Meta Connect 2025 live updates: Ray-Ban Display, Oakley Vanguard glasses, more

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:43 p.m. ET
Powering Horizon Studio is Meta Horizon Engine, a new proprietary graphical engine that is optimized for generative creation. The engine will also enable a more immersive and interactive metaverse.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:41 p.m. ET
Meta has announced Meta Horizon Studio, a generative AI playground that'll allow users to create miniature virtual worlds via verbal prompts. Examples include a UFC octagon ring, a virtual home, and an underwater seascape.

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:40 p.m. ET

And that's it for the glasses. Now, we are moving on to AI in the virtual world. This is kicking off Meta Horizon Studio. This is meant to let creators generate whole worlds from simple prompts.

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:35 p.m. ET

It wouldn't be an AI-focused event if  "agentic AI" weren't mentioned. In this example, Meta AI shows suggestions in-lens using the context of your conversations. These actions include adding items to your calendar or even just search results.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:34 p.m. ET
Live AI on the Meta Ray-Ban Display will have limited usage at launch. But over the next several months, Live AI can expand its set of features, and among these, it will be able to deliver a live feed of contextually important information.

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET

In a live demo of the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, Zuckerberg went beyond messaging. He tried answering video calls using the Neural Band. However, there were technical difficulties that caused this demo to fail. That's show biz! A more successful attempt was raising the volume on Spotify by simply making the motion of turning up a volume nob. 

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:28 p.m. ET
The Meta Neural Band is, as the name suggests, a wristband that lets users control the digital display using simple hand gestures. In a live demo, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the Neural Band to write and send texts. He mimicked the motion of writing with a pen to type out a text.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:27 p.m. ET
Meta also announced its third set of smart glasses at Connect 2025, the Meta Ray-Ban Display, and its accompanying accessory, the Meta Neural Band. The wearables project a digital display over the right eye that reportedly runs at a high resolution and 5,000 nits of brightness. 

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:24 p.m. ET

The Meta Oakley Vanguards have an integration with Strava, which allows you to hear about your stats as you run. Given the intended audience of athletes and runners, this seems like a feature people will find useful.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 17 at 8:22 p.m. ET

In collaboration with sunglasses brand Oakley, Meta will soon release a new sports-focused pair of smart glasses called the Meta Oakley Vanguard. This wearable houses a 12MP camera in the center of its frame for recording 3K video, plus support for Meta's AI assistant and a water resistance rating of IP67. Prices start at $499 and ship on Oct. 21. 

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:15 p.m. ET

If you, like me, already dropped a whole lot of money on the first generation of Meta Ray-Bans, there's good news for you. A new Audio Boost feature is coming to older models via a software update. What it does is amplify conversations you are having in real life to also help you as you navigate the real world.

By Sabrina Ortiz, Senior Editor /Sept. 17 at 8:12 p.m. ET

I have worn the Meta Ray-Bans for almost a year and my biggest complaint was not being able to make it through the day. Zuckerberg just announced the next generation will have double the battery, which will finally make it last a whole day of use. Huge win!

By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 17 at 4:37 p.m. ET

There's a lot happening within the confines of Meta HQ today, much of which we can't talk about just yet, but I can share this massive skateboard ramp.

It's safe to say that Meta is continuing to target athletes and sports fans with its smart glasses, pitching the wearables as a hands-free alternative to more traditioanl action cameras.

By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 17 at 3:46 p.m. ET

Ahead of Meta Connect, CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted on Threads that today's announcements will include various finger emojis, from writing with a stylus to making finger hearts.

In other words, the neural wristband that's been teased for almost a year may finally come to market. It would allow users to operate their smart glasses and headsets with pinches, swipes, and taps. The question is how fluid and reliable at tracking the accessory is.

Here's to hoping for a live demonstration during this afternoon's keynote.

By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 17 at 2:50 p.m. ET

ZDNET's Jason Hiner and I are officially on the ground for Meta Connect. Lots of excitement in the air, Meta signage, and people wearing Ray-Bans. Stay tuned for more.

Arguably, the most important announcement at Connect 2025 was the reveal of the Meta Ray Ban Display. These are a new version of the smart glasses that project a small readout screen over your right eye.

Before the event, various rumors claimed the wearables would "feature a monocular HUD that projects navigation pathways [via a map app], translations, messages, and exchange with the Meta AI assistant." The model would have a significantly bulkier design, mainly around the corners, to account for all the extra tech needed to support said digital displays. It seems those claims were right on the money. 

However, there is still plenty about the Ray Ban Display that we don't know. Those same rumors also stated that text boxes, maps, and the like seemingly stay static. They won't latch onto objects in front of you like an AR (augmented reality) headset would.

Much about the smart glasses remains in the dark, but I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later.

Initial reports and rumors claimed that Meta's future wearable would be expensive. The Ray Ban Display, in particular, was said to cost $1,400. While these are pricey devices, none of the models are anywhere near $1,400.

• The Meta Ray Ban Display will launch on September 30 and retail for $799. It'll be available in two colors: Black and Sand. Each purchase will include a free Meta Neural Band.
• Meta's Oakley Vanguard will cost $499 starting, with units shipping on October 21.
• The second-generation Ray Ban smartglasses are currently on sale and cost $379 a pair.

Initial reports mentioned that Meta would "begin offering a so-called neural wristband [codenamed Ceres] for the first time." It appears that this device was the Meta Neural Band shown off at Connect 2025. This is an accompanying accessory to the Meta Ray Band Display that converts electrical signals from wrist muscles into gesture controls. For example, rotating your hands will let you scroll through apps, and a finger pinch will allow users to select specific items.

The presentation for the Neural Band was short. There's still much we don't know. Those early reports said the band would have a haptic engine delivering tactile feedback to the user. Meta's product page for the Ray Ban Display doesn't say much about the accessory, focusing primarily on the wearable.

Once again, rumors claimed that Meta might have unveiled the Asus ROG Tarius, a VR headset that will be the first third-party device to run on Horizon OS, on Wednesday. Meta opened its operating system to third-party companies in April 2024. But the Tarius was a no-show. It didn't make a single appearance at Connect 2025, and it didn't even get a mention or hint. Perhaps the Tarius needs more time in the oven. 

Considering that it'll be under the Asus ROG umbrella, Tarius is likely to be a gaming-centric device. Much of the information that we currently have comes from a single leak that surfaced in January of this year. 

Also: I tried smart glasses with a built-in display, and they beat my Meta Ray-Bans in key ways

It claims Tarius will support both eye and face tracking. The screen inside the visor will either be micro-OLED or QD-LED with local dimming. Assuming this is all true, the QD-LED screens could be used to achieve high amounts of contrast.

That's pretty much all we know. No word on what it'll look like or what kinds of games it'll support. We don't even know what chipset it'll run. Could it eschew more towards the Meta Quest 3 and deliver a top-notch performance, or will it be like the Quest 3S and be less powerful in favor of having a lower price tag? It's hard to say at the moment.