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Meta's Next Ray

Oct 29, 2023

Fewer features to worry about

Meta

Simpler is sometimes better when it comes to gadgets.

Meta's second-generation smart glasses will reportedly let you live-stream video to viewers who will be able to respond. Experts say that the Ray-Bans could be a good alternative for users intimidated by the many features and high price tag of Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset.

"Think of Ray-Bans as your everyday glasses but more innovative, and VR headsets as your deep-dive into a digital world," Vladimir Fomeko, the director of the tech firm Infatica, told Lifewire in an email interview. "Ray-Bans amplifies your daily life, making it a bit more digital. On the other hand, VR headsets are more about fully stepping into a virtual space."

Tech reporter Janko Roettgers claims to have reviewed internal papers indicating that the next generation of Ray-Ban Stories will offer the ability to live-stream video to Facebook and Instagram and feature a function allowing viewers to communicate with you audibly.

The current version of Ray-Ban Stories is a collaboration between Facebook and the eyewear brand Ray-Ban. The smart glasses come with built-in cameras for capturing photos and short videos, along with speakers and a microphone for audio functionality.

"Live streamers will be able to directly communicate with their audience, with the glasses relaying comments via audio over the built-in headphones," Roettgers wrote on his blog.

Max Kraynov, the group CEO of FunCorp, a developer of entertainment tech and VR games, said in an email that the new Meta glasses could be a hit.

"This could become a powerful device for creating a new type of content: real-time video streaming from the environment to the user and their subscribers, as opposed to traditional streaming content consumption," he added. "For Meta, an additional benefit would be the visibility and recognition of the device worn on one's head."

This could become a powerful device for creating a new type of content: real-time video streaming from the environment to the user and their subscribers...

"VR headsets, even in the Mixed Reality mode when you see the world around you with extra details augmented into the picture, are impractical to use outside of one's home due to their size, as well as unreliable hand tracking or the use of controllers," Kraynov said. "Seeing the real picture as opposed to the one transmitted via cameras provides a much smoother experience and a much clearer picture."

One big advantage to Meta's glasses will be cost. Although a price hasn't been announced for the new Stories, they are likely to be much cheaper than the $3500 for an Apple Vision Pro.

Simplicity is also part of the allure of the Ray-Ban Stories.

"Not everyone needs all the bells and whistles," Fomeko said. "For many, a sleek design with just the essentials is the sweet spot—it's less overwhelming and fits seamlessly into daily life."

The best part of the new Meta glasses may be the ability to watch and broadcast video. Live streaming is already a popular feature on social media, noted Mac Steer, the owner of the tech company Simify, said in an email. But live-streaming in the past has been limited to what you're doing at that exact moment—you can't do anything else while you're streaming because your entire focus is on the stream.

Luxottica Group S.p.A / Facebook

"Meta's second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses will change all of that," he added. "With these glasses, you'll be able to live-stream videos of yourself any time you want and interact with viewers in real-time. This means that you can do other things while streaming, like go shopping, watch TV, or cook dinner—whatever makes sense for what you're doing. You'll be able to see your viewers' comments as they come in, which will help keep things fun and interesting for everyone involved."

While Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses don't offer any of the visual experiences you get with augmented and virtual reality headsets, they are a stepping stone on Meta's journey towards building AR glasses, Beth Wickerson, the associate innovation director at Signal Theory, said in an email.

"The ability to live stream video with Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses would offer the ability to capture and share your real-time first-person perspective, something you currently can only achieve with bulky head-mounted gear," she added.

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