Meta Connect 2026: What It Means for Schools and Families

Meta held its yearly Connect event on 23 September 2026. Most of the headlines were about smart glasses, but there was one big VR announcement too. Here is what matters if you teach with VR, or are thinking about buying a headset for your child.

The big one: Meta VR Glasses

Meta revealed Meta VR Glasses, a very light VR headset that looks more like a pair of chunky glasses. The part you wear weighs about 100g, because the processor and battery sit in a separate puck connected by a cable. It has a 5K display and full colour passthrough, and it runs games and apps made for Quest.

• Price: $1,299.99 in the US. UK pricing has not been confirmed yet.
• Release: spring 2027.
• Works with: Quest games and apps, plus a productivity mode that connects to Windows PCs and Macs.

It is an exciting piece of kit, but at that price it is aimed at enthusiasts, not classrooms.

No Quest 4 (yet)

There was no new Quest headset. Reports before the event suggested Meta restarted its Quest 4 work, and that a new mainstream headset is unlikely before the second half of 2027. For schools and parents, that means the Quest 3 and Quest 3S remain the headsets to buy, and there is no reason to wait for a replacement this Christmas.

New content worth knowing about

• Beat Saber gets its biggest update next spring, adding hand tracking and a new single player mode. It is still one of the best ways to get pupils moving.
• Two Point Hospital is coming to Quest 3 and 3S with hand tracking.
• National Geographic: Beyond brings 180 degree 3D nature films to the headset, which could be great for geography and science lessons.
• Supernatural, the fitness app, returns to the Meta Horizon Store this autumn under a new independent team.

Smart glasses: not for school, yet

Meta also launched new Ray-Ban Meta glasses, audio only glasses and its own Meta Glasses range. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are now on sale in the UK at £749. These are camera and AI glasses for adults, and we would not recommend them for pupils.

Our take

Connect 2026 does not change our advice. A Quest 3S is still the best value way to bring VR into a classroom or a home, and the library of educational apps keeps growing. If you are buying this year, have a look at our best educational VR apps for schools and our Christmas gift guide to educational VR games. Parents may also find our guide Is VR bad for children? helpful.

Sources: Engadget, Inven Global, VR.org.