Meta is shrinking virtual reality down to something that looks far more like a pair of glasses than a traditional VR headset.

The company has introduced Meta VR Glasses, a new VR platform that weighs about 100 grams on your face and is designed to handle everything from watching 3D movies and live sports to working across multiple virtual screens and playing games. Meta says the glasses will go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99.

The trick behind the much slimmer design is that Meta isn’t putting everything inside the glasses themselves. The glasses contain the displays and sensors, while a separate puck connected through an optical tether handles the computing, battery, and storage. The puck can clip onto a pocket or bag, leaving the hardware sitting on your face at roughly the weight of a deck of cards.

Meta says the glasses are about five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3. They also skip the traditional head strap and heavy visor design, using open sides and passthrough cameras so users can remain aware of their surroundings while wearing them.

A 5K micro-OLED display in a glasses-sized device

The biggest piece of technology here is arguably hiding right in front of your eyes.

Meta VR Glasses use a 5K Infinite Display built from micro-OLED panels, with 37 pixels per degree. The company says the display is designed to provide the clarity needed for everything from watching movies to reading text and working with virtual screens. Custom pancake lenses keep the optical system compact enough to fit into the glasses-style design.

The display also supports Dolby Vision, while Dolby Atmos spatial audio is built directly into the frames. That gives Meta a pretty clear entertainment pitch: this isn’t just supposed to be a lighter VR headset. It’s intended to function as a personal cinema that you can carry around without strapping a traditional headset to your head.

And Meta is going surprisingly hard on movies.

The company says Meta VR Glasses will be the first VR device to receive IMAX Enhanced certification. Select Disney+ movies will also be available in 3D, with immersive environments based on properties such as Star Wars and Marvel. At launch, Meta says users will be able to experience VR Enhanced versions of Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: A New Hope through the Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM app.

Meta is also working with Prime Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC+, Crunchyroll, Plex, Tubi and other services. Peacock, HBO Max and Paramount+ are joining the platform with 3D media catalogs as well. Meta says thousands of titles are expected to be available internationally by the time the glasses launch.

Your own courtside seat

Meta isn’t limiting the glasses to movies.

The company is building an “Immersive Sports” experience with ESPN and other partners, offering 8K streaming and 180-degree views designed to put viewers much closer to the action. Meta says the platform will eventually offer more than 100 immersive live sports events each year through partners including MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports and UFC.

That could make sports one of the more interesting use cases for the glasses. Instead of simply putting a giant virtual television in front of you, immersive broadcasts can place the viewer in a more spatial version of the event.

Meta is already starting this push on Quest, with ESPN’s immersive sports experiences beginning with college football, before more sports arrive alongside Meta VR Glasses in 2027.

It wants to be your giant private monitor, too

Meta is also pitching the VR Glasses as a productivity device.

You can create a large virtual display—or several displays—without carrying around a physical monitor. Meta says the glasses can connect wirelessly or over USB-C to a Mac or Windows PC, allowing users to bring their existing computer workflow into a private virtual workspace. Full-color passthrough lets you continue seeing your keyboard, desk, phone and surroundings while working.

There’s an even stranger trick: Meta says a table or desk can effectively become a keyboard and touchpad, meaning you don’t necessarily need to carry additional input hardware for basic interactions.

The glasses also support eye and hand input, so many interactions can be handled by looking at something and using natural hand gestures. Meta has integrated its AI agent directly into the operating system, allowing users to use voice, their eyes and hand gestures to launch apps, play content, adjust the workspace and search for information.

Gaming without the giant headset

Gaming is another major part of the pitch.

Meta says more than 75 games will support hand-gesture-only play at launch, while the glasses will also have access to the broader Meta Quest catalog. Touch Plus controllers are supported when a game needs traditional controls.

There’s also Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing users to stream hundreds of games to the glasses with a Bluetooth gamepad. A handheld gaming device can also be connected wirelessly or through USB-C to use the glasses as a giant private display.

That makes the Meta VR Glasses an unusual hybrid. They’re trying to be a VR device, a giant monitor, a portable cinema and a gaming screen without looking like any of those things while sitting on your face.

And then there are the holograms

Meta has one more trick for the launch: hologram calling.

The company says Meta VR Glasses will be able to create a photorealistic digital representation of the person wearing them, including real-time expressions and reactions. During a call, the hologram can appear in front of the other person with spatial audio positioning their voice in the virtual space.

The feature is designed to work across calling apps including WhatsApp and Zoom. People on phones or computers can also see the hologram rather than needing Meta VR Glasses themselves.

It’s an ambitious attempt to make video calls feel less like looking at a rectangle and more like having someone occupy the same virtual space.

The battery lives in your pocket

Moving the battery and computing hardware away from your face solves one of the biggest problems with making VR glasses actually look like glasses, but it does introduce a second piece of hardware.

Meta says the external puck provides up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback and supports 45W fast charging. The puck is connected to the glasses by an optical tether and is designed to clip onto clothing or a bag.

So, no, Meta hasn’t quite made the computer disappear. It has simply moved the computer somewhere less annoying.

That trade-off is central to the entire Meta VR Glasses design. Instead of putting a large battery, processor and storage directly against your face, Meta has separated the system into two parts and kept the visible hardware dramatically lighter.

Meta VR Glasses arrive in 2027

Meta VR Glasses are scheduled to go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. The company has not announced a specific release date yet.

At that price, Meta is moving well beyond the territory of its mainstream Quest headsets and into a more premium category. But the company isn’t really presenting the VR Glasses as simply another Quest. It is pitching them as a new computing form factor—one that can replace a television, create a private multi-monitor workspace, act as a gaming screen and put immersive entertainment directly in front of your eyes.

Whether people will actually want to spend $1,299.99 on a computer that lives partly in their pocket remains to be seen. But the hardware itself shows where Meta thinks VR is heading: away from the bulky headset and toward something that looks much more like ordinary eyewear.

The funny part is that the “glasses” still need a little computer puck hanging around.

For now, that’s apparently the price of making VR disappear from your face.