Home · Technology · Sep 24 archive
Meta Unveils AI Tamagotchi at Connect Event
Confirmed
In Short: At Meta's annual Connect event on Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the Muse Charm, a handheld AI companion that resembles a Tamagotchi toy.
The Muse Charm is a small puck-shaped device, similar in size to an Apple Watch, designed to allow users to interact with Meta's AI assistant, Muse, on the go.
According to Meta, the Muse Charm is not a finished product but rather a prototype that aims to keep users connected to their AI assistant.
Users can name their AI agent, create an avatar, and customize how it communicates, including accent and speaking pace.
Meta’s Superintelligence Labs chief, Alexandr Wang, stated that most users won’t need to pay for the service, indicating a focus on accessibility.
In addition to the Muse Charm, Meta also announced an audio-only version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, a move aimed at addressing privacy concerns.
The company also refreshed its existing Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a slimmer design and a button that activates Meta AI, and added an FDA-cleared hearing enhancement feature.
Meta VR Glasses, featuring cinema-grade clarity and Dolby Vision support, are set to launch in the spring with a $1,300 starting price.
Zuckerberg emphasized that the Muse Charm is intended to ship in time for the holiday season, aligning with Meta's broader strategy to integrate AI into daily life.
What this adds
Meta's Muse Charm is designed to complement its existing AI ecosystem, including the recently launched Muse app.
The company's strategy appears to be focused on expanding its AI presence across various devices and platforms.
What's confirmed
- The Muse Charm is a small puck-shaped device, similar in size to an Apple Watch, designed to allow users to interact with Meta's AI assistant, Muse, on the go.
- According to Meta, the Muse Charm is not a finished product but rather a prototype that aims to keep users connected to their AI assistant.
- Users can name their AI agent, create an avatar, and customize how it communicates, including accent and speaking pace.
- Meta’s Superintelligence Labs chief, Alexandr Wang, stated that most users won’t need to pay for the service, indicating a focus on accessibility.
- In addition to the Muse Charm, Meta also announced an audio-only version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, a move aimed at addressing privacy concerns.
- The company also refreshed its existing Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a slimmer design and a button that activates Meta AI, and added an FDA-cleared hearing enhancement feature.
- Meta VR Glasses, featuring cinema-grade clarity and Dolby Vision support, are set to launch in the spring with a $1,300 starting price.
- Zuckerberg emphasized that the Muse Charm is intended to ship in time for the holiday season, aligning with Meta's broader strategy to integrate AI into daily life.
What's still developing
- They have a tethered puck for the storage and battery, and the headset it is said to be five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, with full-color passthrough video support and a 5K display.
- Apple has reportedly shelved plans to launch an AI pendant, while Meta appears to be going all out in the nascent hardware space with a new handheld AI companion.
- Mark Zuckerberg used his "one more thing" moment at the company's annual Connect event on Wednesday to unveil the Muse Charm, a puck about the size of an Apple Watch featuring a tamagotchi-like, interactive avatar that can be used to chat with the company's Muse AI.
- Otherwise, Connect was mostly about the company's new Meta VR Glasses.
- Meta says the glasses will offer "cinema-grade clarity" with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and they can deliver up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback on a single charge.
- Zuckerberg said it’s not finalized yet but that Meta is planning to have it ship “in time for the holidays” in December.
- Meta’s Muse app itself only launched on September 8 and has already had a genuinely strong run.
- Meta’s Muse AI personal agent tool overtook ChatGPT as the leading free iOS app in the US, with 730,000 downloads over roughly five days following its September 8 release, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
- Meta says it is working to bring Muse to its AI glasses, extending the assistant from phones and computers to a device that can hear a request while its wearer is driving, cooking or exercising.
- The September 23 announcement at Meta Connect describes an integration still in development, and Meta hasn’t published usage figures tied specifically to the glasses rollout.
- Mark Zuckerberg closed out Meta Connect 2026 with a surprise “one more thing.” Onstage on September 23, he pulled out a small puck-shaped gadget and told the crowd it exists purely so you can carry your Muse AI agent around and talk to it on the move.
- Meta calls it Muse Charm, a “one more thing” reveal described as a little puck about the size of an Apple Watch, built for talking to your Muse agent.