🔥 Zuckerberg's Orion: A Vision for the Future

posted  26 Sept 2024
At the Connect 2024 conference, Meta revealed the Orion augmented reality glasses prototype. Mark Zuckerberg, who showcased its capabilities, hailed it as "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen."

Orion represents five years of development aimed at creating a VR device that can be effortlessly incorporated into daily life. The glasses have the ability to turn any environment into an interactive space for entertainment, work, or education, overlaying digital content onto physical objects.

Whether you're in your office chair, on your home sofa, or at a café along the city pier, the people and objects you need can be right next to you. The glasses will generate the hologram, retrieving the object from the network and placing it into your surrounding space.
Mark Zuckerberg with the Orion AR glasses. Source:  theguardian

Mark Zuckerberg with the Orion AR glasses. Source: theguardian

Although Orion appears much more like regular glasses compared to Meta’s other VR devices, referring to them as “glasses” is no longer fitting. It’s a sophisticated, standalone gadget with a wrist-worn controller, allowing users to interact with their environment using eye, hand, and voice commands.

The design is heavily inspired by the earlier Ray-Ban Meta Smart, a failed product that never gained market traction. The glasses, which had built-in cameras and speakers, didn’t meet expectations. Many criticized the $299 price tag, saying it didn’t match the image and sound quality promised at launch.
Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses. Source: Х

Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses. Source: Х

Although the release date for Orion is still unknown, Meta has started testing it internally with employees. There’s no doubt that the company is focused on taking this project to the commercial stage.
Zuckerberg, sporting a t-shirt that read “Aut Zuck aut nihil” in Latin (translating to “Either Zuckerberg or nothing”), proudly announced, “A lot of people have said this is the craziest technology they've ever seen.” 

It’s clear that this phrase perfectly encapsulates his ambitions. Still, let’s hold off on the accolades for now; Meta has launched projects in the past that were branded as “game-changing, without equal,” but never earned widespread recognition.