Meta Connect 2025: A New Era for Smart Glasses
At Meta Connect 2025, new Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses showed how Meta is turning eyewear into everyday gateways to the metaverse.
It's finally that time of the year again when Meta comes out to preach its "gospel" about the Metaverse.
At its annual Meta Connect keynote yesterday held at the Menlo Park campus, CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to the stage to unveil the company’s latest push into AI, virtual reality, and wearable technology. Alongside demos of agentic AI, new productivity features, and updates rolling out to older Ray-Ban Meta models, the spotlight was firmly on three new pairs of smart glasses.
There’s the new Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), with better cameras and AI tools; the Oakley Meta Vanguard, tuned for athletes with fitness app integrations; the ambitious Ray-Ban Display, which pairs a high-res lens screen with a neural wristband. But this year’s lineup wasn’t just about hardware upgrades, though; it brought new interesting features added to the Meta Quest VR headsets and a whole lot more. These additions demonstrate how Meta is striving to make glasses and VR headsets more practical in everyday life.
Here’s a look at all that the event had to offer.
Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2)
Meta’s updated Ray-Ban lineup builds on the success of last year’s clear-frame models, this time with limited edition matte finishes and a much-needed boost in performance. The Gen 2 glasses now pack eight hours of battery life, nearly double the original version, along with a 12MP ultra-wide camera that supports 3K video capture at 60fps.
One of the standout additions is “Conversation Focus,” which amplifies the voice of the person speaking to you in noisy areas—like a volume slider for real life. There’s also Live AI support, which lets the glasses handle real-time queries and tasks, though only for about an hour or two at a time. Think Gemini Live, but on your face. The demo, however, glitched on stage—classic live tech moment—but the idea seems promising.
The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses start at $379 and are available now in the classic Wayfarer, Skyler, and Headliner styles. And yes, features like Conversation Focus are also rolling out to previous Ray-Ban Meta models, so older owners won’t be left behind.
Oakley Meta Vanguard
For athletes and fitness junkies, Meta teamed up with Oakley to launch the Meta Vanguard, a pair of sport-focused smart glasses built to withstand sweat, dust, and long-distance runs. With an IP67 water and dust resistance rating and nine hours of battery life, these glasses are designed to keep up with marathon training and then some.
They also bring a 122-degree wide-angle camera capable of 3K recording, plus new modes like slow-motion, hyperlapse, and time-lapse—all stabilised so your videos don’t look like they were filmed on a rollercoaster. On the software side, Meta has integrated fitness apps like Garmin and Strava, so you can check stats mid-run just by asking Meta AI.
The Oakley Meta Vanguard will cost $499, with preorders live now and full availability starting October 21st.
Meta Ray-Ban Display
Video Credit: Meta
The showstopper of the event was the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the company’s first pair of smart glasses with a built-in screen. The right lens houses a high-res color display bright enough to hit 5,000 nits, with 42 pixels per degree—clear enough to comfortably read text, view messages, or follow live directions.
Controlling the display is where things get a bit more interesting. The glasses pair with the Meta Neural Band, a wristband that picks up tiny muscle signals, letting you scroll, type, or even send short messages with minimal movement. Meta calls it the “world’s first public neural interface.”
The on-stage demo? Let’s just say it was more “proof of concept” than polished product—the video call attempts didn’t quite land. But when it works (if it works), the potential is huge: live captions and translations for accessibility, real-time previews of your photos and videos, and even hands-free texting.
Battery life is rated at 18 hours, and the glasses are water-resistant. They’ll be available in black or sand starting September 30th, priced at $799.
Feature Additions
Quest Headsets now Blend Virtual Worlds with Real Ones
At Meta Connect 2025, one of the standout moments came when Meta showed off Hyperscape in full motion. Imagine putting on your Quest 3 or Quest 3S, scanning your living room, and seeing it recreated as a virtual environment around you. With Hyperscape Capture (now in early access), that’s possible. It takes just minutes to scan a room and turn it into a digital, photorealistic space.
Quest Becomes Your Streaming Hub
Also making its debut at Meta Connect was Horizon TV, Meta's reimagined entertainment hub in Quest. Picture all your streaming apps in a single place. Prime Video, Twitch, YouTube, Disney Plus, ESPN, and Hulu are now on board as well. The sound is improved with Dolby Atmos, with Dolby Vision coming later this year. Some movies, like M3GAN and The Black Phone, will feature immersive effects that can only be viewed in Quest headsets.
Metaverse Engine Receives Update
Meta also made some announcements regarding its Horizon Engine during the event, including more realistic graphics, faster, and bigger virtual worlds. The engine powers Hyperscape and underlies Horizon Studio. Meta also mentioned that it's adding an AI assistant to the Studio that will help creators use its tools more efficiently, such as constructing virtual world elements without as much grunt work.
Conclusion
One thing is clear after the Meta Connect 2025 announcements: Meta doesn't see Quest as a headset, but as a bridge between your everyday reality and a virtual reality. Alongside Hyperscape, Horizon TV, and Horizon Engine upgrades, Meta also unveiled its latest smart glasses lineup, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), the sport-focused Oakley Meta Vanguard, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display prototype. Together, these devices show that Meta’s vision of the metaverse is not confined to a headset. It is spreading across eyewear, entertainment, and creation tools, shaping how people will blend digital and physical life in the years ahead.
Kelechi Edeh
