They might not be exactly what initial reports had suggested, but Meta has today announced its latest smart glasses, or “AI glasses” as it now prefers to call them, with a sports-aligned version created in partnership with Oakley.

As indicated in the promo, which features a range of big-name sports stars, Meta’s Oakley HSTN glasses are designed to appeal to athletes and regular folk alike.

As explained by Meta:

“Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn), based on the HSTN style of Oakley glasses, combines bold aesthetics with cutting-edge tech. Capture the action completely hands-free with the built-in camera and share your unique POV. Get pumped up with your favorite playlist, listen to podcasts and more, thanks to powerful open-ear speakers seamlessly integrated into the frames. And with an IPX4 water resistance rating, you can push yourself to the outer limits of your potential.”

So the device is pretty much the same as the Ray Ban AI glasses that Meta has had on the market for some time, but with water resistance, though Meta also notes that the HSTN glasses have longer battery life, a higher resolution camera built-in, and in-activity support via Meta AI.

What the new device doesn’t have is additional data tracking elements, which some had suggested would be part of the new device when initial reports of the Oakley collaboration leaked back in January.

Those early reports, based on limited information, suggested that Meta’s athletic sunglasses would be based on Oakley’s more futuristic-looking “Sphaera” style, and would come with a single camera, in the center of the frame, in order to reduce weight.

That isn’t what this final launch version will be, with the variation seemingly being more about style than technical advancement, at least at this stage.

Which is fine. Meta’s Ray Ban glasses have been selling well, and adding an Oakley variation will no doubt also prove popular, as more people look to integrate AI into their everyday lives.

And sure, Meta’s AI guidance could help in improving performance through generic feedback. But it had seemed like this would be Meta’s first foray into fitness tracking, and providing more in-depth performance insight through the device.

Though that’s probably not easy to do. A key way that fitness trackers provide feedback right now is through pulse measurement, and Meta’s glasses can’t do that. They could give you distance tracking, via GPS, and maybe there’ll be a Strava type app made available for this purpose, and there may be other tracking elements that Meta could look to integrate into another version of the device.

Though it actually seems like this element would be better facilitated by a Meta-branded smartwatch, which the company has gone back and forth on at different times, and could still be something that’s on the cards for its broader wearables push.

Meta last shelved its smartwatch plan back in 2022, due to broader cost-cutting, amid other complications, though it’s also been working on a wrist-based control device, based on EMT, as part of its AR development push.

That could still play a role in its coming AR glasses push, and maybe, that will also be an addition to its fitness-tracking elements, which could increase the utility of these new Oakley glasses in this respect.

But right now, what you’re really looking at is a new version of Meta’s smart glasses, in a different style, in order to appeal to an alternative audience. As such, I’m not sure that they’re going to “change everything” like Patrick Mahomes claims in the video clip, but it’s another expansion of Meta’s evolving wearables push.  

Meta says that its Oakley Meta HSTN will be available for pre-order starting July 11th at a price of $US499 USD. Further glasses models which will be part of the new Meta Oakley collection will be released later this summer, starting at $US399.