Meta Connect 2026 opens Wednesday with Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote at 4 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Eastern, a two-day livestream that company pages pitch as the showcase for AI glasses, VR, and agent software after a year of Muse-driven stock momentum.

Preview coverage from Engadget, Tom’s Guide, and others clusters around four hardware/software bets: audio-first, camera-free “Luna” smart glasses designed to blunt bystander-privacy lawsuits and venue bans; Ray-Ban Meta generation updates; Project Phoenix, a slimmed mixed-reality headset rumored to use an external compute puck; and Muse agent features that Meta has said will extend to glasses “soon.” Holographic avatar demos teased in prior years may also resurface. Developer sessions and a “state of the union” follow on September 24.

The privacy pitch is strategic. Reuters and related reporting this week documented lawsuits alleging Meta Ray-Ban-style glasses captured bystanders for cloud AI training, plus U.K. venue restrictions. Camera-free frames with microphones and on-device Muse assistance are Meta’s attempt to keep the wearable category alive without the always-on lens. Investors will watch shipping timelines—some rumor mills float October Luna availability—and whether Phoenix undercuts Quest while competing with Apple’s mixed-reality push.

Accounts agree on the keynote timing and the Luna/Phoenix/Muse rumor set; they diverge on what Meta will actually ship versus demo. NewsHabit’s Tech card labels pre-keynote items as expectations until Meta confirms onstage. Officials and independent outlets continue updating confirmed details as they become available. Officials and independent outlets continue updating confirmed details as they become available. Officials and independent outlets continue updating confirmed details as they become available.