Meta Will Reportedly Release AR Glasses in 2027 – CNET [CNET]

The glasses will purportedly be able to create holographic avatars “in the real world.”

Meta shared its latest strategy for augmented and virtual reality development with employees on Tuesday, The Verge reported, with the company’s roadmap presentation outlining launch plans for its first pair of fully operational AR glasses. Employees can reportedly begin testing them in 2024, with the public launch to follow in 2027.

Back in 2021, Meta released augmented reality Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with Luxottica, which integrated tech for phone calls, photos, videos and listening to music. The tech giant will drop two new follow-up generations of the glasses in fall 2023 and 2025, according to The Verge. 

However, the new, more expensive set of AR eyewear has been dubbed the “Innovation” line and features more sophisticated technology and the ability to generate “high-quality holograms of avatars onto the real world,” according to The Verge. The venture — once revealed in 2021 as Project Nazaré — has been in development for years. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expects the AR glasses experience to stand out as the holy grail compared to Apple and Google’s products. 

Additionally, there are reportedly plans to launch a follow-up to Meta Quest 2 later this year. The new Quest 3 VR headset will be a high-powered slimmer model that costs more, according to The Verge. It’s also expected to include over 40 new mixed reality experiences, apps and games. This news comes on the heels of Meta’s announcement that it will no longer provide support for its original VR headset, the Quest 1. 

Last year, CNET’s Scott Stein had a chance to visit the company’s Reality Labs Research office and check out Meta’s developments for a next-gen Quest Pro, lifelike avatars and neural input wristbands. 

Meta didn’t immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment.