It seems like XR headsets are starting to fade, but smart glasses are quickly taking center stage. With the demand for VR headsets on the decline, companies are now in a fierce race to lead the market for face-mounted wearables. HTC, which was once at the forefront of VR with its Vive series, is making a bold move with its latest offering—the HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses—positioning itself as a direct competitor to Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley HSTN eyewear.
A Stylish Leap from VR to Smart Glasses
The HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses boast sleek, translucent frames that blend style with practicality. Each arm is equipped with dual speakers, and the frames come with dual 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras, perfect for capturing life’s moments on the fly. At the heart of these glasses is the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, which powers a range of AI-driven features, along with 32GB of onboard storage. HTC has also rolled out AI noise suppression technology to ensure clearer calls and minimize background distractions—a feature they hope will give the Vive Eagle a competitive edge.
AI Integration with Google Gemini and ChatGPT
Similar to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses are designed to be AI-friendly. Users can access Google Gemini and ChatGPT for various tasks, including text recognition, translations, and even managing calendar events. The glasses can also remember “memories,” like where you parked your car or details about people you’ve met.
These AI functionalities connect through the Vive Connect app, although HTC hasn’t disclosed a complete list of compatible apps just yet. As of now, the Vive Eagle is only available in Taiwan, and there’s no word on when it might hit the U.S. market. If it does make its way stateside, app compatibility will be crucial for its success.
Specs That Match—and Sometimes Outshine—Competitors
When it comes to battery life, the HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses deliver an impressive 4.5 hours of continuous music playback, just a notch above the Ray-Ban Meta’s four hours and close to the Oakley Meta’s five. They boast a standby time of 36 hours, and the 235mAh battery can charge from 0 to 50% in under 10 minutes with the help of its charging case.
However, the pricing might pose a bit of a hurdle. At 15,600 New Taiwan dollars (around $535), the Vive Eagle falls into the mid-to-high range for smart glasses. While a U.S. launch could potentially lower the price, it will still have to contend with tough competition from brands like Xiaomi, which offers glasses with up to eight hours of playback.
The AR and XR Market Landscape
HTC’s shift towards smart glasses comes at a time when XR headsets are having a hard time capturing consumer interest. While Meta leads the way in affordable VR with its Quest lineup, AR and mixed-reality wearables are shaping up to be the next big thing.
Chinese brands are aggressively promoting AR glasses with larger screens, while there are whispers that Meta is developing a $1,000 pair of “Hypernova” AR glasses that will feature a built-in heads-up display. On top of that, Google’s Android XR platform and its collaboration with Xreal could further shake up the market.
Lessons from the Past: Pricing and Innovation
HTC’s last major release, the Vive Focus Vision, was a $1,000 VR headset that struggled to justify its price tag due to outdated hardware. To win over consumers this time around, the HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses will need to offer more than just comparable features to Meta’s products—they’ll need to shine with unique capabilities at a competitive price.
If HTC can fine-tune its AI tools, broaden compatibility, and undercut its competitors, it could find a niche in the rapidly expanding smart glasses market. But if the pricing stays high and the differences are minimal, the Vive Eagle risks becoming just another stylish pair of frames in a crowded space.
