Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled the first 'fully functioning' prototype of the company's augmented-reality smart glasses, Orion.

During the Meta Connect event on September 25 in California, Zuckerberg made a bold claim: These are the 'most advanced smart glasses the world has ever seen.' The excitement in the air was palpable as the audience got the first glimpse of what could be a game-changer in AR technology.

A Glimpse into the Future

Orion uses tiny projectors built into the arms of the glasses to create a heads-up display. This display appears as though it's on objects in the real world, offering an immersive experience.

'For now, the right way to look at Orion is as a time machine,' Zuckerberg said while holding up the new AR glasses. He added, 'These glasses exist, are awesome, and are a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting.'

The glasses are controlled by voice prompts and a 'neural interface,' which comes in the form of a wrist-worn wearable. The neural interface allows users to make specific gestures to navigate and control apps on the smart glasses.

A pre-recorded demo video showcased Orion's capabilities, including Zuckerberg and tech commentator Roberto Nickson playing a virtual game of Pong and engaging in a video chat through augmented reality.

'These glasses exist, are awesome, and are a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting,' Zuckerberg said.

Upgrades to Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

Meta also announced upgrades to its Ray-Ban smart glasses. These enhancements include real-time artificial intelligence video interaction and processing and live language translation between English, French, Italian, and Spanish. This makes the Ray-Ban smart glasses fashionable and highly functional, adding a new layer of utility for users.

Introducing the Quest 3S Headset

In addition to Orion, Zuckerberg unveiled Meta's latest mixed-reality headset, the Quest 3S. Priced at $299 for its 128 GB version, it's significantly cheaper than the discontinued $500 Quest 3 128 GB headset.

Meta has also decided to phase out its other headsets, the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro, but the 512GB Quest 3 will remain available at a reduced price of $500.

Advancements in AI: Llama 3.2 and Celebrity Voices

Just two months after releasing its last major AI model, Zuckerberg introduced Llama 3.2. This new model allows developers to create more advanced AI apps with a deeper understanding of images and text.

Alongside Llama 3.2, a new lineup of 'natural' voices will integrate with Meta AI starting September 25. The suite of famous voices includes former WWE star John Cena and iconic English actress Dame Judi Dench.

This move comes just a day after OpenAI unveiled its 'Advanced Voice' feature, which introduced five new voices with upgradable features to premium users of ChatGPT.