Virtual and augmented reality has long been one of mankind’s most ambitious dreams, as shown in sci-fi shows and films we’ve produced over the decades. For a time, it seemed that many tech companies were invested in this field, especially with the buzz around the metaverse, but things seemed to have quieted down a bit. There are fewer players left in the arena, particularly Meta and Apple, both of which offer devices that are only slightly better than stripped-down helmets.
There were also companies that tried to scale the hardware down to the size of very large sunglasses, and those have dwindled down to a few as well. XREAL continues to push this niche market forward, and its newest pair of AR glasses makes a big leap to challenge the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest in the style department, while also demonstrating what the Microsoft HoloLens could have been.
Designer: XREAL
The original XREAL, formerly Nreal, glasses and its peers like Rokid and Viture couldn’t really be considered AR equipment, strictly speaking. They were practically glasses that functioned as external monitors, except they projected them through small lenses that made it look like they were floating in front of you. Unlike “video see through” or VST glasses like the Vision Pro, these “optical see through” (OST) eyewear simply had tinted lenses to still let you see the world beyond the glasses.
The new XREAL One, however, ventures into mixed reality territory by integrating its own spatial computing processor, the NREAL X1. In the past, you needed extra gadgets like the XREAL Beam or the phone-like Beam Pro to properly implement features like anchoring windows to a specific “space”, making it look like you’re really living in an AR world. Now any device connected to the XREAL One, from PCs to iPhones, can benefit from this spatial computing upgrade. You don’t even need to connect an external battery to power the glasses since it draws from the USB-C connection.
Although not essential to this new experience, XREAL is also launching a detachable XREAL Eye camera module that can be nestled below the bridge of the nose between the nose pads. This allows the XREAL One and accompanying software to see the world in front of it, improving tracking and spatial awareness to create an even more believable AR experience. And, yes, you can also record videos using this camera, which might bring up some privacy concerns due to its inconspicuous design.
The XREAL One also enjoys a few other upgrades, from the design quality to ergonomics to eye comfort. The spatial audio has also been improved with Bose tuning and four microphones. The price for all these starts at $499 for the base model and $599 for the “Pro” version. The XREAL Eye camera module goes for $99, though it’s still noted to be coming soon.
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