Tag Archives: mixed reality

Mixed Reality Binoculars help Children see the World in a Different, More Creative Way

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We all know how glued children are to screens lately. In such times where children are often immersed in the digital realm, it’s imperative to find innovative ways to encourage them to go outside in the real world and explore. The BINO mixed reality (MR) device emerges as a solution, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, empowering the ‘IPad kids’ to explore their surroundings with curiosity.

Designer: Joon-Yeol Bae

The increasing use of electronic devices from an early age has confined children’s worlds to screens. This digital immersion raises concerns about the limited physical activity vital for their holistic development. To address this challenge, BINO aims to redefine the concept of play by expanding children’s playgrounds beyond screens.

Curiosity serves as the driving force for children to explore and question the world around them. BINO is designed to engage and satisfy children’s curiosity actively, promoting physical activity as a natural byproduct of exploration. By igniting interest through playful activities, the device strives to contribute to healthier and more active lifestyles for children. It is a revolutionary MR device that serves as a companion for curious children, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds. It features two lenses – a normal lens and a wide-angle lens – allowing children to observe close and distant subjects.

Features of BINO:

Photo & Video:

The device enables children to capture and preserve their exploration moments through photos and videos. It captures various moments encountered in nature or the city center, including plants, animals, transportation devices, and various objects, allowing them to cherish these memories and fostering a sense of connection with the real world while learning.

Built-in Projector:

BINO has a built-in projector, allowing children to share their recorded adventures and moments throughout the day with family without needing an additional display. It enhances the collaborative aspect of exploration.

AI Interaction:

BINO acts as a responsive companion, answering questions and explaining the world as children experience it as a blend of the real and virtual worlds. This AI interaction ensures that children maintain interest and curiosity throughout their adventures.

Constellation Exploration:

Through the MR device, the night sky comes to life with an illuminated display of numerous stars. This constellation feature enhances the immersive experience, making every exploration unique. I believe if we were taught constellations like this, I’d know them better!

BINO challenges the norms of traditional MR devices that require wearing hardware on the head or body. By seamlessly connecting virtual and real experiences in a flexible and natural way by eliminating the need for continuous wear, it breaks free from the limitations of confined spaces, enriching the stage of virtual and real interactions. This flexibility expands spatial experiences, allowing users to navigate both realms and the space where they converge.

 

Considering the target audience of children, the device prioritizes safety with soft mesh cushions and a detachable strap for easy portability. It also has a very visually cute form The design incorporates smooth curved surfaces to ensure a secure and enjoyable experience.

BINO emerges as a groundbreaking MR device designed to encourage outdoor exploration among children. By seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, it not only satisfies children’s curiosity but also promotes physical, intellectual, and emotional growth. In a world increasingly dominated by screens, BINO is a beacon of innovation, bridging the gap between digital curiosity and real-world exploration for the next generation.

The post Mixed Reality Binoculars help Children see the World in a Different, More Creative Way first appeared on Yanko Design.

Mixed Reality Binoculars help Children see the World in a Different, More Creative Way

Posted on by

We all know how glued children are to screens lately. In such times where children are often immersed in the digital realm, it’s imperative to find innovative ways to encourage them to go outside in the real world and explore. The BINO mixed reality (MR) device emerges as a solution, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, empowering the ‘IPad kids’ to explore their surroundings with curiosity.

Designer: Joon-Yeol Bae

The increasing use of electronic devices from an early age has confined children’s worlds to screens. This digital immersion raises concerns about the limited physical activity vital for their holistic development. To address this challenge, BINO aims to redefine the concept of play by expanding children’s playgrounds beyond screens.

Curiosity serves as the driving force for children to explore and question the world around them. BINO is designed to engage and satisfy children’s curiosity actively, promoting physical activity as a natural byproduct of exploration. By igniting interest through playful activities, the device strives to contribute to healthier and more active lifestyles for children. It is a revolutionary MR device that serves as a companion for curious children, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds. It features two lenses – a normal lens and a wide-angle lens – allowing children to observe close and distant subjects.

Features of BINO:

Photo & Video:

The device enables children to capture and preserve their exploration moments through photos and videos. It captures various moments encountered in nature or the city center, including plants, animals, transportation devices, and various objects, allowing them to cherish these memories and fostering a sense of connection with the real world while learning.

