Facebook parent also showcases AI assistants for social apps, new Ray-Ban smart glasses
3 min
Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Wednesday announced the release date of its coming Quest 3 mixed-reality headset and new Ray-Ban smart glasses along with a bevy of AI assistants for its social apps.
“The limits of your physical space are going to be able to expand,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said when announcing the new products. “You’re going to be able to be a part of much larger worlds.”
The company is hoping the devices will jump-start its push to bring users into the so-called metaverse, an effort on which it has spent billions of dollars and seen limited returns. Apple is set to release its Vision Pro headset in 2024, years after Zuckerberg renamed the company in an attempt to focus on what he’s said may be the next emerging computing platform.
The Quest 3 will place an emphasis on the ability for users to work or play in apps that overlay virtual objects within users’ physical spaces, Zuckerberg said. The headset will begin shipping to users on Oct. 10, with preorders for the $499 device starting on Wednesday. Zuckerberg said the device will place emphasis on the ability for users to work or play in apps that project virtual objects within users’ physical spaces.
Zuckerberg said the company designed the device to have the “world’s best immersive content library.” As part of the presentation, Zuckerberg showed a demonstration of a Lego game and announced that Meta has joined with Microsoft to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to the device in December. Additionally, Microsoft 365 will come to the Quest by the end of the year, Zuckerberg said.
The Quest 3 “is going to be the best value spatial computing headset on the market for a long time to come,” said Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, adding that the device features no wires or a battery pack, a shot at Apple’s Vision Pro device. That headset will cost $3,499.
Meta will also release the second generation of its Ray-Ban smart glasses on Oct. 17 for $299. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that the devices would arrive as soon as this fall.
The second generation Ray-Ban smart glasses will allow users to livestream their perspective to their followers. The new smart glasses will include a 36-hour battery life and will be available in more Ray-Ban models than its predecessor.
The device will also come equipped with Meta AI, an artificial-intelligence assistant announced by Zuckerberg on Wednesday. Users will also be able to point at objects or landmarks they are looking at and ask Meta AI for information about it.
“Smart glasses are the ideal form factor to let an AI assistant see what you’re seeing and hear what you’re hearing,” Zuckerberg said.
Meta AI is built on the company’s Llama 2 large-language model and is a general purpose AI assistant that can answer user questions within Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. Meta AI will be able to provide users with real-time information through a partnership with Microsoft Bing, Zuckerberg said.
Additionally, Meta announced that it will also release 28 AI chatbots that users will be able to interact with. Meta joined with a number of celebrities, including Tom Brady, Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, whose faces provide facial expressions as users interact with the chatbots. The Journal had previously reported that Meta would release AI chatbots with personalities.
“This is our first effort at training a bunch of AIs that are a bit more fun,” Zuckerberg said, adding that they will have a number of limitations that will become apparent to users.
Zuckerberg said the AI chatbots will be released in a limited beta mode on Wednesday.
In addition to the chatbots, Zuckerberg announced EMU, an AI model capable of taking users’ text prompts and turning them into images within five seconds. EMU, which won’t be open sourced, will be integrated within Meta AI and will roll out to English-speaking users over the next month, starting on Wednesday. The image-generating model will allow users to create custom stickers they can send to friends, and it will also allow users to edit their images on Instagram next month, Zuckerberg said.
—Meghan Bobrowsky contributed to this article.
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Three completed developments bring a quieter, more thoughtful style of luxury living to Mosman, Neutral Bay and Crows Nest.
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A&K Sanctuary’s newest Nile vessel, Nile Seray, will launch in October 2026 as Egypt enters a new era of global tourism
2 min
A new luxury riverboat set to sail the Nile from late 2026 has opened for bookings, as Egypt experiences its biggest surge in international tourism in more than a decade following the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Nile Seray, the latest vessel from A&K Sanctuary, will launch in October and operate four-night voyages between Aswan and Luxor.
The boat will accommodate just 64 guests across 32 suites, placing it firmly at the premium end of the fast-expanding Nile cruising market.
The launch coincides with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in November 2025, a project more than 20 years in the making.
Located near the Giza pyramids, the museum spans more than 480,000 square metres and is now the largest archaeological museum in the world.
It houses more than 100,000 artefacts, including, for the first time ever, the complete collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures displayed together in one place.
The museum’s opening has been widely credited with transforming global interest in Egypt, driving record visitor numbers and sparking a wave of new hotel openings, aviation capacity and high-end travel investment across the country.
Interior renderings released this week show Nile Seray adopting a contemporary design approach that blends modern lines with heritage references.
The 32 suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Nile, with natural materials and colour palettes drawing from Egypt’s desert landscape.
Two onboard restaurants open onto deck spaces, while the top deck includes a swimming pool and shaded daybeds designed for daytime cruising and sunset views.
Each voyage will include guided access to key archaeological sites on the West Bank, including the tombs of Seti I and Ramses VI, along with private openings of the tombs of King Tutankhamun and Amenhotep III. Excursions are led by specialist Egyptologists, with daily touring built into the itinerary.
With only 64 guests onboard, the vessel is aimed at travellers seeking a more intimate alternative to the larger Nile cruise ships that dominate the route during peak season.
Luxury hotel availability across Egypt remains tight during busy periods, particularly following the museum’s opening.
Nile Seray becomes the fifth vessel in A&K Sanctuary’s Nile fleet, joining the Nile Adventurer, Sun Boat III, Sun Boat IV and Zein Nile Chateau. A sister ship is also scheduled for launch in 2028.
Voyages include visits to the temples of Luxor, Karnak and Aswan, felucca sailing around Elephantine Island, Egyptian cooking demonstrations and traditional entertainment. All meals, excursions and onboard activities are included.
Each sailing will also contribute to A&K Philanthropy programs in Egypt, including long-running partnerships in Luxor and Aswan focused on youth education and cardiac care.
