Meta Connect 2024: Meta’s Orion AR glasses unveiled | Mashable.

Meta Connect 2024: Meta’s Orion AR glasses unveiled

It's not ready for primetime yet, but it's Meta's most ambitious AR project to date.
By Matthews Martins on 
Credit: Meta

At Meta Connect, Mark Zuckerberg introduced Orion, Meta’s cutting-edge AR glasses that the company hopes might reshape the future of computing. Unlike traditional AR headsets, the Orion glasses are purportedly lightweight at less than 100 grams, and feature a wide field-of-view holographic display.

Orion lets users interact with virtual objects overlaid on the real world, all without isolating them from their surroundings.

Orion’s display architecture uses tiny projectors in the arms of the glasses to beam light into waveguide lenses, creating holograms at various depths and sizes. One of early testers shown during the presentation called it "the craziest technology" they’ve ever experienced. Other reactions shown during a montage Zuckerberg shared during his keynote were similarly ecstatic.

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The glasses are designed to keep users connected to the physical world while interacting with digital content, allowing for everything from viewing messages to playing holographic games.

Person interacting with a mixed-reality interface in a modern living room, with virtual game elements overlaying the physical environment, waiting for an opponent to join
Credit: Meta

The glasses, currently codenamed Orion, will initially serve as a developer kit for internal use and select partners. Zuckerberg says Meta aims to refine its software and build diverse content before launching a consumer-ready version. With features like eye and hand-tracking, voice control, and a "neural interface" controlled by a wrist device, Orion offers a seamless, hands-free way to interact with the digital world.

Meta seems to be focused on perfecting the technology for a mainstream audience, rather than releasing a retail product. The current iteration won’t be made available to consumers, but Zuckerberg said future versions will be more fashionable and affordable.

"Orion is a time machine," Zuckerberg said. "These glasses exist. They are awesome. And they are a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting."

Topics  Augmented Reality Meta

Comments

  1. Meta… solving those critical problems nobody actually has… lol

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  2. Why do we need these?

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    Replies
    1. same reason you need an iphone or other technology 🤦‍♂️

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    2. exactly the same, you dont need either

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    3. exactly , i know and we know, and in 3 years maybe everyone will be buying 😂

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  3. These look dorky and I wear glasses myself, it’s dorkception.

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  4. Wait until the ads are up and running

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  5. ®️Ray band🕶
    History Copyright and paste 💡ideas
    Made by META ❌
    Use another ®️Company creation✅

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  6. They need to put this in some sort of face shield display in a football helmet so quarterbacks can practice in augmented reality learning to read defenses

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  7. So now you can have even MORE distractions than you already do! I have more to say, but I'll save that as more comes out about these glasses.

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  8. https://giphy.com/gifs/YVGvyL0eAd0ic

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  9. We kno w where you live

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  10. Vr 눈 아프고 어지럽고 그랬는데
    이건 방향성은 맘에 든다 제발 ar로만 발전하길 이상하게 틀지 말고

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  11. Hey that's the thing nobody bought!

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  12. Impressive. Make it happen.

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  13. When does Enshitification begin with this product? In other words, when does the valuable data from the eye tracking influence what ads I don't want to see on this device? We know social media causes a lot of harm in our perception from our smartphones, now's it's worn on your face?

    While it's cool to see the first of many AR glasses, it's really only a matter of time before this stuff begins to further rip apart the social fabric of our lives in digitizing how we connect with one another away.

    I don't think this is the future.

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  14. This is pretty good for a first version, give it a few more years and you probably won't be able to tell the difference between these and regular frames.

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  15. Curious how durable the glass will be to surface/material abrasion 🤔. I feel like this will be a huge problem for AR devices like these. Either way this is awesome to see so far into development!

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  16. Brilliant work. Can't wait to develop for it.

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    Replies
    1. We can't wait to see what you do with it, ZeroTransform!

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  17. I had my credit card ready XD. Okay let's wait a bit

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  18. Impressive, i am all for it.

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  19. I'm wondering how this will work for people that already use glasses 🤔

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    Replies
    1. Pretty sure you can get them to have prescription lenses like the Ray Ban glasses.

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  20. Incredible work. The applications here go far beyond this form factor. I can imagine what ski goggles might look like in 10 years. Or leveraging these in aviation or the medical professions.

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  21. Amazing!!🔥🙌Finally!!

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    Replies
    1. Hey, we're excited too for the potential of augmented reality!