Built-in Projector:

BINO has a built-in projector, allowing children to share their recorded adventures and moments throughout the day with family without needing an additional display. It enhances the collaborative aspect of exploration.

AI Interaction:

BINO acts as a responsive companion, answering questions and explaining the world as children experience it as a blend of the real and virtual worlds. This AI interaction ensures that children maintain interest and curiosity throughout their adventures.

Constellation Exploration:

Through the MR device, the night sky comes to life with an illuminated display of numerous stars. This constellation feature enhances the immersive experience, making every exploration unique. I believe if we were taught constellations like this, I’d know them better!

BINO challenges the norms of traditional MR devices that require wearing hardware on the head or body. By seamlessly connecting virtual and real experiences in a flexible and natural way by eliminating the need for continuous wear, it breaks free from the limitations of confined spaces, enriching the stage of virtual and real interactions. This flexibility expands spatial experiences, allowing users to navigate both realms and the space where they converge.

 

Considering the target audience of children, the device prioritizes safety with soft mesh cushions and a detachable strap for easy portability. It also has a very visually cute form The design incorporates smooth curved surfaces to ensure a secure and enjoyable experience.

BINO emerges as a groundbreaking MR device designed to encourage outdoor exploration among children. By seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, it not only satisfies children’s curiosity but also promotes physical, intellectual, and emotional growth. In a world increasingly dominated by screens, BINO is a beacon of innovation, bridging the gap between digital curiosity and real-world exploration for the next generation.

The post Mixed Reality Binoculars help Children see the World in a Different, More Creative Way first appeared on Yanko Design.

Mixed reality headset bucks design trends for a complete audiovisual experience

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Thanks to the Apple Vision Pro, mixed reality is back in the news along with the hardware that will enable people to experience them. We have yet to hit the Holy Grail of headset design that will allow people to wear these devices on their heads for long periods, but brands like Apple and Meta definitely have that goal in their sights. MR headsets are getting lighter and slimmer, but that will always come at the cost of sacrificing some functionality that has to be offloaded to some other product you will have to buy and use separately. This concept design, however, goes in the other direction and tries to actually include everything you need for a more believable mixed reality experience, including the oft-neglected audio for your ears.

Designer: Dohyuk Joo

It’s harder to fool the eyes, which is why most of the focus in developing these mixed reality headsets is on the optics. But we don’t experience the real world with just our eyes, and a more immersive virtual world will also need to do more than just feed us visual data. Just like in the real world, audio is either taken for granted or at least takes second place only, but this headset design tries to balance the scales, even if it means going back to the days of bulky headsets.

WavVision, whose name tries to embody the combination of sound and sight, attempts to be an all-in-one mixed reality solution for our eyes and our ears. In a nutshell, the headset includes over-ear headphones to deliver audio, particularly spatial audio, that would complete the immersion of existing in a virtual space. This wouldn’t be the first headset to attempt that combination, but it is definitely one of the few that make it painfully obvious. The Meta Quest 3, for example, does have built-in speakers but uses an open-ear design that simply directs the audio waves toward your ear.

In addition to having over-ear cups built into the design, the very form and construction of WavVision go against the dominant trend in this niche market. The frame is made from thick steel plates bent to loosely follow the shape of the head. It’s a material that suggests quite a bit of weight and sharpness, which is the opposite of what headsets today are aiming for. It gives the design a distinct industrial aesthetic, which is intentional but also questionable.

One of the reasons why headsets don’t include dedicated headphones is because the audio experience could probably be delivered by more dedicated hardware that’s specially designed for performance as well as comfort. Building that part into the headset only weighs the product down, both literally as well as in terms of costs. Conversely, an integrated design ensures a unified appearance and, at least theoretically, a more complete experience. Admittedly, few of the mixed reality brands today seem to be paying that much attention to the audio aspect, but if Apple will be playing this game for long, it will undoubtedly dip its toes in that area sooner or later.

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Mixed Reality Magnifying Glass for Kids Shows the World in a Different Light

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When people talk about augmented or mixed reality, they most likely imagine strapping bulky visors to their heads and blocking their eyes. Although that is definitely the primary way to experience an immersive fusion of the physical and the digital, mixed reality actually goes beyond living in virtual worlds or seeing apps floating in front of you. You could, for example, point your smartphone somewhere in the real world and see a glimpse of digital information through that small window. Limited as that experience might sound, it can actually open up a whole new world to discover, especially if it allows children to learn more about the world they live in, giving them access to flora and fauna that they would have never encountered in the wild.

