Meta may have leaked the first look at its slim ‘Project Phoenix’ headset
The Verge Stevie Bonifield
Rumor — unconfirmed reporting.
Meta may have accidentally shown its slim new headset before Connect. It looks like a halfway point between smart glasses and a full VR rig.
Based on reporting by The Verge, Stevie Bonifield — read the original for the full story.
Summary, retelling and take written by AI under human oversight; images are AI-generated illustrations. How we work · Report an error
Meta’s next headset may have spilled out a little early, and the timing is awkward. UploadVR says it found images of a device called Project Phoenix inside the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package, and the pictures appear to show a much slimmer design than Meta’s current Quest-style headsets.
The leak landed just a couple of weeks before Meta Connect begins on September 23rd. That makes it a timely peek at what Meta could be getting ready to show off, even if the company itself hasn’t said anything yet.
From the images, Project Phoenix seems aimed at a strange but interesting middle ground. It looks closer to glasses than to a headset, with lenses built into a slim frame, but it still sounds heavier than something like Meta’s Ray-Ban AI smart glasses.
UploadVR’s read is that Meta may be trying to compete with devices from Xreal or Viture. Those products sit between smart glasses and a full VR headset like the Quest 3, and this leak suggests Meta may want a piece of that space too.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
Meta keeps trying to split the difference between cool hardware and wearable awkwardness, and that’s probably the right move. The real trick is whether Project Phoenix feels like a product or just another proof that everyone wants glasses until they actually have to wear glasses.
Read more about this at: The Verge
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