Meta* Connect 2025: six major conference announcements

At the Meta* Connect 2025 conference, the company unveiled a whole lineup of new devices and services in VR, AR and wearable electronics. Highlights included Ray-Ban smart glasses with display, the sporty Oakley Vanguard, the updated Ray-Ban Meta*, the new Horizon TV media hub, Hyperscape’s real-space digitization capability, and the improved Horizon Engine. Below — a full breakdown of the six major announcements without abbreviations.

Meta* Ray-Ban Display with Lens Screen

The highlight of the presentation was the smart glasses Meta* Ray-Ban Display. These are the company’s first glasses with a full-fledged display built into the right lens. The screen can display messages, subtitles, notifications, video calls, navigation, and preview photos before they’re taken with the built-in 12-megapixel camera.

Management is realized with a wristband that allows you to swipe, tap and even write messages with hand gestures. The glasses have a battery life of about six hours of mixed use, and with the compact charging case, the total time increases to thirty hours. The device is priced at $799 dollars. They go on sale September 30 in the U.S. and will be available at Best Buy, LensCrafters, and Ray-Ban.

The updated Ray-Ban Meta* second-generation

The second major new product — is Ray-Ban Meta* (Gen 2). The glasses have been given an increased runtime: they are now able to function for up to eight hours on a single charge, almost double that of the first version. The camera remains at 12 megapixels with an ultra-wide angle, but now supports video recording at 3K resolution and up to 60 frames per second.

*-headliner-gen-2-shiny-black-transitions®-graphite-green-lenses.png.avif» alt=»» class=»wp-image-306577″/>

It comes with an improved charging case that provides an additional 48 hours of battery life, a noticeable increase over the previous generation. Of particular note is the new Conversation Focus feature. It amplifies the voice of the interlocutor in noisy places and muffles the surrounding sounds. This feature will appear not only in the new glasses, but also in Oakley Meta* HSTN. The second-generation Ray-Ban Meta* price starts at $379, and they’re already available in the familiar Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner frame shapes.

They’re also available in the familiar Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner frames.

Oakley Meta* Vanguard for athletes

Oakley Meta* has paid special attention to sports. Together with Oakley, the company has introduced Meta* Vanguard — smart glasses for sports and active lifestyles. They are designed in a streamlined sports frame format with IP67 water and dust protection. The glasses integrate with Garmin and Strava apps, allowing you to get sports data right during your workout. For example, you can ask Meta* AI about your current heart rate or running pace.

The camera in the Oakley Meta* Vanguard is located in the center of the frame, making shooting more comfortable. It’s got a 12-megapixel sensor with a 122-degree field of view and support for slow-motion, timelapse, and hyperlapse modes. The battery provides up to nine hours of work, and the speakers have become more powerful and louder. The device will be priced at $499. Pre-orders are now open, and official sales will begin on October 21.

Hyperscape for Quest headsets

The next major announcement was the Hyperscape feature for the Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets. It allows you to scan real-world space and digitize it, turning it into a VR environment. The technology was first revealed a year ago, but now users can test it in beta through the dedicated Hyperscape Capture app. The feature expands the headset’s capabilities and makes virtual worlds more personalized and closer to reality.

Horizon TV — an entertainment hub for VR

Meta* also unveiled a new media hub Horizon TV for Quest headsets. It brings together apps from all the major streaming services available for VR, including Prime Video, Peacock, Twitch, and YouTube. New partners include Disney+, ESPN and Hulu, which will allow you to watch Marvel movies and other popular shows directly in virtual reality.

Horizon TV supports Dolby Atmos spatial sound technology, and later in 2025 will add Dolby Vision support for improved color and clarity. Some movies, such as M3GAN and The Black Phone, will receive exclusive immersive special effects only available on Quest headsets. Additionally, users will be able to watch an exclusive 3D movie clip of Avatar: Fire and Ash thanks to a collaboration between Meta* and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision.

Avatar: Fire and Ash thanks to Meta* and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision.

Horizon Engine — the new foundation of the meta-universe

The presentation closed with the announcement of the updated engine Horizon Engine, which is the foundation for new Meta* features in virtual reality. The updated engine provides better graphics, improved performance and support for larger virtual worlds. The Horizon Engine is responsible for Hyperscape, as well as the new Horizon Studio features.

Meta* plans to add an agent-based AI assistant to Horizon Studio that integrates existing VR content creation tools and speeds up the process of developing virtual spaces. In this way, the Horizon Engine becomes a key element for building a meta-universe, allowing developers and users to create more complex and elaborate digital worlds.

The Horizon Engine will be a key element for building a meta-universe, allowing developers and users to create more complex and elaborate digital worlds.

* Owned by Meta, it is recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation and its activities are banned.