Meta Unveils $799 AI Glasses — Amidst 2 Live Demo Fail at Connect 2025

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday introduced the company’s “first AI glasses with high resolution,” the Meta Ray-Ban Display, set to launch on September 30 for $799. But the much-anticipated unveiling at MetaConnect 2025 was marred by technical hiccups.

The keynote, held at Meta’s California headquarters, had been billed as the debut of a breakthrough device codenamed Hypernova. Instead, Zuckerberg revealed three products: an upgrade to the existing Ray-Ban Meta frames, a sports-focused Oakley set called the Meta Vanguard, and the new Meta Ray-Ban Display.

The device features a 5,000-nit display and pairs with the Meta Neural Band, a fabric wristband that detects subtle movements to type text. “I’m up to about 30 words a minute on this,” Zuckerberg said.

Early demos showed promise — live text replies and music controls worked smoothly. But then, a WhatsApp video call from Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth was repeatedly interrupted.

Zuckerberg’s Neural Band couldn’t answer the call, forcing Bosworth to join him on stage. Later, the glasses’ LiveAI feature failed to guide a cooking demo, frustrating presenters.

Zuckerberg blamed WiFi issues but offered no fix for the glitches. A pre-recorded video closed the keynote, showcasing more polished use cases like design and shopping.