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  22. I was sold as soon as I heard the first tune of the Mass Effect Soundtrack in the pitch trailer for Orion. There must be some fans in the Reality Labs team 🚀🎮♥

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  23. Super cool. I would use AR glasses outdoors when I don't want my vision obscured. Combined with a connected cell phone for a constant internet connection and generative AI, these glasses would be incredibly useful. I would use them to have access to my iPhone while on walks. I would never need to stop, fish out my phone from my backpack and then scroll around while squinting at the screen in bright sunlight to find another audio book or podcast to listen to. Maps would give me turn by turn directions when needed. I could actually see the text messages and notifications when they arrive. Eventually we could get fully interactive virtual environments we could explore on foot but that's down the road a bit. Please don't forget to have corrective lenses available for the 2/3rds of the population that need them.

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    Replies
    1. Hey, great point! While the Orion is currently a product prototype, our Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were prescription lens compatible, so it's not impossible!

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  24. Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

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  25. These look like US Army Basic Training BCGs. That’s not a compliment.

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  26. This is the future. Everyone will have this and new cars will incorporate this.
    Buy meta stock. Its up almost 500 bucks in 2 years.
    Mark my words

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  27. What happened to the slim Wayfarer look? These look awful.

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  28. Complete Idiot . A really bad copy of Steve Jobs !
    ZuckerDick .

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  29. Dorkapalooza. They’re awful, like glasses used to be in the 60s & 70s 😂

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  30. Too dorky. No thanks.

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  31. Will Mossad blow them up if a wearer doesn't agree with Zionism?

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  32. So the future looks like the horn-rimmed glasses that were popular literally 100 years ago in the 1920s and 1930s 🤔

    You might argue, "not really because these are SMART GLASSES that allow you do all sorts of augmented AI shit" and I would counter with "that augmented AI shit is stupid".

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  33. The hyper-targeting of individuals on Earth using ultra-sophisticated technological means (AI) is an atrocity that should never be permitted in a democratic society.

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  34. THIS is exactly what apple needed to deliver if they wanted to have a truly revolutionary product that could be worn and used throughout the day. sure apple delivered a high quality VR/AR headset, but there were already plenty of those, most with far more apps and functions, better battery life, cheaper price, etc. i would absolutely use something like this if it had a long enough battery life (i'm thinking 5-6 hours minimum). sure it's a ways off, but damn if that prototype isn't impressive as hell!

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    1. You understand that Meta does not believe they will be able to launch a product like this for at least 3, maybe 5 years? They have shelved the lens technology and, like every other tech company over the last 15 years, are looking for something else to make this work.

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    2. "sure it's a ways off, but damn if that prototype isn't impressive as hell!"

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  35. I'm less than impressed by the idea of AR glasses, especially since my nearly 20 year old 3DS literally could do the same thing.

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  36. Meta is really feeling the pressure from the AVP. Showing something like this so far from production to consumers just feels like a "look at me" moment. They admitted they shelved the product because the lenses will never work for a consumer product and they will need to find another technology to make this work eventually.

    I think they don't care about showing it because they have nothing better coming soon, and they canceled the Quest Pro. Doing something like this will just confuse consumers about where the tech is going in the short term/next 3 years. The hololens launched 10 years ago and microsoft told everyone it was the futur but it went nowhere...

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    Replies
    1. Maybe they want to change the narrative from their Metaverse to something more interesting? Seems like the Raybans are doing fairly well?

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    2. I'm just guessing but I can't help but think that this is all about company stock and shareholder confidence in Zuck's ability to continue to run Meta.

      The Quest headset is incredibly niche, the metaverse (aka PlayStation Home 2.0) hasn't taken the world by storm and the Facebook platform is barely relevant. And after spending billions on the metaverse, Zuck needed something to squash any lack of confidence the company's board has in him.

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    3. Maybe... If I were a shareholder, I wouldn’t be happy to learn that the technology they spent billions on is not actually working for a consumer product and that they will need to start working on something else. It seems like real AR glasses, like Orion, are farther away than AR with passthrough, like the Vision Pro, for now.

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    4. They've done this for a while with their tech products, though. Rift/Quest, Libre, whatever other glasses they had before. This is kind of on brand for them.

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  37. It's cool stuff. But none of it is a tangible product that people can buy today or even remotely close in the near future (hell, the current battery life on Orion is less than 2 hours). And none of it has passed the mass market adoption test. I think the sunglasses are gonna be cool. I don't foresee them fully 100% replacing smartphones....at least for a very very long time.

