Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) said on Wednesday that Facebook plans to release its first pair of smart glasses next year.

The company has partnered with EssilorLuxottica, including Ray-Ban (Ray-Ban) and other eyewear brands to provide different designs and styles for upcoming eyewear. In addition, the glasses will carry the Ray-Ban brand logo.

Zuckerberg said in a live broadcast of Facebook Connect, an online event for his virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) products: “I can’t provide complete product details yet, but they are indeed on the road to augmented reality glasses. The next step, and the appearance is also very good.”

Facebook also released a new version of the Oculus Quest VR all-in-one machine, with an upgraded processor and a higher-resolution Display. The new all-in-one machine called Oculus Quest 2 is priced at $299, which is $100 cheaper than the previous generation.

Smart glasses and the new all-in-one VR machine show Facebook’s efforts to expand its business beyond social networks and further advance hardware development.

In addition, Facebook has also produced a series of video chat devices called Portal, which became very popular during the new crown epidemic.

The two companies stated in a press release that the Facebook EssilorLuxottica partnership “will combine Facebook’s apps and technology, Luxottica’s category leadership and iconic brands, and Essilor’s advanced lens technology to help people better interact with Keep in touch with friends and family”. The price and name of the glasses and other details will be announced later.

At the same time, Facebook is launching a project aimed at testing full-featured AR technology.

Facebook’s head of VR and AR Andrew Bosworth said in an interview: “In the next year or two, I think I will be surprised to see (all AR glasses) appear in this industry. , So we must face many years-hope not decades.”

Facebook is still trying to answer some questions, such as what sensors to install on the glasses, how they work under different lighting and weather conditions, and what data needs to be collected. Due to Facebook’s user privacy scandal, some users may also be cautious when buying glasses.

When talking about AR glasses, Zuckerberg said: “Our goal is to develop some ordinary-sized, beautiful-looking glasses that can be worn all day to interact with holograms, digital objects and information, and at the same time interact with people around you. Together”.

Will still bet on virtual reality (VR)

Augmented reality (AR) involves superimposing virtual objects on the user’s view of the real world, while virtual reality (VR) immerses users in a digital environment. Facebook is still betting on virtual reality.

Zuckerberg said that since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, many people have spent more time in virtual reality. Facebook’s Oculus Quest does not need to be connected to a PC and has been sold out many times this year. During the coronavirus pandemic, consumer demand for all-in-ones has increased, and supply has been restricted due to the impact of the epidemic on production.

Zuckerberg mentioned that people miss the “sense of presence” that comes from staying in the same room with family and friends, and VR and AR can help achieve this.

Zuckerberg also said: “As the ecosystem continues to develop and hardware becomes more and more advanced, we are beginning to see how new experience categories will emerge in VR in the future.”

According to Facebook data, more than 90% of users who use Quest this year have never used an Oculus all-in-one machine before. However, the company has not announced the total sales of their all-in-ones.

Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion in 2014. According to Zuckerberg, as part of the transaction, Facebook paid another $1 billion for employee retention bonuses and other incentives.

However, after the acquisition, all the co-founders of Oculus left the company, and VR did not develop as quickly as expected. According to Statista, Oculus ranks second in the sales of all-in-one VR devices, with shipments of 28% of last year’s, second only to Sony.

Link to this article：Hard work! Facebook will release its first smart glasses next year