Meta unveils two Ray-Ban smart glasses for prescription wearers starting at $499

Meta ​Platforms launched two new Ray-Ban prescription smart ‌glasses on Tuesday, expanding its offerings in ​an area that has ⁠become one of the few breakthrough successes in the race for artificial intelligence-powered gadgets.

The new ‌glasses, which are available for pre-order in the U.S. starting at $499, ‌will broaden options for prescription eyewear ‌users. ⁠CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in ⁠January that “billions of people wear glasses or contacts for vision correction.”

The company said the new ​products — Ray-Ban Meta ‌Blayzer Optics and the Ray-Ban Meta Scriber Optics — would become available at optical retailers in the U.S. and select international ‌markets on April 14.

The Facebook ​parent plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in its ⁠pursuit of “personal superintelligence,” where advanced gadgets, among other things, would bring the ‌benefits of AI to individual users. Meta develops its AI glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica.

Last year, Meta launched $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, the company’s first model with a built-in ‌display, enabling users to read messages, follow navigation ​directions and interact with AI services without using a phone.

Earlier this ⁠year, however, Meta delayed its global ⁠rollout, citing a supply shortage and strong demand.

The Display smart glasses ‌can also be ordered with prescription lenses for an additional $200.