The firm has been pushing towards its imaginative and prescient of AR glasses for some time, and whereas that product may nonetheless be very far out, Meta has taken latest steps to get nearer to it. Last yr’s Ray-Ban Stories sun shades seem like common glasses and are geared up with cameras, and the Meta Quest Pro is able to extra immersive AR because of its coloration passthrough.

But that absolutely full glasses product from Meta may very well be years away, even with how a lot the corporate is investing in AR. “Our vision for true AR glasses will require years of progress making our devices slimmer, lighter, faster, and more powerful, all while consuming way less battery power and generating much less heat,” Bosworth mentioned. The Verge reported in June that the primary model of Meta’s standalone AR glasses shall be for builders solely, like Snap’s latest AR Spectacles, and the corporate is engaged on three iterations of glasses to be launched over the course of years.

Meta’s AR glasses may very well be paired with extra {hardware}, in keeping with a Monday report from The Information. One system the corporate is testing is formed like a telephone and may very well be used to “send commands to the glasses or to access more computing power for them,” The Information says. Meta has additionally tried to make a smartwatch to pair with the glasses however run into energy and design issues.

In his put up, Bosworth mentioned different points of its Reality Labs work that might see significant updates subsequent yr. He reiterated that the corporate is working onerous to enhance its extensively ridiculed avatar system, with “plenty more to share on this in 2023.” (Meta shared in October that it found out legs.) Horizon Worlds, Meta’s Roblox-like social VR platform, has been struggling to maintain customers, however Bosworth guarantees that Meta goes to “spend 2023 focused on helping this community flourish.” And you’ll be able to sit up for a “Meta Quest Gaming Showcase” within the spring and the official reveal of the “successor to the Meta Quest 2,” one thing CEO Mark Zuckerberg additionally introduced up in the company’s most recent earnings.

As somebody watching the VR and AR house, I admire Bosworth recapping the yr and laying out what’s subsequent. But his put up is probably going additionally meant to point out Meta’s dedication to VR and AR forward of what’s a doubtlessly enormous yr for AR / VR {hardware}. (Meta in all probability additionally desires to place its greatest foot ahead after the sudden departure of John Carmack on Friday.)

HTC has already mentioned it should announce a light-weight Meta Quest competitor in only a few weeks at CES. The system, just like the Meta Quest Pro, shall be able to VR, AR, and coloration passthrough. And Apple is extensively anticipated to leap into VR / AR by revealing its personal high-end headset subsequent yr. Meta expects the sector to get extra crowded with “new competitors joining us in building for AR and VR next year,” Bosworth wrote. We’ll have to attend and see if what the corporate has constructed — and what it has in retailer — is sufficient to make all of its investments price it.