    People are just really f-ing bored of tech right now and are absolutely starved for a modicum of something cool and different that can change things. We have been spoiled and are used to tech being revolutionary at a faster cadence. We've been on a revolutionary dry spell for over 10 years at this point.

    Plus, existing things in tech are getting worse seemingly every passing day. YouTube is worse. Social media is worse. Video games are worse overall (there are still great games being made, it's just becoming more of a rare occurrence and too much stuff is "mass consumption"). Streaming services are worse. Online shopping is worse. Productivity applications are worse. Podcasts are worse. Apps in general are worse. AI is being hamfisted into seemingly every product whether it makes sense or not. So we see one cool thing that is not worse and we cling onto it and put it on a pedestal as if it's going save us from the dry spell....and it's not even close to public release yet.

    The headsets and glasses are an improvement for many things...but they are also potentially much worse for others. They make for good headlines and keynote presentations. But do they have staying power like the smartphone or PC? I don't know. In an office setting? I'd say yes. In a home setting with spouse and/or kids? Or a public setting like restaurants, bars, train stations? Not so much. But maybe I'm wrong.

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    1. The mechanics of how dopamine works in our brain means that as we keep over-estimulating our brains, things will simply feel dull and "worse". Is it actually true? Sure - we had pretty big advancements when smart phones came, and this specific form hasn't REALLY advanced too much, but when it comes to media in general (youtube, social media, video games), claiming they are worse isn't really a fact, but an opinion.

      You see a cool videogame 15 years ago, and it's magical. Nowadays you see a cool videogame, but since you watched 10 youtube videos and scrolled for 2 hours on reels or whatever, your brain ain't got no dopamine left! It's simply a symptom of the environment of over-estimulation that we are living in. Things are actually improving.

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  38. the future looks stupid

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  39. Is this site now an arm of Meta's PR team?

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    Replies
    1. It's OK for a tech site to be excited about tech.

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    2. This is literally the most exciting product to have come out since M1 Macbooks.

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    3. It's not a product that's come out though is it

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    4. The level of marking out this entire publication is engaging in regarding this product from this company is disquieting at best.

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    5. I'm with you. John Gruber is harder on Apple than Heath is on "Mark" or Meta at large. I guess you need to keep a good relationship with important companies and sources, but what's the point if you're just going to be a conduit for their messaging?

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  40. VR/AR controls could be streamlined by utilizing wearable tech like wristbands in place of controllers. This could supplement and ease the hand recognition while providing tactile controls when needed.

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  41. People won't realize the insane amount of innovation gone into this. This is insane. I never thought they would get this far this quicky. Now I know it's not quite there yet, but i was certain we would see vr go mainstream before any sort of usable AR glasses would be even close to a working prototype.

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    1. Exactly. People seem to really be underestimating how incredible this te h is. Although not available to us yet, the fact they have this much done when most other companies are struggling (at least publicly) to make something this small is incredible.

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    2. still a long way to go, but yes it will be the future. People will live and work in a virtual reality or dimension

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  42. Zuck is just getting Flyer and Flyer!

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  43. I'm actually impressed.

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  44. I really like zuck. Of all the jerk billionaires, he seems the most likable and relatable.

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    Replies
    1. Except he's an admitted thief and a liar.

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  45. I know most people dislike him and are usually negative about new tech, but I’m actually excited for the direction he’s taking with Meta.

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    Replies
    1. Getting your data? But in another way bahahaha. Facebook stinks we all know it

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    2. nobody cares about your data, apart from to serve you ads. Sorry to squash your ego

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  46. I feel like phones are not improving anymore because we already hit the limit of them, they’re far more capable than what we need, they hit the ceiling, this is the next step.

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  47. Imagine showing someone this tech in the 80s

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  48. Remember this moment these glasses will change the world

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  49. Jensen Huang (nvidia ceo)??? wild! 5:46

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  50. I cant wait for the consumer product

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  51. They forgot to include the fake nose and mustache with the glasses.

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  52. 5:25 - What were told about the actual prototype exactly? Meaning do they think its already in active development for consumers? ...or were they directly told that is one of many Meta prototype stage researcg projects?

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  53. We completely figured out how to avoid human contact at this point. Its good and sad at the same time.

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  54. These are functional, fashionable and appear to be the best pair of AR glasses out there. How many years until mass production and affordability.... 2 years??

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    Replies
    1. bet it's end of next year

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    2. I'll take it. 😁😁

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    3. Maybe, but I'd imagine the first ones will be expensive, then they'll work on a lower cost version?

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  55. is this Pacquiao? 2:40

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  56. Love my Meta Ray Bans; no need to carry my phone to take pics, vids and or ask what time it is!

