Meta shrinks a VR headset into a pair of glasses, and the price stings

Strapping a brick to your face could soon be a thing of the past.

Meta has squeezed a full virtual reality headset into something that looks a lot more like a pair of glasses.

The Meta VR Glasses, unveiled at Meta's Connect event in Menlo Park on Sept. 23, weigh about 100 grams. That's five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, according to Meta.

They cost $1,299.99 and go on sale in spring 2027.

Where did the rest of it go?

The trick is a puck. All the computing, the battery and the storage live in a small box on a cable, which Meta suggests you clip to a pocket or a bag.

That leaves the glasses themselves with just a magnesium frame, pancake lenses and a 5K display, with Dolby Vision picture and Dolby Atmos sound.

There's no head strap and no controllers. You steer with your hands, and the cameras pass the room through in full colour, so you can still see where you're going.

Meta says the puck gives up to three hours of continuous video on a charge, and it supports 45W fast charging.

What you'd actually do with them

Meta is pitching them as a private multi-screen workspace and a cinema you can wear, complete with IMAX Enhanced films and live US sport.

But games are the big draw. Meta says 75 hand-gesture games will be ready at launch, and Quest games will work too with its new Touch Plus controllers.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Tetris Effect and a new Beat Saber are all coming in versions you play with your hands.

Pre-orders haven't opened yet.

The VR Glasses weren't the only thing Meta showed off. A new Ray-Ban Meta, the Gen 3, starts at $449, and there are special editions designed with Kylie Jenner and Lisa from $399.

There's also a camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio from $349, and Meta Adventurer frames from $249. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are $799 in the US.

At $1,299.99, though, the VR Glasses are the ones people are talking about. They cost as much as a good laptop, and they won't arrive for months.