There’s a gigantic size gap between VR glasses and ordinary spectacles. I expected Apple to start closing that gap first, but instead it’s Meta that’s taking the design lead. Their forthcoming Meta VR glasses have chunky stems, but otherwise look a lot closer to regular eyewear.
Incredibly, they weigh just 100g (3.5 oz). The Meta Quest 3, their incumbent design, weighs five times as much. The design team achieved the weight savings in two ways: One, while the glasses contain the display, cameras and sensors, they offloaded the battery, storage and processor into a separate puck tethered to the glasses.
Two was a materials choice, as Meta industrial designer Mauricio Romano reveals:
“The housings are magnesium, a weight-to-strength optimization at this particular scale,” writes Romano. “Plastic would need walls too thick, other metals are just too dense. One of the hardest weight puzzles on the whole project.”
Another trade-off that had to be made was reducing the field-of-view (FOV) from 110° on the Meta Quest 3 to 70° for the new design. Romano explains what went into the decision: “Pixel density, size and weight of actual display, CPU tax, battery tax, how far it sticks out from your face tax. These are all trade offs that deteriorate quickly with FOV.”
The glasses promise “your own personal theater anywhere.” Ditto for your own personal office.
You’ll be able to add a prescription with separately-sold inserts.
The glasses are set to hit the market this Spring, and are priced at $1,300.
