Alongside the Quest 3, Meta Announced Their Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses are made for content creators.

In some of my earlier chats, I’ve chatted about all sorts of stuff connected to Meta. You can find those links below.

But right now, let’s dive into the juicy stuff — Meta’s brand-spankin’-new Ray-Ban smart glasses that they dropped alongside the Quest 3.

You’ve probably heard about Meta’s grand vision for augmented reality smart glasses. But right now, they’re not quite there yet. Instead, they’ve decided to jazz up their trusty Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have been around for a couple of years.

These revamped shades, now officially known as the Ray-Ban Meta Collection, are primarily designed for your daily dose of tunes, phone calls, and some snazzy photo and video action, thanks to the cameras chilling in the corners of the frames.

They’re hitting the market at a starting price of $299 on October 17th. And guess what? Not much has changed in the grand scheme of things since the 2021 version, although they do offer more styles and better performance this time around.

Now, let’s talk upgrades. The cameras, mics, and speakers have all leveled up. Plus, they’ve got a spanking new Qualcomm chip lurking under the hood, hinting at a possible wave of future improvements in the smart glasses universe.

But here’s the kicker: unlike the recently launched Echo Frames by Amazon, which are all about the audio experience, these Ray-Bans could theoretically support embedded displays. Yet, Meta decided to skip the screen game this time. Their pitch is the same as in 2021: make calls, groove to tunes, snap pics and vids, and summon “Hey Meta” to do some basic tasks.

However, they’ve expanded their fashion range, with Wayfarer and Headliner frames and a palette of colors. Think transparent blue, yellow, and black frames that flaunt the circuitry in the arms, giving them an edgy yet somewhat normal look.

What else is new? Well, these glasses boast a five-microphone array that’s all ears for your voice commands and can record spatial audio in your video clips. The speakers have also improved, delivering crisper audio levels and more thumping bass. It’s almost like having headphones on, which is a significant leap from the first Ray-Ban Stories.

Navigating the glasses still relies on voice commands or a touchpad on one of the arms, which has now been beefed up in size. There’s also a handy capture button on the frame’s edge for taking quick shots or starting live streams — one of the nifty new features.

The 12-megapixel cameras can now capture up to a minute of video at 1080p and can live-stream to Instagram or Facebook for a solid 30 minutes. You can easily switch between your phone’s camera and the glasses’ camera, making on-the-fly dual-camera streaming a breeze. These changes remind me of Snap’s previous camera glasses, which also had a knack for quick social media sharing.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: these Ray-Bans are still not rocking any AR tech. The videos they capture are flat, and you can’t sprinkle any AR magic on them. No fancy displays either.

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, once promised true AR glasses, but it seems we’re still waiting. For now, they’re putting their AR eggs in the Quest 3 and mixed reality basket, following a path similar to Apple and its Vision Pro.

The enhanced chip in these glasses aims to flex some AI muscles. Next year, Meta’s teasing AI can recognize objects in your view, perhaps even reading text. There’s talk of generative AI that can snap pics and auto-generate captions.

How all this plays out remains a mystery, but it’s intriguing to see where they’re headed. Are these glasses evolving into more AR-like devices minus the screens? Only time will tell.

Final Words

These glasses can snap photos without drawing much attention, despite having a recording LED. Is that enough to ease privacy concerns?

I’m curious to see how these glasses feel in everyday life, especially when I give them a spin with prescription lenses. Fingers crossed, I’ll get a better sense of it this time around.

If you enjoy my posts and would like to stay updated on the latest gaming-related news, technology advancements, design trends, and social media insights, I invite you to follow my profile.

I will continue to share my thoughts and insights on a wide range of topics in the world of entertainment and technology.

With that being said, thank you for reading my post, and have a good one.

Here are my previous collections.

Here’s What I Wrote in July 2023.

Here’s What I Wrote in June 2023

Here’s What I Wrote in May 2023

Here’s What I Wrote in April 2023

Here’s What I Wrote in March 2023

I provided an update on my last month.

Here are a few of my previous stories relating to Meta I believe you will enjoy:

References

Meta’s New Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Are Built For Content Creators, Preorders Live Now.

Meta’s New Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Can Stream to Instagram.

Have you tried Cliqly yet?

About Me

I write articles in my field covering gaming, film-making, social media, and design. I am also a YouTuber. Thank you for subscribing to my account to get notifications when I post on Medium. I also created a new website to share my content for free and promote stories of writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I also have a Substack newsletter. Let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I own two publications on Medium. One for video gamers and another for YouTubers and Podcasters. I also support Illumination Integrated Publications as a volunteer editor and participate in collaborative activities in the Slack Workspace. Writer applications for my publications can be sent via this weblink. Please add your Medium ID.

If you are new to Medium, you may join via my referral link. You may also consider being a Vocal+ member to monetize your content. I write for both platforms and repurpose my content to reach a larger audience. Here is more information about Vocal Media. I also enjoy email marketing using Cliqly.

This post includes referral links.