Hello everyone from Mountain View, California! I’m taking the plane quite soon, and the last thing I’ll do here in the US is write this newsletter episode to tell you the most relevant XR news of the week. This has been the week of Meta Connect, so most of this roundup will be about that event, because some announcements, like the one about Meta VR Glasses, have been pretty huge and have monopolized the conversations in the VR community this week. Considering that I’ve already made a roundup of the Meta Connect keynote, this will be a roundup of the roundup… roundupception!
Top news of the week
Meta announced VR Glasses, Holograms, and new smart glasses at Connect
This Meta Connect was pretty interesting because Meta made some interesting announcements during its main keynote:
- The integration of Muse AI, Meta’s new AI personal assistant, with all glasses and headsets, so that the assistant can follow you everywhere
- The third generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with new styles like Aviator. They are like an incremental evolution over the previous models
- Meta Audio Glasses, a version of Meta smartglasses that have no camera
- A special edition of the Meta glasses made in collaboration with the K-pop idol Lisa. Lisa is EXTREMELY popular, and this will make her glasses sell like hotcakes
- Meta VR Glasses: lightweight VR/MR glasses that Meta released to compete with the Vision Pro. This is the device that was previously known as “Phoenix”
- Muse Charm: a small Tamagotchi-like device that people can use to interact with Muse AI.
Most of the announcements were expected because of the various leaks. The Muse Charm is the only one that Meta managed to keep secret. This is the full list of the main announcements together with my personal comment:
More info (Roundup of the announcements from Meta Connect keynote)
The day after, at the keynote for developers, Meta made some other reveals:
- It announced many AI-agent-based development tools. The Muse family also contains models made for development, which should have the advantage that, having been trained on AR/VR content, they should be able to work better for the creation of AR/VR development
- Meta announced that its coding AI models come in two tiers: a very affordable Contributor Tier, that you pay very little but your data is used to train the model; or an expensive Standard Tier, that you pay a lot, but your data is not used in any way. I like how Meta made the distinction very explicit, but the difference in price between the two is huge
- Meta launched a contest for AI applications using Muse AI with a prize pool of $1M
- It launched the v207 of the Meta SDK, which allows developers to create content for the new Meta VR Glasses starting today. Developers can already use simulators and emulators to create content for it even if they don’t have the headset. There is also a tool for the Quest that allows you to simulate the FOV of the Meta VR Glasses
- Meta finally announced to have fixed the search function on the Quest Store (FINALLY), and developers have already started seeing increased conversions for their games
- Meta launched a contest for VR/MR applications using hand tracking (so for the new glasses) with a prize pool of $1M
- Meta announced new AI tools for Horizon Worlds that will basically become a slop fest
It’s interesting also to notice what was NOT in the keynote: there was no mention of the current status of the store, mentioning the number of apps or how much money they are making. To me, this means that the situation is not good, so they preferred not to speak about it.
More info (Roundup of the announcements from the dev keynote)
Anyway, Connect for me was special because I was able to speak with Boz. Yes, you’ve read it well; I was able to have a very quick surprise interview with Meta CTO! And he revealed to me that Quest 3S didn’t sell much more than Quest 3…
More info (My interview with Boz)
If you missed the two keynotes and want to watch them, you can find them in this article:
In the following links, you can find more info about the newly announced Meta VR Glasses.
Some important specs you should know about them are:
- Display Type: OLED
- Display Resolution: 2412×2288
- FOV: 70° × 66°
- Chipset: Snapdragon Reality Elite
- RAM: 12 GB
- Interactions: Eye tracking, hand tracking, face tracking; Controllers (optional)
- Weight: 100g circa
- Battery duration: 3 hours of mixed use
The glasses will launch this Spring for $1300.
More info (Meta VR Glasses — Road To VR)
More info (Meta VR Glasses — Upload VR)
Not everyone could try the Meta VR Glasses at Connect because the OS was not ready for mass hands-ons. But the big press and some Meta creators were able to go hands-on with it, and the general consensus is that the device is great: the resolution is amazing, and colors are bright; the weight was very low; hand-and-eye interactions were working. It seems that Meta is pulling out a very good headset. But you have to take into account that the demos were very scripted, so we need people to make deeper tests before judging them. But we can say that at least the premises are very good.
There are only two problems with these glasses. The first is that the FOV is very limited, and for some experiences it is not good. These are more glasses to watch movies than to play VR games. The second is that the price is quite high: $1,300 is definitely cheaper than the Vision Pro, but much more than what people want to pay for an XR device.
Many people defined it as “What the Vision Pro should have been, and for a third of the price”. And this triggered all the Apple Fanboys that ran to social media to say how the comparison doesn’t hold. Who wants some popcorns?
More info (Hands-on Meta VR Glasses — Road To VR)
More info (Hands-on Meta VR Glasses — CNET)
More info (Hands-on Meta VR Glasses — Nathie)
More info (Hands-on Meta VR Glasses — Tested)
Meta also unveiled its “Holograms”, which are its ultrarealistic avatars, the one codenamed “Codec Avatars”. These can be used for meeting people in mixed reality from a headset, or also to substitute your face when you are having a call with your smartglasses. Anyway, hands-on reviews revealed that these are not the true Codec Avatars we were waiting for. They are not volumetric videos, but 2.5D stereoscopic billboards of the other person. Fantastic billboards, but still billboards. They are cool, but when you move around the space, the illusion breaks.
More info (Hands-on Meta Holograms)
Meta also announced that 70+ games will be compatible with Meta VR Glasses at launch. One of them will be Beat Saber Flow, an update to Beat Saber with a new game mode that is ideal for hand-tracking.