Designer: Junwoo Lim

To a child’s eyes, the world is both magical and mysterious, and that’s just for the things they can actually see. Our planet has a lot more treasures and oddities than they could possibly imagine, but most of them are out of reach due to urban development and safety considerations. At most, kids can learn about them through books, videos, and other flat media that, while informative, lack the proper context that young minds need to truly appreciate the scale of these earthbound creatures.

Mono is a mixed reality device concept that unlocks that world and allows kids to not only learn but also enjoy discovering these nuggets of knowledge in a way that doesn’t take them away from their current environment. Using mixed reality technologies, the gadget overlays virtual creatures like insects and animals on top of real-world objects, making them look like they’re actually there on the roof or in your hand. This allows kids to see them in their proper scale, observe their natural movement, or even see them interact with each other, all while still having access to additional text information layered on top of this view.

The device comes in a design that looks like a toy magnifying glass, an object that has long been associated with exploration and discovery. Instead of a transparent lens, it has a camera on one side and a screen on the other. Theoretically, the user can put the screen close to their eye the same way they would use a real magnifying glass, though that raises questions about the safety of that method. The controls for the device are simple enough for a child to understand, including a single button for power and a slider for zooming in and out to understand the scale of the creature being observed.

The Mono concept design tries to fill in an educational need for kids to learn more about the world in a safe and engaging environment, but without weighing down their heads with headsets. It demonstrates how mixed reality can be more than just an entertainment medium or a productivity tool for adults, but something that kids can also benefit from. A magnifying glass design definitely carries that exploration vibe, though it’s questionable whether it’s an appropriate one given how kids are likely to put the screen right in front of their eyes.

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Visor mixed reality headset promises a more accessible Apple Vision Pro

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Although it’s definitely the latecomer, Apple is unsurprisingly stirring up a storm with the launch of the Vision Pro. Mixed reality, or spatial computing as Apple named it, is en vogue once again, and many companies are making a lot of noise to demonstrate how they’ve been playing the game long before the Vision Pro was even announced. That boast comes with the implication that they can offer a better experience and a more accessible product, like this visor-like Visor headset that’s trying to be a better Vision Pro than the Vision Pro with a more open platform, a more stylish design, and most importantly, a more affordable price tag.

Designer: Immersed

Although the Apple Vision Pro is definitely more stylish than other mixed reality headsets, it’s still a headset that leaves nothing to the imagination about what you’re wearing or doing. Visor, on the other hand, looks more like its namesake, at least outwardly. Despite the spectacle-like design, it actually bears 4K micro OLED displays per eye, a lot more than what the Visor Pro boasts. And yet the headset itself manages to weigh only 200g, more than half what the Meta Quest 3 weighs. And yes, it has an external battery to help keep the weight down.

Beyond just the design of the device itself, the Visor offers a completely different experience from the likes of the Vision Pro or even the new Xreal Air 2 Ultra that was announced at CES 2024 earlier this month. It neither runs its own operating system nor does it just mirror the screen of a computer. Instead, it harnesses Immersed’s mixed reality software that it has been developing for years that practically gives you virtual monitors spread across your vision, resulting in a wider field of view compared to the common smart glasses implementation.

What this means in practice is that you can keep on using the software and operating system you’re already familiar with without any limitations. In fact, Immersed says it won’t even block attempts to make SteamVR work with its device, even though its focus is more towards productivity and professional use. Visor doesn’t even have an app marketplace, but it will release development tools for sideloading apps later on.

If Visor’s $399.99 price tag sounds too good to be true, that’s because it somewhat is. That cheap figure actually requires you to also buy a “Membership Plus” subscription that will cost $59.99 a month for 12 months or $39.99 for 24 months. The good news is that you won’t lose access to the basic features of the device if you decide not to renew after that period. Alternatively, you can buy the device alone for a full $999.99, without any of the extras, which is still a lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro. Whether it can deliver all these promises, however, is something we’ll have to see in due time, no pun intended.

