Meta is trying VR glasses (again), this time with more IMAX

Meta is renewing its quest to make virtual reality a thing. At its Connect event on Wednesday, the company announced Meta VR Glasses, its newest entry into the VR market, which will be available next spring starting at $1,299.99.

These glasses actually seem quite promising, thanks to a substantially lighter form factor and a host of new entertainment integrations — including (allegedly) IMAX compatibility.

Moments before unveiling them, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the audience that the company had decided awhile ago to shift its focus away from the Metaverse and build fewer VR devices until it had real breakthroughs.

“This is a breakthrough,” he exclaimed before showing off the glasses. “A lot of people agree that augmented reality glasses with holograms are clearly going to be part of the future, but we’ve also heard that a lot of people are less interested in wearing a headset. So we have built a new kind of VR device that delivers the same magical feeling of presence and immersion with high-resolution displays and views of the world around you in a form factor that is a pair of glasses for the first time.”

Meta says that the glasses are five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3 — and they look much more like normal eyewear than the bulky headsets the company has released before. The frames are made of magnesium alloy, and the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Reality Elite processor. They connect to a computing puck that doubles as a battery, which users can just slip the puck into their pocket to use the glasses on the go.

The glasses are largely built for entertainment. Micro-OLED panels built into the lenses provide what Meta calls a 5K Infinite Display with 37 pixels per degree, along with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio support. Users will be able to download and watch movies.

Perhaps one of the more unique features of the glasses, however, is that Meta is pitching them as a great way to enjoy IMAX-captured films.

Indeed, the company calls the glasses the “first IMAX-enhanced certified VR device ever” and says they will be one of the few ways to experience the expanded aspect ratio that defines IMAX’s distinct high-resolution viewing experience.

The glasses also support 3D content, including movies that integrate a user’s physical space into their viewing experience. Meta says that it has teamed up with Disney and that in November, Disney+ users will be able to stream specific movies — including certain Marvel movies — in 3D.

Meta says that users will be able to watch specific movies and have their surroundings “transformed with immersive environments, dynamic effects, stunning 3D visuals, and spatial audio” — essentially converting the movie into a VR gaming-type experience.

The glasses will also come with Meta AI — its automated virtual assistant — built in, which means that users will be able to talk to the glasses and automate various tasks via voice command. For instance, Meta says you’ll be able to start a movie just by asking your glasses to do so. Other ways to issue commands include hand gestures.