Meta Connect 2025 live updates: Ray-Bans 2, Hypernova smart glasses, Oakley, more

By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 17 at 3:46 p.m. ET

Ahead of Meta Connect, CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted on Threads that today’s announcements will include various finger emojis, from writing with a stylus to making finger hearts.

In other words, the neural wristband that’s been teased for almost a year may finally come to market. It would allow users to operate their smart glasses and headsets with pinches, swipes, and taps. The question is how fluid and reliable at tracking the accessory is.

Here’s to hoping for a live demonstration during this afternoon’s keynote.

By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 17 at 2:50 p.m. ET

ZDNET’s Jason Hiner and I are officially on the ground for Meta Connect. Lots of excitement in the air, Meta signage, and people wearing Ray-Bans. Stay tuned for more.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 16 at 8:10 p.m. ET

Meta Connect 2025 won’t be completely devoted to Hypernova, as a recent leak has revealed that there will be at least one other product. Earlier this week, Meta accidentally uploaded a teaser trailer for a new pair of smart glasses that could be called the Meta Ray Ban Display.

As the name suggests, these wearables will “feature a monocular HUD that projects navigation pathways [via a map app], translations, messages, and exchange with the Meta AI assistant.” Text boxes, maps, and the like seemingly stay static. They won’t latch onto objects in front of you like an AR (augmented reality) headset would.

Also: Samsung ‘Galaxy Glasses’ powered by Android XR are reportedly on track to be unveiled this month

Compared to current Meta Ray Ban models, the Ray Ban Display is significantly bulkier, especially around the corners. The extra size is probably a consequence of all the additional tech needed to support digital displays. 

I should mention that Meta could also announce new smart glasses with its other partner, Oakley. Another leak spilled the beans on the “rumoured Oakley Meta Sphaera,” which will have a camera lens in the center for capturing footage. 

By Jason Howell, Contributor / Sept. 16 at 8:05 p.m. ET

For the event, it appears the tech giant is going big as Meta will reportedly unveil a new pair of high-end smart glasses, codenamed Hypernova, capable of displaying a graphical interface and tracking hand gestures, among other things. Much of the information surrounding Hypernova comes from unnamed sources who spoke to industry insider Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.

According to this report, the smart glasses could cost around $800 (and as much as $1,400.) For comparison, the Oakley HSTN are currently Meta’s most expensive wearables, and they only cost $479. The massive price difference is due to a “monocular panel” located in the bottom right-hand corner of the right lens. Because of the panel’s location, on-screen information will only be displayed over your right eye, and you’ll have to look down to see a home screen.

Also: 2 Meta Ray-Bans leaks that have me truly excited for Connect (including a new Oakley model)

This home screen will consist of preinstalled apps, which include a camera, image gallery, and map. Additionally, Hypernova could possibly connect to smartphones to display texts and notifications on the digital screen. A proper name has yet to be revealed or leaked; however, rumors claim that the $800 smart glasses may be called Meta Celeste.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 16 at 7:50 p.m. ET

Gurman’s report mentions that Meta will “begin offering a so-called neural wristband [codenamed Ceres] for the first time.” This will be an accompanying accessory to Hypernova that converts electrical signals from wrist muscles into gesture controls. For example, rotating your hands will let you scroll through apps, and a finger pinch will allow users to select specific items.

Also: Meta wears Prada? Why its next-gen AR glasses might out-style the Ray-Bans

Not much is known about Ceres; however, early renders and images of the accessory have leaked. These renders show Ceres could be a bracelet of sorts made primarily out of gray, elastic textile cloth, with the inner side holding a series of “high-performance EMG sensors.” 

These sensors capture the electrical signals mentioned earlier, which are then sent to an internal processor to “produce input events” on the smart glasses. It even has a haptic engine delivering tactile feedback to the user.

By Cesar Cadenas, Writer / Sept. 16 at 7:31 p.m. ET

Meta may unveil the new Asus ROG Tarius, a VR headset that will be the first third-party device to run on Horizon OS, on Wednesday. Meta opened its operating system to third-party companies in April 2024. It’s taken a little while, but the fruits of these collaborations are bearing fruit.

Considering that it’ll be under the Asus ROG umbrella, Tarius is likely to be a gaming-centric device. Very little is known about the headset. Much of the information that we currently have comes from a single leak that surfaced in January of this year. 

Also: I tried smart glasses with a built-in display, and they beat my Meta Ray-Bans in key ways

It claims Tarius will support both eye and face tracking. The screen inside the visor will either be micro-OLED or QD-LED with local dimming. Assuming this is all true, the QD-LED screens could be used to achieve high amounts of contrast.

Sadly, that’s pretty much all we know. No word on what it’ll look like or what kinds of games it’ll support. We don’t even know what chipset it’ll run. Could it eschew more towards the Meta Quest 3 and deliver a top-notch performance, or will it be like the Quest 3S and be less powerful in favor of having a lower price tag? It’s hard to say at the moment.