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Apple Vision Pro Air Typing experience takes a small step toward usability

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It’s truly mind-blowing to see virtual objects floating before our eyes, but the magic and illusion start to break down once we try to manipulate those objects. Input has always been a tricky subject in mixed reality, either because we can’t see our actual hands or we can’t feel what we’re supposed to be touching, which is physically nothing. Until the perfect haptic feedback gloves become a reality, we have to make do with tricks and workarounds to make input less awkward and more convenient. That’s especially true with typing on air, and Apple is apparently using some special techniques to offer a more usable experience on the Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

Designer: Apple (via Brian Tong)

Apple’s first teaser for the Vision Pro headset and visionOS platform didn’t show typing of any sort. It focused, instead, on icons, windows, and menus, virtual 3D objects that are easier to interact with using hand gestures. Of course, sooner or later you will be faced with the need to input text, and the usual method of voice recognition won’t always cut it. visionOS, fortunately, does include a virtual floating keyboard like other VR systems, but the way you use it is quite special and, to some extent, ingenious.

For one, you can interact with the keyboard like you would any part of the Vision Pro’s interface, which is to look at the UI element to focus on it and then use hand gestures. In this case, pinching a letter is the equivalent of selecting it, just like what you’d do for menu items or icons in visionOS. It makes the gesture grammar consistent, but it’s also an awkward way to type.

You can also “peck” at the keys with your fingers, making you feel like you’re typing on air. The difference that the Vision Pro makes, however, is that it tricks your eyes into believing you’re actually pressing down on those keys. Thanks to Apple’s flavor of spatial computing, hovering your real-world finger on a virtual key makes that key glow, and tapping on it results in an animation that looks like the key is actually moving down, just like on a real keyboard. There’s also a haptic sound, similar to the clicking sound effect you’d normally hear on an iOS virtual keyboard, to complete that audiovisual illusion.

Of course, your fingers aren’t actually hitting anything physical, so there’s still a disconnect that will probably confuse your brain. The visual effect, which is really only possible thanks to spatial computing, is still an important step forward in helping our minds believe that there’s a “real” three-dimensional object, in this case, a keyboard, right in front of us. It’s not going to be the most efficient way to input text, but fortunately, you can connect a wireless keyboard to the Vision Pro and you’ll be able to see your actual hands typing away on it.

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Modular mixed reality goggles aim for a fusion of fitness and fashion

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Smart eyewear is back in fashion, especially thanks to Apple finally announcing the Vision Pro. Although its design pretty much still falls under the “headset” category, the ultimate goal of many of these wearables is to be as inconspicuous are regular spectacles or sunglasses as possible. Easier said than done, of course, especially when you need to cram plenty of electronics in such a small space. There are advancements in that area, of course, to the point that it might be possible to fit almost all the necessary components on or near the lenses. That kind of technology will open the doors to a wider variety of wearable designs, including one where you can swap frames to be as sporty or as classy as you need your mixed reality eyewear to be.

Designers: Ben Melvin, Jo Barnard, Dan Lloyd, Harry Mason (Morrama)

There are actually quite a number of designs for smart eyewear, depending on how complicated they need to be. Some include more complex computers and the usual design involves a headband that you wear around your head. Others simply mirror the screen from your phone or computer, so they can just look like overgrown sunglasses. But if you can settle for something even simpler, you might be able to condense everything around the lenses so that the frame is really just a frame, one that you can even replace more easily than with prescription glasses.

Morrama Issé is a concept for mixed reality eyewear that takes advantage of such a design by making the lenses and the frame two connected but independent pieces. The lenses are not your average pair and look more like sports visors. The rim of the visor is quite thick which is where all the electronics will be hidden. In other words, the visor can function on its own without the frame, and the frame only provides the structure that will hold the visor up on the wearer’s face.

This means that the frames are interchangeable, letting the wearer choose the style of the frame depending on where they want to wear the mixed reality goggles. These can be rugged or elegant, at least as elegant as possible considering the rather thick frame required to support the weight of the visor part. More importantly, however, the frames can be made using more sustainable and recyclable materials since this part usually has a shorter lifespan.

The Morrama Issé design is no Minority Report or Tony Stark, and you will still look conspicuous if you will be wearing such eyewear in public. Of course, the primary use case for the wearable will be for fitness, where the goggles will provide the relevant biometrics and information that people need when training or exercising. It’s pretty much the same data that your smartwatch would show, except it will always be within your field of vision. Not everyone will find the aesthetic that pleasing, but Issé’s innovation is how it is able to envision a more modular approach to designing mixed reality eyewear, especially with a bent towards more sustainable options.

