"This is a big deal": Jensen Huang tries out Meta's new Orion AR glasses

[zohaibahd]

What just happened? Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a range of new tech at Meta Connect this year, including the $300 Quest 3S VR headset. However, the real highlight was arguably Project Orion – a pair of AR smart glasses capable of projecting holograms directly into your field of vision using advanced display technology.

Many companies have attempted to create AR glasses, but the results have often been either tethered by cables or awkwardly designed. Meta's approach with Project Orion stands out because it avoids both of these issues.

Despite all the cutting-edge technology packed into the frame, these hologram-generating glasses almost resemble regular eyewear, bearing a striking similarity to Meta's Ray-Bans.

Speaking of tech, the Orion glasses pack a host of features like eye-tracking, hand-tracking, voice controls, and even a neural interface – although it reads signals from your wrist rather than your brain. The glasses also come with a wireless compute puck that resembles a sleek power bank. While they don't require a laptop or phone to operate, the puck must be within a few feet for them to function, meaning you'll likely need to carry it in your pocket.

In terms of functionality, the glasses use silicon carbide – an expensive refractive material – rather than standard glass or plastic for the lenses. Tiny projectors embedded in the arms of the glasses beam light into the lenses, allowing for crisp 3D visuals overlaid onto the real world.

Several publications tested the advanced hardware at the event. CNBC said the holograms "felt totally normal and very natural," thanks to the high-quality displays. The reporter was able to control apps and scroll through content by simply moving her wrist, thanks to the neural interface wristband.

The Verge's hands-on review also praised Orion's surprisingly high image quality for such compact AR glasses, noting that video calls appeared "crisp enough to feel engaging."

Even Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, renowned for his AI advocacy, got a chance to try Orion, enthusiastically stating, "This is a big deal... The head tracking is good, the brightness is good, the color contrast is good, field of view is excellent."

ð¨NVIDIA'S JENSEN HUANG TESTS AND APPROVES META ORION GLASSES

Meta Platforms unveiled its Orion holographic glasses at the Connect event, offering features like browsing and messaging with a sleek, less bulky design compared to Apple's Vision Pro.

NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang,… pic.twitter.com/qdYsoCIPA0

– Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 25, 2024

With a wide 70-degree field of view that surpasses many other similar glasses on the market, approximately two hours of battery life, and a plethora of features, these glasses could be a game-changer for augmented reality – if Meta can pull it off.

However, as impressive as Orion may appear and sound, Meta has admitted that this specific model will never reach the consumer market. It is an internal R&D device intended to inform the design of the company's future commercial augmented reality glasses.

Nonetheless, Meta asserts that Orion is "one of the most polished product prototypes" it has ever developed and is "truly representative of something that could ship to consumers."

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"This is a big deal": Jensen Huang tries out Meta's new Orion AR glasses

 

[yRaz]

How did Karen style librarian glasses ever come back into style?

 

[Dimitriid]

Didn't think the Zuck could get more of a Backpfeifengesicht (Google it) but this AR glasses have me stand corrected on that.

 

[Squid Surprise]

But it’s a prototype that isn’t for sale and never will be… go hype train go!

 

[Dimitrios]

Is that you Randy Newman?

 

[waclark]

How did Karen style librarian glasses ever come back into style?

Sexy librarians have never gone out of style. The glasses are the Defacto standard for hot bibliognosts.

 

[opckieran]

Sexy librarians have never gone out of style. The glasses are the Defacto standard for hot bibliognosts.

It just needs a thick sweater.

 

[mgwerner]

The newest in male nerd birth control. As if they needed any help in that department.

 

[VitalyT]

You will look like Millhouse from The Simpsons.

 

[NumberNine]

Nothing released by Meta will be worth the cost of creating an account in their ruthlessly parasitic ecosystem of social garbage.

 

[seeprime]

The 1950s want their frames back.

 

[ThomasTECH]

I love the concept, Great Job Mark Z! However; personally I am looking to give my eyes a rest and not get the screen any closer to my face than it already is. Challenge for the Tech world is really removing the screen entirely and living in the world while able to do tech in a very limited and controlled screenless seemless manner effectively. Ai will be the key for this I am assuming. At some point put on the glasses yes but only when necessary. Can't imagine trying to wear these for hours straight.

 

[kinetix]

Has anyone here seen the anime Denoo Coil?
A very interesting part is "believing" what you see

 

[fazy shah]

Now free video tracking so they can sell our live feeds. Great.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Brings back to mind the movie "Revenge of the Nerds".

 

[Colonel Blimp]

Not much use for those of us who have to wear glasses.
And no, I'm not poking my eyeballs for contacts.

 

[Tom Mariner]

Looks very useful and entertaining -- and as a prototype, the GUX will only get better.

But short, attack posts here -- strange.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

When I find out the price and cons of using it for long periods, I can give an opinion, but at first it seems really cool to have a giant screen that fits in your pocket.

PS: Nevermind:
"Each pair of glasses reportedly costs Meta $10,000 to make, and the company says it needs time to get them to a price that makes them plausible — think something in the $1,000-ish range, like a laptop or high-end phone. (That $10,000 number comes from The Verge's Alex Heath. Meta declined to comment on the number).

 

[Eldrach]

I mean, it could be cool. Imagine a boring family gathering - You can just pop up a TV screen inside your glasses and you'll appear as you're paying attention

 

[Technobabble]

I love the concept, Great Job Mark Z! However; personally I am looking to give my eyes a rest and not get the screen any closer to my face than it already is. Challenge for the Tech world is really removing the screen entirely and living in the world while able to do tech in a very limited and controlled screenless seemless manner effectively. Ai will be the key for this I am assuming. At some point put on the glasses yes but only when necessary. Can't imagine trying to wear these for hours straight.

I think you misunderstand the fundamental difference between AR glasses like these and VR glasses (e.g. Meta Quest). While in VR glasses you are 100 percent of the time looking at a screen and any world whether virtual or real (passthrough) must be reproduced on the screen, there is no screen present in AR glasses. There is only glass/optical plastic in your field of view, practically, no different than wearing presciption glasses. You see the real world unobstructed. When desired and only when desired, an image is projected onto the glass via projectors in the arms of the glasses and this image is reflected back into your eyes seamlessly blending virtual elements with the real world (simplified description). Quite similar to the way you can see a reflection of everything in a well-lit room in a glass window while still seeing everything beyond the window at the same time.

 

[LetTheWookieWin]

Is that you Randy Newman?

Personally, I think he’s channeling his inner Woody Allen.

 

[HofyPC]

Those look like the issued glasses when I was in the Army. They were called RPGs, Regulation Prescription Glasses. We called them RPGs also. Rape Prevention Glasses.

 

[DanteSmith]

When I find out the price and cons of using it for long periods, I can give an opinion, but at first it seems really cool to have a giant screen that fits in your pocket.

PS: Nevermind:
"Each pair of glasses reportedly costs Meta $10,000 to make, and the company says it needs time to get them to a price that makes them plausible — think something in the $1,000-ish range, like a laptop or high-end phone. (That $10,000 number comes from The Verge's Alex Heath. Meta declined to comment on the number).

Well, it's a toy for millionaires for now.

 

[Later]

Can Meta design something less ugly, even in the prototype stage, I would rather see some wires and lenses than that. The fact that other users test them means is not a to much from release phase, prototype.

 

[Gastec]

Is that you Randy Newman?

Nope, that is just Vilma.