Introducing Orion, our first true augmented reality glasses

Five years ago we announced to the world that we were building AR glasses. We don't believe people have to make a choice between a world of information at their fingertips and being present in the physical world around them.

That's why we're revealing today Orionwhich we believe is the most advanced AR glasses ever made. Orion connects the physical and virtual worlds and puts people at the center so they can be more present, more connected and stronger in the world.

Why augmented reality glasses?

There are three main reasons why AR glasses are the key to the next big leap in human-centered computing.

• They enable digital experiences that are not limited by the boundaries of a smartphone screen. Large holographic displays allow you to use the physical world as a canvas and place 2D and 3D content and experiences anywhere.
• They seamlessly integrate contextual AI that can perceive and understand the world around you to anticipate and proactively address your needs.
• They are lightweight and great for indoor and outdoor use and allow people to see each other's face, eyes and facial expressions.

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This is the North Star our industry is working toward: a product that combines the convenience and immediacy of wearables with a large display, high-bandwidth input, and contextualized AI in a form that people enjoy wearing in their daily lives.

The development of intelligent glasses

Ray-Ban Meta glasses have proven to give people hands-free access to important parts of their digital lives from their physical lives. We can talk to a smart AI assistant, connect with friends, and capture the moments that matter – all without ever having to pull out a phone.

But while Ray-Ban Meta opened a whole new category of displayless glasses with AI technology, the XR industry has long dreamed of true AR glasses – a product that combines the advantages of a large holographic display and personalized AI support in a comfortable, all-day wearable form factor. Orion rises to the challenge.

Groundbreaking AR display in an unprecedented form

We've been working hard for years to harness the incredible spatial experiences offered by VR and MR headsets and to miniaturize the technology required to deliver these experiences in lightweight, stylish glasses.

Getting the form factor right, delivering holographic displays, developing compelling AR experiences, creating new paradigms for human-computer interaction (HCI) – and doing it all in a cohesive product – is one of the most difficult challenges, our industry has ever faced. It was so challenging that we thought we had less than a 10% chance of completing it successfully. Until now.

Orion is a masterpiece of miniaturization – tThe components are packed to a fraction of a millimeter. Dozens of innovations were required to bring the design into a contemporary form that can be worn comfortably every day.

Orion features the largest field of view yet in the smallest AR glasses form. This field of view opens up truly immersive use cases for Orion, from multitasking windows and large-screen entertainment to life-size holograms of people – all digital content that fits seamlessly into your view of the physical world.

But what makes Orion unique is that it looks and feels unmistakably a pair of glasses – complete with transparent lenses. Unlike MR headsets or other AR glasses, today you can still see other people's eyes and facial expressions, allowing you to be present and share the experience with the people around you.

Augmented reality experiences

Of course, like any hardware, Orion is only as good as the things you can do with it. And while it's still early days, the experiences Orion offers are an exciting glimpse of what's to come.

We have our intelligent assistant, Meta AIruns on Orion. It understands what you see in the physical world and can help you with useful visualizations. So you can open your fridge and ask for a recipe based on the contents. Or video call a friend while you adjust a digital family calendar while doing the dishes.

You can make a hands-free video call to stay in touch with friends and family in real time, and you can stay connected via WhatsApp and Messenger to view and send messages. You don't have to pull out your phone, unlock it, find the right app, and tell your friend you're late for dinner – you can do it all through your glasses.

Our teams continue to work on the experiences available today through Orion to create new immersive social experiences, and we can't wait to share what's next.

A targeted product prototype

Although Orion won't end up in the hands of consumers, make no mistake: this is not a research prototype. It's one of the most sophisticated product prototypes we've ever developed and truly representative of something that could be delivered to consumers. Rather than rushing to put it on the shelves, we decided to focus on internal development first, which means we can continue to build quickly and push the boundaries of the technology further, helping us move faster to an even better consumer product reach.

What comes next

Starting today and throughout the year, we at Connect are opening access to our Orion product prototype to meta employees and select external audiences so that our development team can learn, iterate, and work toward our consumer AR glasses product line, which we plan to begin you in the near future with shipping.

And now that we've shared Orion with the world, let's focus on a few things:

• Optimize the quality of the AR display to make images even sharper
• We optimize wherever we can to make the form factor even smaller
• Build to scale to make them more affordable

Over the next few years, you can expect new devices from us that build on our research and development efforts. Orion isn't just a window into the future – it's a look at the very real possibilities that are within reach today. From Ray-Ban Meta glasses to Orion, we've seen how much good can come from allowing people to remain more present and empowered in the physical world while taking advantage of everything the digital world has to offer.