Meta Connect has put the XR industry's workplace ambitions back into focus.
The company unveiled its new VR Glasses, a 100-gram device that combines a glasses-style form factor with the immersive display, passthrough and input capabilities traditionally associated with headsets.
The glasses are scheduled to go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. The device uses a two-part design. The glasses contain displays and sensors, while a separate unit holds the compute, battery and storage, connecting through an optical tether.
They have a 5K Infinite Display built on micro-OLED panels, full-colour passthrough, eye tracking, hand controls, Meta AI voice input and up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company had created "a new kind of VR device" that delivers immersion, high-resolution displays and views of the real world "in a form factor that is a pair of glasses for the first time".
The product is being pitched first as an entertainment device for films, games and live sport. But the company also described it as a private multi-screen workspace, with users able to turn a table or desk into a surface keyboard and touchpad.
The lighter design may make spatial computing more viable for individual work while travelling or working away from a desk. Yet the tethered compute unit, price and consumer-first proposition mean enterprises will need to establish a specific use case before treating the device as a standard workplace endpoint.
Alongside VR Glasses, Meta announced updates to Meta Ray-Ban Display, including calendar controls, the ability to join meetings from the glasses and Hologram, a feature that creates a photorealistic digital representation of the user for hands-free video calls.
Google Brings Enterprise Management to XR
Google announced on 23 September that Android Enterprise will support the management of XR hardware alongside standard Android device fleets.
The update enables IT administrators to manage and secure devices including Samsung Galaxy XR headsets and XREAL Aura wired glasses through enterprise mobility management consoles using the Android Management API. Google said XREAL Aura is due in the fourth quarter.
The move addresses a practical barrier to workplace XR adoption. Organisations may see value in heads-up displays, integrated audio and AI assistance, but they still need the same policy control, security and lifecycle management they expect for phones, tablets and laptops.