    Can't wait to develop apps for smart glasses...so much useful/cool possibilities!

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  57. Clark Kent had to take the glasses off to be Superman. Now we have to put them on to be Clark Kent

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  58. I watched Connect in the Quest 3. How did they create the depth in the video? Not spatial video?

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  59. He finally changes his T-shirt now he has an oversize T-shirt

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  60. If this is for public use can you imagine tge technology that the military has....😮😮😮😮

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  61. Guess i wont buy xreal.. and apple gotta be next.. hurry up apple

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  62. Do they give you night vision (or use it's ability to detect objects and have it highlight the objects so you can see them in the dark)?
    Also I hope they have or can add at some point, translation abilities - I travel A LOT and it would be a HUGE benefit if I could walk down the street say in New Delhi or Amsterdam and be able to see translations of signs and print, plus add in Maps so I can walk or drive and see directions without needing to constantly pull out my phone, that would be SOOOOOOO useful ;?)

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  63. roughly 75% of the US population require some form of vision correction - am I correct in thinking that Orion does not have built in vision correction?

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  64. Who Censored People As They Are Dying. When Do You Go To Jail?

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  65. if it's not that thick and like he said more fashionable i can see people using them but right now you nah

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  66. the best part of this is that Apple has a product cannot compete with this one and im all for it

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  67. This is apart of the beast system. Mark, is helping to deliver the MARK OF THE BEAST. Its in his name. This is evil.

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  68. Wanna be Steve Jobs, does this guy not have an original idea in his brain or the brain of the 100,000 people he has working for him?

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  69. It's great to see a prototype even though it isn't yet a product that allows "regular people" to finally understand a small part of why we love XR so much. I'm excited to continue witnessing these small leaps towards this exciting future of technology where I hope we'll have a better sense of the world around us while using technology and maybe overall too!

    Edit: it's also funny to see how so many people are calling this a leap to the future even though most of Orion's capabilities already exist in VR headsets (aside from most obviously the neural wristband).

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  70. Vision pros are so much better

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  71. did he say 'wrist neuro whatever'??? people already be having carpal tunnel syndrome cuz of pornhub. time to switch careers to physical therapist.

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    Replies
    1. Or eye surgeon once these things start exploding on people who commit unauthorized thinking.

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  72. At a time where influencers are selling their souls to hype up products, seeing all those people go "ohhh, cool, wow, its 3D, its so light" just makes me sad. This reminds me of the last Meta reveal of the Meta verse coming. There was no Metaverse.

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  73. They need us to train their AI by wearing this goofy glasses ;-;

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  74. Mark zuckerberg excellent work soon meta ai videos ( of all type meta au does not produce actress image or some images soon produce all images and videos to be entertained excellent soon meta ai before 2030) . Excellent entertainment given by young American excellent

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  75. Impressive, but the first guy they showed on the vt was gary vee??
    😫

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  76. Why did he change his dress swag of late ?

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  77. Wow, somebody got a gym subscription since their court appearance.

    Besides that i hate the usual god awful marketing bs we get from all American tech companies, if anything it just makes me more skeptical about the claims made, but if the glasses really do what those renders show (the first "acceptable FOV" and refresh rate AR glasses?) and come at a price of 1k or below then they might have something to finally push the industry forward a bit again.
    If it's going to try directly compete with HoloLens & Apple Vision Pro or whatever (read: cost 3k-6k) then this is pretty much a waste of time and resources.

    Thanks for the video, i would never watch a "Meta" event myself so thanks for telling me about this 👍

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    Replies
    1. Hololens and apple vision pro are full headsets. I doupt theyre going to get people to walk around in those. It's already better imo

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  78. Do they do vision correction? Or do I have to wear them on top of my eye glasses ?

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  79. This content was really clear and helpful!

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  80. The chain hooked to that dude lmao

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  81. No , i don't like Hologram world , i love real World - DISLIKE META

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  82. This content was packed with helpful info!

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  83. Apple truly missed the MARK with Vision Pro.

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  84. This is insanely good

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  85. he just kicked apple in the face

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  86. vision pro left the chat...

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    Replies
    1. This device cost 10000 bucks. Gues kids don't buy it for gorilla tag.

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  87. what happened to gta vr?

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  88. Make it so you dont need a fb acct and this will warship

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  89. You lacking two buttons on the side. On and off button

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    Replies
    1. You only need 1 button for on and off. 2 buttons for on and off have not been a thing since mechanical switches

      Delete

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