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Samsung Glasses Mixed Reality Headset: What We Know So Far

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Although it was a bit late to the game, it was unsurprising that the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset blew people’s minds the moment Apple officially revealed its existence and features. It has definitely caused many players in the market to rethink their designs and strategies, including Samsung who was supposedly close to announcing its own XR or eXtended reality hardware. The initial expectations were along the lines of a full headset not unlike the (Facebook) Meta Quest 3 or Samsung’s own defunct HMD Odyssey, but it seems that Samsung was “inspired” by its biggest rival to go back to the drawing board. While still largely a mystery, some of the pieces are falling into place, laying the foundations for what will soon be called Samsung Glasses.

Designer: Samsung

What: The Design

There is still some debate on what specific area of the umbrella eXtended Reality (XR) space Samsung’s headset will be aiming for. Based on a recently leaked prototype, it would have leaned more on the virtual reality side of the equation, with outward-facing cameras to allow wearers to see a glimpse of the world outside. This is the conventional HMD or Head-Mounted Device design and something Samsung is already familiar with. But with rumors of Samsung reviewing the device in lieu of the Apple Vision Pro, you can expect some big changes in terms of design.

Image courtesy of Brad Lynch

A recent trademark filing in the UK reveals that Samsung is calling dibs on the “Samsung Glasses” name. The description, which covers VR, AR, MR, and XR, isn’t exactly telling, but it does suggest it will take on a form closer to smart glasses. Considering the necessary hardware involved, it won’t be something simple like Ray-Bans or Google Glasses, more like, well, the Apple Vision Pro or the Meta Quest Pro. While not completely comfortable or portable, this design at least opens the door to AR and mixed reality more than a typical VR headset.

Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro

How: The Specs

In addition to the usual processors and electronics needed to drive such a mixed reality headset, Samsung Glasses will succeed or fail depending on the optics it uses. The prototype mentioned above lists micro OLED displays, pancake lenses, and cameras for eye and hand tracking, all of which contribute to a more immersive experience when viewing and manipulating digital objects. Samsung was reportedly planning on using a 2022 processor to power this headset, but Apple’s challenge has it mulling over a more capable chip it could use instead.

Samsung Odyssey+

Samsung Odyssey+

One thing that Samsung might be doing differently from Apple is having the battery built into the headset, though mounted on the rear rather than the front. While this naturally adds to the weight of the device, its location attempts to at least balance the load on both sides. It also makes the Samsung Glasses a bit more portable since it doesn’t have to rely on an external battery connected via a cable.

Meta Quest Pro

Meta Quest Pro

When: The Date

With the Apple Vision Pro’s market launch nearing, Samsung really doesn’t have much time left to put out its own take on the eXtended Reality space. Insider sources claim that the date has been pushed back to mid-2024, in contrast to Apple’s launch sometime between January and April. That’s not to say that Samsung is taking it slow, as developers are allegedly told to finish their XR apps by November. There will be an internal launch next month, so we might get a few more unofficial sneak peeks of the device.

Samsung GearVR

Samsung GearVR

Of course, most of these are still conjectures based on a variety of unofficial sources, so there is still plenty of room to hope for a better device. Conversely, Samsung’s track record with the Gear VR and, later, the HMD Odyssey doesn’t inspire much confidence. The design of the headset is critical for comfort, but it will be the software that will determine whether such a piece of hardware will actually entice buyers in the long run.

Apple Vision Pro

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This $3,990 Mixed Reality Headset is what Fortune 500 Companies Use to Access the Metaverse

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You wouldn’t be the first to think this was a Quest 3, but in fact, this headset comes from Finland-based VR/XR hardware company, Varjo. Although it does share a slight visual similarity with its passthrough camera placement on the front, the XR-4 isn’t your average mixed reality headset. Varjo’s XR-4 series, which includes the base XR-4, the XR-4 Focal Edition, and the XR-4 Secure Edition, is the company’s latest offering in the PC-powered mixed reality headset space. Its highlight, Varjo mentions, is a virtual/mixed reality experience so immersive that it’s “practically indistinguishable from natural sight.” To drive that home, Varjo boasts a client base of more than a quarter of Fortune 500 companies who employ their headsets to “train astronauts and pilots, radically shorten automotive production timelines, power medical breakthroughs, and render stunning 3D visualizations for architects and designers.”

