Meta CTO and head of Reality Labs Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says the company is currently working on a “glasses form-factor” mixed reality headset.

In an Instagram Q&A, Bosworth confirmed the company is working on the device, although didn’t provide any concrete timelines:

“I don’t think a mixed reality headset, even in a glasses form factor—which we’re working on—is going to disrupt the smartphone. But I do think augmented reality is going to at some point, and we’re also working on that—but I can’t tell you the timelines.”

Two weeks ago, a report from The Information citing two Meta employees alleged the company is now considering a mixed reality device resembling “a bulky pair of glasses,” codenamed ‘Puffin’, which could release as early as 2027.

Puffin allegedly incorporates pancake lenses and includes an “External Processing Puck and Battery,” which would ostensibly offload weight from the user’s head.

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In his Q&A, Bosworth also highlighted that a “ground breaking” AR announcement is set to come during Connect 2024, which is due o kick off September 25th.

“I think the AR announcement will be very ground breaking. We’ve already kind of teased it, but I think when people start to be able to experience it, I think that it’s really going to turn some heads,” Bosworth said.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed in an interview with YouTuber Kane ‘Kallaway’ Sutter back in July the company was showing off a pair of prototype AR glasses soon, which now appears to point to a Connect reveal.

“The glasses are, I think, going to be a big deal,” Zuckerberg said. “We’re almost ready to start showing the prototype version of the full holographic glasses. We’re not going to be selling it broadly; we’re focused on building the full consumer version rather than selling the prototype.”

We’ll also be looking forward to learning more about the all-but-confirmed Quest 3S, which is likely set to be the company’s next affordable headset. There’s also a fleet of third-party Quest-like headsets running HorizonOS still sitting in the wings, which will arrive from partners ASUS, Lenovo, and Xbox.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    so… valve index 2 confirmed? competition is great buahahahahahahahahah

    • Shad Daffucup

      no horror VR could come close to the horror of your everyday life

      • ViRGiN

        Gayben

      • That's kinda deep ….
        []^ (

  • The AR glasses thing is very intriguing, I'm very curious to see what they will showcase at Connect!

    • Same Tony!

    • johnyjazz

      Do you already have any AR glasses? I have Xreal Air 1s – but they aren't really AR at all – just extra monitors on your face – but they are fun to use for a short while.

    • Arno van Wingerde

      Me too, as I am interested to see where they are going with this. But I am really not interested to get some myself any time soon. I'd rather wear the Quest3 and get full immersion and better options than glasses with … what? TV – probably not, too bad screen. Games – probably not – same reason. Walking in public so I can use it as GPS – I doubt it.

  • Andrew Jakobs

    I'd rather have a 'bulkier' headset then having an external puck connected with a wire. Already hate the wire from my HTC wireless module to the battery.

    • Arno van Wingerde

      Ah: curious about that one! I hated the PSVR2 cable as I tended to step on it when playing standing and I would occasionally notice it, breaking immersion.
      If routed well (Velcro or some such), why would a battery pack and cable along your body be all that noticeable?

      • Andrew Jakobs

        Because it adds another barrier to start using the headset as it takes extra time to connect the cable to the battery, and put the battery on your belt and adjusting the cable so it doesn't get in the way. Also from my experience the battery on the belt can come loose when jumping or crouching. And if you take the headset off for a moment you also need to detach the cable and reattach it when continuing. In that regard I really love the Pico 4 much more as my HTC Vive Pro, which I also need to turn on the basestations and not forget to turn them off. But at the moment my PC/router is too old for using wireless with the Pico, while decent enough for using wireless with the Vive Pro/wireless module (due to its dedicated wireless transmitter).

        • Christian Schildwaechter

          I realize that one specific annoyance can ruin the experience, even if others are fine with it. Be it mura, gray blacks, low FoV, tethers or some other technical limitation. But as you mentioned the extra time for dealing with cables before you can use the HMD, can you estimate how much longer it takes you to get into a VR session on your Vive Pro plus wireless module compared to the Pico 4, and how much this is relative to the average session length?

          We know that friction is a major cause of people dropping VR. Quest Pro was designed to be very quick to put on and off, and always ready to use due to its charging station. Which made a lot of sense for a VR conferencing HMD, where people need to quickly hop onto several short sessions each day, making a 1-2min setup before each use very annoying. On the other hand 5-10min for perfectly adjusting a Varjo XR strap might be fine for a 90min session of testing a virtual interface, where for maximum sharpness the HMD must never shift .

