Meta took to the stage at Meta Connect 2025 to unveil its shiny new Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, complete with built-in screens, gesture controls, and AI magic, but the real showstopper ended up being the WiFi. Yes, the much-hyped live demos crashed and burned in front of a global audience, raising the question: are these futuristic glasses really ready for prime time, or just ready for beta testing?
What Went Right and What Didn’t
The Ray-Ban Display packs a built-in lens screen, voice commands, and a neural wristband that reads subtle muscle movements, a setup straight out of a sci-fi flick. Meta clearly wanted to position these as the next big leap in wearable tech, a blend of fashion and futuristic function.
But then came the live demo, and it went about as well as trying to cook dinner during a power outage. The LiveAI cooking segment ignored voice commands entirely, while Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt to take a video call turned into a very public game of “Can You Hear Me Now?”
The gestures didn’t register, the call didn’t connect, and the neural band decided it was on strike. Meta blamed bad WiFi, which is one way to spin a $799 gadget failing to handle something as basic as a video call.
Meta Ray-Ban Glasses: What Now?
When you’re pitching a premium $799 device meant to replace your phone for key tasks, reliability isn’t optional, it’s the whole pitch.
Early adopters are willing to pay for bleeding-edge tech, but not if it looks this unfinished on stage. Meta has until its September 30 launch date to convince buyers that these glasses will actually work in the real world, preferably in places with less-than-perfect WiFi, like, you know, everywhere.
What Gives Us Hope
Despite the on-stage embarrassment, reviewers who got hands-on time walked away impressed. The display is crisp, the gestures (when they work) feel intuitive, and the design cleverly hides all the tech without looking like a prop from a cyberpunk cosplay. In other words, the potential is there, Meta just needs to prove that the future it’s selling won’t buffer every time the network hiccups.
Meta still holds a strong position in the AR glasses race, especially with Ray-Ban’s brand power behind it. But the competition isn’t waiting, Apple, Google, and Snap are all making their own plays in this space. Meta must nail battery life, comfort, and seamless connectivity to avoid becoming just another overhyped gadget graveyard entry. If it can pull that off, these glasses might finally make people want to wear computers on their faces, no WiFi excuses allowed.