Designer: Varjo

The XR-4 series aims to create perhaps the most believable high-fidelity virtual/mixed reality experience that goes way past the uncanny valley of tech. This is achieved through advanced features like dual 4K x 4K mini-LED displays, which offer a resolution of 51 pixels per degree and a 120 x 105-degree field of view. The displays boast double the brightness at 200 nits and a wider color gamut, covering 96% of the DCI-P3 color space. Additionally, the XR-4 series incorporates dual low-latency 20-megapixel cameras for high-fidelity, real-time photorealistic video pass-through mixed reality. Enhanced with new ambient light sensors and an 8x improvement in LiDAR resolution over its predecessor, the XR-3, these headsets seamlessly blend real and virtual elements.

One of the standout features of the XR-4 Focal Edition is its gaze-directed autofocus cameras, quite similar to the foveated rendering feature demonstrated by Apple during its Vision Pro launch back in June. These cameras are specifically beneficial for training simulations requiring interaction with real-world objects, such as in cockpit-based applications. The XR-4 Secure Edition, meanwhile, caters to government and defense organizations with stringent security requirements.

The XR-4 series is powered by NVIDIA GPUs and is integrated into NVIDIA Omniverse, enabling developers and industrial users to render photorealistic scenes and unlock ray tracing in mixed reality. This potent combination far surpasses the computational power achievable with a mobile chip, making it a game-changer for developers. The headsets are compatible with over 100 third-party PC applications and 3D engines, including Unreal Engine and Unity, ensuring their integration into demanding workflows across various sectors like training and simulation, design, engineering, and healthcare.

Despite these advancements, the XR-4 headsets are bulky and weigh a little over two pounds, making them heavier than the Quest 3 as well as Apple’s own Vision Pro that was questioned for its heavy aluminum body. However, this isn’t a significant concern for Varjo’s target customers, who typically use the headsets for limited periods, such as in training scenarios. The pricing of the XR-4 series starts at $3,990 for the base model, which may seem high for consumers, but not for the specialized industries that can absolutely benefit from the XR-4’s unique offering. In fact, consumers wouldn’t even be able to get their hands on the XR-4 given that Varjo deals exclusively with enterprise and military industries for now. The XR-4 Focal Edition, on the other hand, has an eye-watering starting price of $9,990 while the XR-4 Secure Edition, designed for government-level encrypted use, doesn’t even have a price listed online.

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These Xreal Air 2 glasses could make the Steam Deck more immersive

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AR and XR sunglasses represent a growing market, offering alternatives to VR headsets equipped with mixed-reality pass-through (like the Meta Quest 2 and 3). One of the selling points is style; since they’re smaller and lighter, and since they look like actual sunglasses, you can theoretically wear them outside of your house without catching weird looks. And they usually have at least a few unique features and applications that make them worth using out in public, for instance, blowing up your handheld gaming device into a virtual home theatre while sitting on the bus.

Xreal, formerly Nreal, just announced its newest pair of XR glasses, the Air 2 and Air 2 Pro. They’re not scheduled to officially release until next month; they come ship out in the United States, Britain, and key parts of Europe in late November at $399 and $449, respectively. But reviews are already rolling in, with interesting insights about the Xreal Air 2’s usability and cost performance.

Designer: Ranxin Zhou (via Xreal)

TechRadar seemed to love its “comfortable, lightweight design” while warning potential buyers to steer clear if they don’t travel around with one of the few compatible devices, like a gaming PC. But it sounds like the real use case for the Xreal glasses is taking mixed-reality passthrough with you on the go, meaning it’s best-designed for owners of the Steam Deck or the ASUS ROG Ally.

Both glasses come with 1080p Sony Micro OLED displays capable of displaying 500 nits of brightness through a 46-degree field of view, which is optimal for playing “flat” games on a static screen rather than engaging in full 6DoF VR or MR gameplay. They also seem to run fast – up to 120 Hz, which is also great for gaming. Its built-in “cinematic audio” speakers are also getting a bump from the original Air glasses as well, and are advertised as being specially designed to reduce audio leakage.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90

The Air Pro 2 seems like the real star of the show, using its dimming control to reduce outside light sources down to 0%, making for a far more immersive experience while playing games and watching movies in home theatre mode. Though it does indeed work with PCs, it seems to underwhelm (according to reviewers) when compared to far more versatile VR headsets like the Quest 2/3 and Valve Index, but strangely enough, the hype cycle surround the Apple Vision Pro drove sales for Xreal in July 2023.

Xreal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro are set to officially release for $399 and $449 in late November 2023.

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