Meta is planning mixed reality glasses they’re calling ‘Puffin’ — Report

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms is reportedly planning to make a new breed of sleek, mixed-reality glasses, potentially replacing its bulkier predecessors. 

Codenamed “Puffin” by employees at Meta the new mixed reality glasses are on track to be launched by 2027, according to an Aug. 27 report from The Information that cited internal sources at the tech firm. 

Puffin would be significantly smaller than Meta’s existing Quest headsets and will not require handheld controllers to operate it. Users will instead be able to control the device with hand gestures.

Meta’s Quest headsets and the Apple Vision Pro already have this capability.

Unlike the large headset-style Apple Vision Pro, which boasts a price tag of $3,500, the new “Puffin” wearables are expected to be far more affordable and more compact in design, potentially attracting a broader user base. 

Mixed reality headsets operate by blending the real world and virtual reality, allowing users to interact with both digital and real-world objects while wearing the devices. 

The new information concerning the Puffin glasses comes two months after Zuckerberg touted that the next breakthrough mixed-reality product would look more like a pair of “smart glasses” featuring holographic displays and in-built cameras, microphones, and speakers. 

In the interview, Zuckerberg said Meta hopes to bridge the gap between the pre-existing Ray-Ban Meta, a product with no display, and bulky headsets that have been better suited for virtual reality.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg says Meta wearables that read brain signals are coming soon

According to Zuckerberg, glasses featuring a full FOV holographic display would allow for seamless real-time communications, informational overlays, and a heads-up display similar to that you’d find in a video game or military operator’s equipment. 

These glasses wouldn’t be much bulkier than regular glasses — “they’re unmistakably glasses, they’re not a headset,” he insisted.

Reality Labs still burning through cash

Meta’s Reality Labs division has been pouring money into research and development over the last few years, burning over $59.9 billion since its inception in 2019. It posted $353 million in sales revenue in its Q2 earnings call on July 31 this year. 

Despite the ongoing losses, Meta’s chief financial officer Susan Li said she expects Reality Labs’ operating losses to “decrease meaningfully” moving forward, noting upcoming product releases from the division. 

AI Eye: AI drone ‘hellscape’ plan for Taiwan, LLMs too dumb to destroy humanity

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms is reportedly planning to make a new breed of sleek, mixed-reality glasses, in a bid to replace its bulkier predecessors. 

Codenamed “Puffin” by employees at Meta the new mixed reality glasses are on track to be launched by 2027, according to an Aug. 27 report from The Information that cited internal sources at the tech firm. 

Puffin would be significantly smaller than Meta’s existing Quest headsets and will not require handheld controllers to operate it. Users will instead be able to control the device with hand gestures and eye movements, the Apple Vision Pro , a rival mixed-reality headset launched in February this year. 

Unlike the large headset-style Apple Vision Pro which boasts a price tag of $3,500, the new “Puffin” wearables are expected to be far more affordable and more compact in design, potentially attracting a wider user base. 

Mixed reality headsets operate by blending the real world and virtual reality, allowing users to interact with both digital and real-world objects while wearing the devices. 

The new information concerning the Puffin glasses comes two months after Zuckerberg touted that the next breakthrough mixed-reality product would look more like a pair of “smart glasses” featuring holographic displays and in-built cameras, microphones, and speakers. 

In the interview, Zuckerberg said Meta hopes to bridge the gap between the pre-existing Ray-Ban Meta, a product with no display, and bulky headsets better suited for virtual reality (VR).

Related: Mark Zuckerberg says Meta wearables that read brain signals are coming soon

According to Zuckerberg, glasses featuring a full FOV holographic display would allow for seamless real-time communications, informational overlays, and a heads-up display similar to that you’d find in a video game or military operator’s equipment. 

These glasses wouldn’t be much bulkier than regular glasses — “they’re unmistakably glasses, they’re not a headset,” he insisted.

Reality Labs still burning through cash

Meta’s Reality Labs division has been pouring money into research and development over the last few years, burning over $59.9 billion since its inception in 2019. It posted $353 million in sales revenue in its Q2 earnings call on July 31 this year. 

Despite the ongoing losses, Meta’s chief financial officer Susan Li said she expects Reality Labs’ operating losses to “decrease meaningfully” moving forward, noting upcoming product releases from the division. 

AI Eye: AI drone ‘hellscape’ plan for Taiwan, LLMs too dumb to destroy humanity