The massive success that Meta saw with its collaboration with Ray-Ban for the Smart Glasses set the company on a path towards "true" AR glasses, and now, it was revealed that they have a lot in the works for the tech. First off, there will be a new pair of smart glasses that will be dedicated to athletes and those with an active lifestyle, and this time, it will be co-branded with Oakley.
On the other hand, Meta is also developing the 'Hypernova' smart glasses which will be the more advanced version among its previous developments and the upcoming one from Oakley, but it is coming at a later time.
Meta's Smart Glasses Development Expands With Oakley, For Athletes
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has a massive scoop regarding the future of wearables coming from various companies, with Meta making the most buzz in this report as there are two coming from them soon. For context, Meta's partnership with the Luxottica Group which helped deliver the Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses in 2023 is codenamed the 'Supernova,' with the company still working with the same partner for "Supernova 2."
Supernova 2 was said to be moving away from Ray-Ban but to still be a brand under EssilorLuxottica, as the outdoor and rugged apparel company, Oakley, is set to be the next collaborator of Meta.
Gurman shared that Meta and Oakley's new smart glasses under the 'Supernova 2' codename would be dedicated to athletes, and they will be made using the Sphaera glasses. The Supernova 2 will be meant for athletes, especially cyclists, using the Sphaera glasses' body and featuring a camera at the center of the frame.
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'Hypernova' Is Coming to Deliver Meta's Nearly 'True' AR Glasses
Succeeding the Supernova and the Supernova 2 would be another wearable from Meta under the codename "Hypernova," and Gurman reported that this will be a step closer to the "true" AR glasses, but is not quite yet. That being said, it will still feature massive advancements for Meta's smart glasses development, and sources claimed that itwould cost $1,000.
Meta and Its Quest to Develop the True AR Glasses
Legitimate augmented reality glasses are not yet here, particularly with a form factor similar to everyday eye or sunglasses which has been one of the top anticipated technologies from many manufacturers. That being said, Meta is already in development of this "true" AR glasses which is under the codename, "Orion," and leaks reported that its prototype came last year for the public to demo, but was only announced by the company.
In the past years, Meta was able to deliver on its promises to offer augmented reality, but the company was only able to do so with its Quest 3 headset which is known for offering mixed reality (XR) which combined both AR and VR. That being said, the "true" AR glasses for Meta would be in the usual eyeglasses form factor and not a headset, a device that was previously spotted in Mark Zuckerberg's post.
While the Meta Connect event already gave the world a glimpse into Project Orion, many leaks corroborate that Meta will debut its legit AR glasses by 2027 which is still a long time from now. That being said, two developments from Meta will deliver the smart glasses experience for all, with the first one in collaboration with Oakley, and the other still hidden behind the codename Hypernova.
