Meta's New Mixed-Reality Glasses to Replace Bulkier Predecessors

Meta Platforms, under Mark Zuckerberg's leadership, is reportedly developing a new generation of sleek, mixed-reality glasses, codenamed "Puffin."

Set for a potential 2027 launch, if the project comes to fruition at all, these glasses aim to replace their bulkier predecessors and offer a more streamlined alternative to the current Quest 3 headset.

The Puffin glasses are expected to weigh around 110 grams, placing them between Meta's lightweight Ray-Ban smart glasses and the larger Quest headsets.

However, the reduced size may necessitate an external pack for the battery and processor, similar to the wired battery pack of the Apple Vision Pro.

Unlike the Quest headsets, Puffin glasses will rely on hand gestures and eye movements for control, eliminating the need for handheld controllers.

This feature aligns with existing capabilities found in both Meta's Quest and Apple's Vision Pro.

Despite offering advanced mixed-reality features like video passthrough, hand- and eye-tracking, and potentially slimmer pancake lenses, the Puffin glasses are expected to be more affordable and compact than the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, making them accessible to a broader audience.

These mixed-reality glasses will blend the physical and digital worlds, allowing users to interact with both environments simultaneously.

Zuckerberg recently hinted that the next breakthrough in mixed-reality would resemble smart glasses, integrating holographic displays, cameras, microphones, and speakers.

He emphasized that these glasses would maintain a traditional eyewear appearance, avoiding the bulkiness of current headsets, and offering a full field-of-view holographic display for seamless real-time communication, informational overlays, and heads-up displays akin to those used in gaming or military operations.

Meta's Reality Labs Division in the Red

Meta's Reality Labs division has invested heavily in research and development, with expenditures exceeding $59.9 billion since its launch in 2019.

In its Q2 earnings call on 31 July, the division reported $353 million in sales revenue.

Despite these substantial losses, Meta's Chief Financial Officer Susan Li expressed optimism, anticipating a significant reduction in operating losses as new products from Reality Labs are introduced.