Snap Specs are available for pre-order now, and actor Robert Downey Jr. is joining the team after he said he “was absolutely sold on Specs within 40 seconds.”
That makes Robert Downey Jr. the latest big-name partnership from Snap, as the company gets ready to launch its first true consumer-ready smart glasses, simply called Specs. Downey Jr. join the team at Snap as the honorary Chief Customer Experience Officer (CCEO), putting him in charge of showing the world just how close to his Iron Man roots these glasses really are.
Downey Jr. launched a new series of videos on the Snap YouTube channel, helping showcase all the cool things Specs can do. From helping you paint better with an AR overlay to watching movies in bed, and even letting Specs calculate where you need to hit the ball on a putting green, Downey Jr. is pulling out all the stops to get you interested in these $2,200 smart glasses.
Snap is clearly challenging Meta’s market leadership in the XR category with a product that combines elements of Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses and the upcoming Meta VR Glasses. Specs are a completely standalone pair of smart glasses with displays in each lens, plus full hand-tracking support that’s typically only found on a bulkier VR headset.
Snap has been building up to the Specs release since 2016 (not a typo). The company has released several experimental developer-only smart glasses during that time, all of which were significantly bulkier than Specs now looks, with huge improvements between each generation.
In addition to the clear Iron Man nod, Snap has also partnered with HBO to launch a Specs Harry Potter experience to coincide with the new HBO show, plus an official partnership with the NBA. The first original episode of Downey Jr.’s SPECS-focused videos will debut during Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, October 23. You can preorder Specs from Snap right now.
More on Smart Glasses:
- As Android XR nears, smart glasses are only getting more popular despite Meta backlash
- Nothing reportedly launching two pairs of smart glasses, one with barely any AI
- Meta launches audio-only glasses and Gen 3 Ray-Ban with slimmer designs
Follow Nick: YouTube, X (Twitter), Threads, Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.