in VR and mixed reality could be set to see another leap in popularity as Meta's latest headset (which while cheaper won't be restricted in terms of performance like other platform's mid-cycle refreshes) shortly becomes available for the same budget-friendly pricing.

At least, that's the outcome Meta is hoping for. Whether or not the company can capture the attention of consumers with its Quest 3S remains to be seen, but with an incredibly fair price by its side, anything is possible.

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Earlier this week, luxury eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica announced that it would extend its partnership with Meta in a long-term agreement to collaborate on the development of "multi-generational smart eyewear products."

Both companies have previously worked together to develop 2019's Ray-Ban Stories and 2023's Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. These camera-equipped smart glasses have done much to promote this form of wearable in recent years, with the latter set of frames garnering impressive mainstream approval, which surprised even Meta — with CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating that they had performed “way better than I even hoped they would.”

It's that surprise popularity that may have spurred EssilorLuxottica to extend its agreement with Zuckerberg's Meta, with the two now expected to work alongside one another on several wearables through 2030 and potentially beyond. But what does this partnership mean in the grand scheme of things, and why is it important? Let's dive deeper.

Meta x EssilorLuxottica: What it means

In July, The Financial Times suggested that Google had shown interest in purchasing a stake in EssilorLuxottica with the eventual goal of launching a wearable similar to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, though powered not by Meta AI but by Google Gemini.

That report caused a wave of theories that Google could be about to relaunch one of its most ambitious, yet highly lauded, projects to date: Google Glass — to which a pre-Essilor merger Luxottica was also a partner.

However, a former senior department lead for Google's XR/AR division informed Laptop Mag that the company "has no real vision or ambition in driving the XR space," adding that Google "doesn't want to be responsible for making a product. They want someone else to take on that risk."

This may suggest that a potential Google stake in EssilorLuxottica could be used to steer the company away from Meta, and have the eyewear company shoulder more of the responsibility (and gains) of a smart glasses venture making use of Google's Project Astra foundation for AI wearables.

Google's interest in EssilorLuxottica could also factor into its ongoing partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm, with the trio reportedly deep into the development of a pair of AR smart glasses.

However, the extension of this partnership indicates that Meta, who was also reportedly prepared to invest in a stake in the luxury eyewear company in response to Google, can bank on the design, quality, and recognition of at least the company's Ray-Ban brand going forward.

Perhaps most importantly, Meta's partnership with EssilorLuxottica will ensure that future smart glasses don't get lost in the wonderful world of emerging AR tech so much that the company can forget about one vital component to the success of its wearables so far: Style.

For smart glasses, looks matter

Perhaps adding a sense of credibility to the claims that Google would be seeking to partner with EssilorLuxottica for a pair of Gemini-powered smart glasses of its own was the suggestion that Meta's future smart glasses wouldn't be Ray-Ban branded or styled.

A report published by The Information in July suggested that Meta's third-generation of smart glasses, dubbed "Hypernova," wouldn't feature EssilorLuxottica's design flare. Reportedly, the company "balked at the design" of Meta's next-gen glasses, which are said to have "a thick frame that current and former Meta employees say is likely to turn off consumers."

We can see from several already available or coming to the market products like the TCL RayNeo X2 or Snap's recently announced Spectacles 5 that the addition of a functioning display causes considerable bulk to the smart glasses form factor — especially when compared to the relatively svelte and traditional stylings of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Compressing so much tech into a confined form is one of the major challenges that face smart glasses going forward. And while EssilorLuxottica may have initially "balked" at the design of Meta's upcoming third-generation glasses, this extended partnership could prove to be a major boon for this device and others.

While Meta's tech advances to allow for more smart functionality and wider use cases, EssilorLuxottica, a luxury brand known for its premier looks and style, can hopefully steer the ship and ensure that products make it to market looking their absolute best.

What's ahead for Meta smart glasses?

We still don't know whether Meta's third-generation smart glasses will feature the signature EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban style or branding, but we wouldn't expect to be waiting too long to find out.

According to a leaked Meta VR/AR roadmap, the company is expected to launch its viewport-touting smart glasses in 2025, potentially in tandem with a neural wristband (that may or may not arrive in the form of a smartwatch) which will allow advanced hand-tracking and gesture interaction with the smart glasses' heads-up-display.

Just how thick of a frame Meta's upcoming smart glasses will eventually sport is unknown. However, in a post to their personal account on Threads, Mark Zuckerberg may have offered eagle-eyed viewers a brief glimpse of what's to come within a photo of him sitting at his workstation from February.

Hidden away atop a busy desk of tech and drinks is an unfamiliar pair of smart glasses frames with a unique hinge that resembles AR glasses offerings from companies like VITURE or XREAL.

When asked about the glasses in question, Zuckerberg stated that he "Will be ready to share more later this year," likely during the upcoming VR/AR/AI-focused Meta Connect 2024 event starting September 25.

However, this year's Meta Connect event is also set to feature a new pair of Meta smart glasses by way of Orion — the company's long-rumored 'true' AR smart glasses prototype.

While Orion won't be going on sale any time soon (with the device not expected to be ready to ship until 2027 at the earliest), it is an opportunity for Meta to showcase the direction they're heading in with these face-worn wearables.

More from Laptop Mag

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