This week in AI glasses: Snap hires Robert Downey Jr. and XREAL Aura nears launch

Smart glasses had a busy week, mostly on the marketing side: a movie star for Snap, a new game from Google's studio for XREAL Aura and an entry-level pair from Meta. Here's what happened between Oct. 19 and Oct. 25, and what to watch next.

Snap gives Specs a famous face

Snap named Robert Downey Jr. the "honorary Chief Customer Experience Officer" of Specs, its augmented reality glasses, on Oct. 20. His first project is a series of short episodes about using Specs, which also ran as TV spots during the NBA season tip-off and Game 1 of the World Series. Specs are on pre-order for $2,195 and are due to ship this fall in the US, the UK and France. Read our story.

XREAL Aura gets its first original game

Owlchemy Labs, the Google-owned studio behind Job Simulator, announced Hyper Visor, a $1.99 arcade game that will be ready when XREAL Aura launches, along with four of its older games. Aura, the first pair of see-through glasses to run Android XR, starts at $1,279 and is expected to ship in the coming weeks in the US, Canada, Japan and South Korea. Read our story.

Meta's glasses keep selling, and regulators keep watching

EssilorLuxottica, which makes Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses, said revenue from its wearables grew 20% in the third quarter. That came in the same month Norway announced plans to ban camera glasses from many public places and EU privacy regulators said the recording light doesn't do enough for bystanders. Read our analysis.

A $249 pair of Meta glasses

The Meta Adventurer in black with grey lenses, which Meta calls its most affordable pair of Meta Glasses yet, went on sale on Oct. 23 at $249 with a plug-in case. If you're shopping higher up the range, we compared Meta's two new Ray-Bans, the $449 Gen 3 and the camera-free $349 Audio. Read our guide.

Beyond glasses: another smart ring lawsuit

Oura sued Ultrahuman in Texas, claiming its redesigned Ring Pro infringes two patents, one of them issued two days before the filing. Ultrahuman says the ring stays on sale. Read our story.

What to watch next

XREAL hasn't given Aura a shipping date yet, Snap still says Specs ship "this fall," and Meta has promised its Muse agent for its glasses "in the coming months." If you're wondering what Muse would actually do on your glasses, we explain it here.