More info (All new games for Meta VR Glasses)
More info (Beat Saber Flow — Road To VR)
More info (Beat Saber Flow — Upload VR)
More info (A new game for Meta VR Glasses: Dragon Grove)
More info (A new game for Meta VR Glasses: Two Point Hospital)
But it’s not all about games. Meta also announced movies and sport coming for Meta VR Glasses. And the new Supernatural will also be hand-tracking friendly.
More info (New content for Meta VR Glasses)
More info (Supernatural Health will be compatible with Meta VR Glasses)
Talking about smartglasses, Meta announced that Meta Ray-Ban Display is finally being launched internationally.
More info (International launch of Meta Ray-Ban Display)
Joanna Stern asked Zuckerberg a few questions about AI, privacy, and smartglasses. He claims that Meta Audio Glasses have not been made in response to the “pervert glasses” stigma, but they have been in the works for two years. I’m not so sure I believe this, to be honest.
More info (Joanna Stern interviews Mark Zuckerberg)
And if you are a dev, check out the details of the Meta Start competition with a prize pool of $1M!
More info (Meta Start competition)
Sponsors Area
This newsletter has also been possible thanks to our sponsors.
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Other relevant news
Apple may be working on a new Vision Pro
According to the usual Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a successor to the Vision Pro. There are currently four prototypes of the device, including one that moves all the computational unit to the external puck, like the Meta VR Glasses. Anyway, Apple is now very focused on smartglasses, so the company is not investing a lot in the new Vision Pro, and the device may see the light only in 2028–29.
News worth a mention
Viture launches Vonder glasses
Smartglasses manufacturer Viture has just launched its new glasses. They are called Vonder, and they are audio-only glasses. Like all the companies launching similar devices, Viture claims that being audio-only, they guarantee the privacy of the users and the people around them and all-day wearability. Buyers in the US can pre-order the glasses from $299 on Vonder’s website or at a Best Buy store starting September 28.
AREX launched its AR Dive Computer Mask
AREX ONE is the first smartglasses by AREX. Their peculiarity is that they are meant to be used underwater: these are visors for people that do diving. AREX has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its AREX ONE glasses and has currently collected more than $500K. The pledge to have the headset sits at around $1,000.
(Thanks Ivan for the tip!)
A gamepad with Steam Frame controllers
Various people in the VR community are 3D printing a special mount to convert the 2 Steam Frame controllers into a gamepad. It is a good hack if you want to play 2D games on the Frame and you don’t have another gamepad at home.
Two interesting hands-on posts
Last week I already shared with you many hands-on articles on Snap SPECS and Steam Frame. This week I want to share with you two other posts that I found very interesting:
- The dev of Zulubo Productions shares its thoughts on the Steam Frame. It turns out he likes the headset, but he’s not a big fan of the controllers
- David Heaney shares its impressions on the Snap SPECS. He highlights many more visual artifacts than the other reviews mentioned.
(Thanks Rob for the tip!)
More info (Hands-on Steam Frame)
More info (Hands-on Snap Specs)
H3VR 2 is coming in November
One of the most awaited games of 2026, Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades 2, is launching on November 12 for Quest 3 for $40 with pre-orders now open at a ten percent discount. The PC VR version will follow in the second half of 2027.
Some news about content
- Underwater narrative puzzler Echoes of Mora has been released on Steam: it costs $17.99 for a version that supports both VR and flat screen
- Acute Immersive offers a white-label solution to create apps for showcasing videos on the Vision Pro
- A new DLC for Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, called Campaign III: Twilight’s End, has been released for $10
- Fast Travel Games is holding an open playtest for its upcoming co-op VR heist shooter Payday: Aces High on October 19
- The environmental-puzzle psychological horror game Shil, which features a pretty unique minimalistic art style, is dropping on Quest on October 8
- Cute puzzle game Tiny Flock can be preordered on the Meta Quest Store for $15
More info (Echoes of Mora)
More info (Acute Immersive)
More info (Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked)
More info (Payday: Aces High)
More info (Shil)
More info (Tiny Flock)
Some reviews about content
- Demeo X DnD: Battlemarked Twilight’s End is a fitting and highly entertaining conclusion to Battlemarked’s story
More info (Demeo X DnD: Battlemarked Twilight’s End)
Other news
Rokid releases the Agentic AI tool to develop content for its smartglasses
Upload wrote an article with the list of accessories to buy to perform VR fitness sessions at their best
Engo3 Cyclist are AR smart glasses with advanced features specific for cyclists
Some XR fun
This aged like fine milk
Funny link
The community is already making fun of the small FOV of Meta VR Glasses.
Funny link / 1
Funny link / 2
What the f did I just watch. Has someone some unsee juice?
Funny link
A thank you and an invite
I want to thank all my donors on Patreon for making this newsletter possible. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to afford to keep my website up and you wouldn’t be reading this roundup! So, a big thank you to:
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- Paolo Leoncini
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
- Chris Koomen
- Cognitive3D
- Carol Dalrymple
- Keith Bradner
- Fabrizio Carimati
- Field Of Vision
- Jason Moore & The MetaMovie Project
- Steve Biggs
- Kai Curtis
- Francesco Strada
- Sikaar Keita
- Ramin Assadollahi
- Chris Madsen
- Horacio Torrendell
- Andrew Deutsch
- Jeremy Dalton
- Joel Ward — Downward Spiral
- Kaihatsu Jai
- Giuseppe Pippi
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- Ken Lin
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- Peter Winston
- TykeAI
- Ready Player One
- Enrico Poli
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- Boule Petanque
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- Mark Giordano
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- Matias Nassi
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(Header image by Meta)