What you need to know
- Meta is reportedly working on an Orion prototype successor, codenamed "Artemis," that could be released as early as 2027.
- The company will offer Orion test units to software developers next year, per the report.
- It's also working on sporty Oakley smart glasses and a premium pair with a display for AR features.
With the announcement of Android XR and the Samsung Project Moohan teasers, there's a spotlight on extended-reality (XR) technology. It's fair to consider Meta a pioneer in this space, with the Meta Quest lineup, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and Meta Orion prototype XR glasses. Where is the company headed? Thanks to a report from Bloomberg insider Mark Gurman, we have an idea.
Orion, the prototype Android Central's own Nicholas Sutrich got to experience last year, will never be mass produced. It's too expensive and has a separate puck that handles the wearable's processing. However, in many ways, it's a glimpse of what Meta hopes to offer to consumers in the future. In fact, Meta just explained how the sEMG input works — and why it may be the future of hand tracking and device input.
Gurman now reports that Orion will be offered to software developers next year, in 2026, so they can build and test apps for the platform. Even though Orion won't be sold, the company is working on another project — codenamed Artemis — that will be eventually sold. The Bloomberg report notes that it could become available as early as 2027. By giving Orion to developers early, Meta likely hopes to build up a software ecosystem before selling Artemis, avoiding an Apple Vision Pro-esque debacle.
Artemis is likely still early in development, but Gurman says people with knowledge of the prototypes say it's both lighter and more advanced than Orion.
Separately, there's new information about Meta's future smart glasses plans. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are a huge hit, and they're made possible by a partnership with legacy eyeglass maker EssilorLuxottica. But EssilorLuxottica manages many more brands than just Ray-Ban, and Meta may be about to take advantage of that.
There's reportedly a pair of Meta smart glasses in the works codenamed "Supernova 2," based on Oakley's Sphaera frames. This design would shift the camera to the center of the frames, and would be targeted at athletes, according to the report.
That might not sound great to uses of current Ray-Ban Meta glasses, who enjoy the subtle design and everyday wear of the existing pair. There is good news on that front, though: Meta is reportedly working on a premium variant of the Ray-Ban Metas codenamed "Hypernova." This set could cost as much as $1,000, per Gurman, and would be a high-end offering. Crucially, this pair of glasses would include a screen that turns the smart glasses into an AR device.
The most recent Bloomberg report indicates that Meta is pursuing an XR future on all fronts. It's both working on scaling down its Orion prototype for mass production, and scaling up its Ray-Ban Meta glasses to become a true AR device.