          So as someone with a lot of VR experience and active use, it would be interesting to hear if you are mostly bothered by the extra effort needed, or in general annoyed by cables dangling from the HMD, even if this doesn't add friction.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            It is the extra time to setup/demount, but also the extra annoyance of the cable in the way if my arm as tye cable moved (and doesn't come with a clip by default, but a clip would not fit my t-shirts and I hate feeling the clip in my neck if attached to the rim of the T-shirt, and having the wire run inside my t-shirt is a no no as it really feels awful on my skin. Also my experience with the battery popping of my belt during crouch or jumping. And with longer sessions with getting a drink during playing means dismounting everything again, or having to hold the headset which means difficulty in pouring a drink or something.
            with the Pico I just get it off, put it down get my drink, put it on and go on. Ok, lets pretend the passthrough gets better, so no need to remove the headset at all, but it still leaves the puck popping of your belt, cable hindering your movement.
            I agree with long sessions it isn't the biggest problem, but it certainly blocks me from just playing a simple round of airhockey or some other thing you might play for 10-15 minutes, which is exactly what I want to get some activity(health).

          • Christian Schildwaechter

            Longterm I hope for modular designs, allowing to put everything in front with soft straps for portability, or moving battery/compute to the back of a halo strap or a belt, enabling different compute modules and battery sizes. Not necessarily as one device, but different models using the same modules to save cost. With tiny extra batteries for hot swapping, and connections held by magnets to make it safe for sim players or desktop users attaching a stronger PC, automatically disconnecting without crashing if users move too far.

            Technically already feasible. The Steam Deck's 11*6cm² mainboard works outside the Deck on a single USB-C connection for power, display and in- and output. Add a small hub, power bank, Bigscreen Beyond (or WMR HMD to avoid ligthhouses) and a custom headstrap, and you can put everything in front, or compute/battery to the back, a belt or a desk. Obviously a giant hack and rather bulky. Valve could try something similar on Deckard, though I doubt they will due to added cost and complexity. But the tech is almost there, and current "one size fits all" HMDs clearly fit neither all user needs nor use cases equally well, and have to get more configurable.

        • ApocalypseShadow

          Come on. 15 to 30 more seconds to attach a puck on your waste, to have light glasses on you face, is a deal breaker that you'd rather wear a brick on your face?

          Something that is as small as those Ray Bans they are pushing, with built in AI, that could lead to lightweight VR headsets with a wire going down you back to the battery and processor would not get in the way at all.

          You're making it more than it is. Just like when gamers were talking about PSVR having all these wires everywhere when actually it was just one thick one to the headset. And then PS VR 2 had an even lighter one with USB C.

          "But but but I hate all those wires."

          The reason why it'll take a long time to get to those light glasses is because of the wire snobs.

          • Christian Schildwaechter

            What about the "large FoV" snobs? Or the "OLED contrast" snobs, the "no mobile graphics", "no short games", "only AAA level" or "no Fresnel" snobs? Or those like me that can't deal with uneven pressure on face or head, complaining about a lack of comfort? Are they all the reason why VR is progressing slowly?

            You're making it more than it is.

            That this is what you think doesn't make it true for everybody else. For me most HMDs are by default so uncomfortable that I can use them only while pushing the HMD up with one hand to reduce pressure on the face. Which makes longer sessions or anything requiring both hands almost impossible, but otherwise it is very uncomfortable, occasionally getting so painful that I have to abort immediately. Most people seem to be fine with the default straps, and many others fine with 3rd party replacement straps, while all my HMDs required lots of custom hacking to become bearable, and none of them are comfortable for me.

            People are different. So don't be too hasty with dismissing someone's complaints regarding usability. Because if we expect people to just suck it up, VR will never go mainstream, which is required for large user numbers that could bring more software, competition and development speed. We know that the extra hassle and friction both during setup and while wearing a headset is a major factor why most gamers still ignore VR. And changing that will require listening to ALL complaints and fix as many of them as possible. Because most players will rightfully react to "get good" with "get lost", and just go back to their regular PS5 that may be less immersive, but also a lot less cumbersome to use.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Hee, I'm talking from experience with the cables, and I really hate those cables. I don't care if VR glasses are as light as regular glasses. It will also need full lightblockers anyway. To me something like the Pico 4 isn't a bother to wear, would is be nice if it was even lighter, yeah of course, but not at the cost of having to adjust a cable and a puck to my belt/pocket.
            And having a cable run to my computer is a complete no no, no matter how light/flexible the cable is or use a pulley system like the kiwi (been there, done that, and never again).
            As long as the headset got a good headstrap and facegasket I don't care. But a good headstrap/gasket is the biggest problem as none of the newer headsets (at least not the Pico, Quests, AVP or the XR elite) come with it by default. The Pico has an awful facegasket, the Quests and the AVP have an awful headstrap.

  • Sofian

    Will look as goofy as other "glass form factor" devices until they figure out how to make canted optics.

    • Arno van Wingerde

      Yes, but do not forget that the first mobile phones Motorola DynaTAC 8000X were also huge, easily the size of the old fashioned Bakelite phones. Things will remain like that for quite a few years, being a trade-off between size, battery life, graphics. It is orders of magnitude easier to pack that in a Quest3 size package than in anything looking like normal glasses.