Meta Labs Arrive at Best Buy: A Hands-On Hub for Quest and Smart Glasses
Meta is rolling out dedicated 'Meta Lab' sections in 50 Best Buy stores across the US and Canada, staffed by its own specialists to offer guided demos of Quest VR headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Condensed by AI-Portable from Editorial queue.
Meta is planting its flag inside one of North America’s largest electronics chains. Starting this Friday, two California Best Buy locations—San Bernardino and San Carlos—will open Meta Lab sections, sleek 900-square-foot spaces designed to let shoppers explore the company’s Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses with the help of trained Meta staff. By the end of 2026, the company plans to have 50 such store-in-store experiences across the U.S. and Canada.
A Hands-On Approach to Spatial Computing
For years, Meta’s hardware sat on Best Buy shelves handled by general store employees, often with mixed results. The new Meta Labs flip that script. Each section will be staffed by Meta Sales Specialists who can offer personalized fittings and run interactive demos. This isn’t just a display upgrade—it’s a strategic move to lower the barrier for mainstream consumers who might otherwise never strap on a headset or try smart glasses.
The timing aligns with a broader push to unify Meta’s hardware story. After an earlier wave of separate kiosks focused only on the Ray-Ban display models, the Meta Lab concept brings everything under one roof, signaling that VR headsets and AI glasses are part of a single ecosystem, not competing gadgets.
What You’ll Find Inside a Meta Lab
Visitors can expect two distinct demo experiences:
- Quest VR headsets: A "guided immersive demo" lets you jump into a favorite game, watch a movie in theater mode, or sweat through a HIIT workout in VR. It’s a chance to feel the spatial immersion before buying.
- Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses: An expansive assortment of styles will be on hand, including the Ray-Ban Display with Meta Neural Band, which gets its own guided demo. Smart mirrors and fitting areas let you experiment with looks and tech simultaneously.
Both product lines benefit from the store-in-store format—ample room to move (900 square feet is generous for a retail kiosk) and specialists who can answer nuanced questions about comfort, prescription compatibility, or the difference between a Quest 3 and a Quest Pro.
From California to Nationwide
After this week’s debut in San Bernardino and San Carlos, the rollout picks up steam later this summer with confirmed locations in Roseville, MN, Woodland Park, NJ, Greenville, SC, and Columbus, OH. Meta says 50 total labs will be live by end of 2026, though exact timelines for the remaining 44 stores remain under wraps. Best Buy provides the foot traffic; Meta provides the expertise. For anyone curious about portable AI and spatial computing, it’s the closest thing to a company-owned store without the trip to Menlo Park.