Meta, IMAX certify VR glasses for 2027

Meta Platforms and IMAX have entered into an agreement to make Meta’s upcoming VR glasses the first-ever IMAX Enhanced certified virtual reality device. The partnership centers on bringing IMAX’s visual and audio standards into a new VR form factor and is tied to the launch of Meta VR Glasses in spring 2027.

As part of the agreement, an updated IMAX app will be released for the Meta VR Glasses. The app is planned to deliver a virtual theatre environment where users can watch select IMAX Enhanced titles, including some with expanded picture formats and IMAX’s expanded aspect ratios.

The collaboration is designed to provide optimized picture quality and immersive sound on the device. It also broadens IMAX’s ecosystem of certified display and audio products, which already includes devices from Sony, Hisense, TCL, and LG, and aligns that ecosystem with a new VR category.

The Meta VR Glasses are scheduled to debut in spring 2027. At launch, users will be able to access the updated IMAX app on the device, enabling at-home or on-the-go viewing of IMAX Enhanced content in a virtual theatre setting.

Within this environment, select titles will feature IMAX’s expanded aspect ratios and enhanced picture formats. The app experience is positioned to replicate key elements of the IMAX Experience through VR, using both visual and audio enhancements tailored to the glasses.

Product details for the Meta VR Glasses describe a glasses-like design that emphasizes low weight and offloaded processing. The device is stated to weigh about 100 grams and to be about five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, achieved by relocating the battery and processors into a puck that can clip to a belt or bag.

The display system is described as a 5K Infinite Display built on micro-OLED panels. Interaction relies on eye tracking, hand gestures, and surface input that can turn a table into a keyboard and touchpad, and the design does not use handheld controllers.

The Meta VR Glasses are planned to launch at a price of $1,299.99. Meta is positioning the device as glasses-like rather than headset-like, with the lighter on-head hardware and external compute puck marking a different product category from traditional strapped-on VR headsets.

The Meta VR Glasses sit alongside Meta’s existing AI and display-focused eyewear. The design approach follows the same thesis used for the Neural Band and Display products, which shift heavy components off the head to keep the glasses themselves light.

Meta also highlights a Hologram calling feature, a photorealistic real-time representation of the caller, which is planned to be integrated into the Meta VR Glasses at launch after early access on WhatsApp for Display users. This feature is presented as part of the communications capabilities envisioned for the broader glasses roadmap.