‘Hypernova’ good glasses, AI and the metaverse

Meta Join, the corporate’s annual occasion devoted to all issues AR, VR, AI and the metaverse is simply days away. And as soon as once more, it looks like will probably be an enormous 12 months for good glasses and AI.

This 12 months, the occasion will take a barely completely different format than prior to now. Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to kick issues off with a night keynote at 5PM PT on Wednesday, September 17. A developer keynote with different executives will happen the following morning on September 18, starting at 10AM, with extra talks and developer periods to comply with.

It isn’t clear why Meta modified issues up this 12 months, however it’s shaping as much as be a very eventful 12 months for Join. We’re anticipating two new fashions of good glasses, together with Meta’s first to have a show, in addition to new Meta AI and metaverse updates. As ordinary, Engadget can be reporting reside from Zuckerberg’s keynote at Meta HQ, however till then, this is a better have a look at what’s coming and what to regulate.

New and up to date good glasses

The largest information of the day can be Meta’s next-generation of good glasses. The frames, typically referred to by their reported inside identify “Hypernova,” would be the first consumer-ready glasses from Meta which have a show. We already know fairly a bit about these due to greater than a 12 months of leaks.

Whereas the frames are anticipated to have a small show on one facet, they will not provide the form of immersive augmented actuality expertise we have seen on Meta’s Orion prototype. As an alternative the show will will let you view issues like notifications and picture previews. The glasses can even include a devoted wristband, just like what the corporate confirmed off with Orion, that enables the wearer to regulate particular options via hand gestures.

The glasses, that are anticipated to go on sale later this 12 months, will doubtless value round $800, in accordance to reports. And whereas there was beforehand some suggestion the glasses could also be offered below a unique EssilorLuxottica model, it now appears they’ll certainly be Ray-Ban branded. On Monday, simply days forward of Join, a promotional video for “Meta Ray-Ban Show” glasses surfaced online. The video confirmed glasses with clear frames, a heads-up show and a wristband.

The video does not present a worth, however given the doubtless increased price ticket — most of Meta’s different Ray-Ban-branded glasses value round $300 — it appears the corporate is positioning this as a higher-end product that may have a extra restricted enchantment. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested Hypernova can have a “negligible” share of the general good glasses market.

The video additionally seemingly confirms a brand new model of Oakley sun shades, primarily based on the model’s Sphaera glasses. It exhibits a pair of the acquainted wraparound frames with a single digicam within the middle close to the nostril. These glasses, which have been beforehand reported, aren’t anticipated to have a show. Earlier leaks have additionally hinted at new variations of non-display Ray-Ban glasses too, with leaked renders displaying a pair of sun shades and a model with clear frames.

EssilorLuxottica’s Chief Wearables Officer, Rocco Basilico, has additionally teased that will probably be an “further particular” 12 months at Join. In a post on Threads tagging Meta, he wrote that he was “proud to share what we’ve constructed collectively.”

We might additionally see new third-party glasses integrations. As UploadVR just lately pointed out, early variations of the Join schedule for builders seemingly confirms that Meta is on the point of give builders entry to its good glasses. To this point, the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley glasses have principally been restricted to apps inside Meta’s ecosystem (with a couple of exceptions like Spotify and Audible). Permitting extra builders to begin experimenting with the platform might carry much more performance to the prevailing lineup of glasses.

Meta AI

As with different current years, AI can be a serious theme all through. Meta AI has a billion month-to-month customers (one thing Zuckerberg will certainly remind us of) and I am anticipating to see new options for Meta AI each on the corporate’s glasses and inside its apps. Enterprise Insider reports the corporate has been engaged on new lineup of non-English talking “character-driven” bots for its apps. (Meta’s character-centric chatbots have additionally confronted scrutiny, with the corporate recently blocking teenagers’ entry to many user-generated characters amid rising security considerations.)

Exterior of Meta’s chatbots, I am hoping Zuckerberg will discuss extra about his imaginative and prescient to create “superintelligence.” As I wrote in July, his initial manifesto that outlined his imaginative and prescient was complicated at finest. The CEO has just lately reorganized Meta’s AI groups across the concept, and has been on a really costly hiring spree to recruit executives and researchers for the trouble.

On the similar time, Zuckerberg might use Connect with shore up expectations round its Llama fashions. The corporate’s bigger Llama 4 mannequin has been delayed and reviews recommend Meta’s engineers have been struggling to enhance it. There are different indicators that Zuckerberg could also be backing away from open-source AI.

What in regards to the metaverse?

Whereas the metaverse has taken considerably of a backseat to AI lately, it would not be Join with out some VR-related information. In a current Instagram publish, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth teased “metaverse software program” updates associated to Horizon Worlds at Join. The corporate just lately supplied a preview to builders of its plan to carry AI-powered NPCs to the metaverse, and I anticipate we’ll hear extra about how generative AI might assist form the metaverse.

And whereas there aren’t any new Quest headsets anticipated, we might hear extra about these third-party VR headsets that may run Meta’s VR software program. Final 12 months, the corporate introduced that ASUS, Lenovo and Xbox had been engaged on Meta Horizon OS headsets. We have not heard an excessive amount of about these units since, however there was a leak earlier this 12 months that instructed ASUS could be the primary to launch, and that it could embody face and eye monitoring options.

One other intriguing risk is an replace on Meta’s holographic Codec avatars we bought a glimpse of final 12 months. Whereas Meta’s present lineup of VR headsets haven’t got the required face and eye-tracking sensors to assist the tech, UploadVR suggests Meta might showcase a extra “rudimentary” model of the avatars that would run on the Quest 3 and even work along with video calls on WhatsApp and Messenger.

Replace, September 16, 2025, 11:30AM PT: This publish has been up to date to replicate a Threads publish from EssilorLuxottica’s Chief Wearables Officer.

Replace, September 16, 2025, 1:07PM PT: Added particulars from a video displaying “Meta Ray-Ban Show” and a brand new pair of Oakey sun shades.