NeuralStackMeta used its Connect 2026 keynote to emphasize AI and wearable hardware, with Muse, its recently launched AI agent, at the center of the event. The company outlined new Muse features in development and introduced the Muse Charm, a Tamagotchi-like handheld device expected to ship before the end of the year. Meta is also bringing Muse to its glasses, extending the agent beyond phones and desktops.
The Muse Charm is designed to operate as a standalone AI gadget. According to the source article, it will include a built-in 5G modem, so users will not need Wi-Fi to interact with Muse. The device will also be able to recognize and interact with nearby Charms when it launches later this year.
Meta also announced Ray-Ban Meta Audio Glasses, a version of its smart glasses that removes the camera entirely. The glasses combine Meta AI with audio features while avoiding the ability to record people through an onboard camera. That distinction arrives as public concern grows around wearable surveillance, including the use of smart glasses to covertly record others.
The company did not substantially address the broader backlash over camera-equipped glasses during the event. Instead, the camera-free Audio Glasses offer a separate product direction: smart eyewear that retains AI and audio functions without adding a camera. Meta also presented new Ray-Ban Meta glasses in other configurations and styles.
The biggest hardware reveal was Meta VR Glasses, which put the technology associated with a conventional VR headset into a lightweight pair of glasses connected to a compute puck. The device is neither an opaque headset nor a conventional transparent augmented-reality pair. The source describes it as an attempt to combine the advantages of both approaches while reducing the weight and bulk associated with VR.
Early hands-on impressions highlighted the tradeoffs of that design. The glasses have a narrower field of view than a typical immersive VR headset, but reviewers said movies and desktop windows appeared at an appropriate size and that it was possible to hold conversations without feeling trapped in a tunnel. The system can track hands outside the visible field of view, although users cannot see their hands unless they are directly in front of them.
Meta is also trying to expand Horizon by lowering the barrier to game creation. Horizon Create, a mobile app, and Horizon Studio, a browser app with more detailed controls, will let users build games using AI prompts. Both are planned for early access, and games made with the tools may be recommended across Facebook and Instagram, where they will also be playable.
Why this matters
Meta’s announcements point to a strategy built around making AI ambient and making immersive computing less conspicuous. Muse is being pushed toward multiple devices, while the Audio Glasses show that Meta sees value in smart eyewear that does not depend on cameras. At the same time, Meta VR Glasses could broaden interest in VR by addressing one of the category’s most persistent obstacles: the physical burden of wearing a headset.
The company’s plans also connect hardware with software distribution. AI-assisted Horizon development could produce more content for Meta’s social platform, while recommendations on Facebook and Instagram give those creations a path to reach people beyond Horizon itself. The approach will depend on whether users want AI-generated games and whether Meta can turn its new glasses into products people are comfortable wearing in public.