As much as we loved our run-ins with virtual reality, one thing’s certain: it’s not the most comfortable form of entertainment. Most of the headsets out there are heavy, bulky and make you dizzy, in part due to poor animations and screen resolutions. Mixed reality gear is not very different, really. At CES, we found the exception to the rule. Nreal Light is a pair of mixed reality glasses we can see ourselves sporting for hours.
Unlike the Acer and Asus mixed reality headsets, Nreal’s design is less futuristic and more contemporary. The device looks very similar to a normal pair of sunglasses, although it’s not quite as thin.
That shouldn’t fool you, though; Nreal Light is extremely light, weighing just 85 grams. “Our philosophy is to have the device light enough [so it can] be worn for extended periods of time”, explained Zhihao Zhao, Product Manager at Nreal.
Smartphones are starting to show their limitations, whereas glasses are the perfect [platform] for AI, 5G and MR
We were surprised to find that despite its lightness, the Nreal Light packs up quite the punch! The 1080p laser projectors for each eye are completed by dual microphones on the top and stereo speakers towards the end of both arms. The latter “provide spatial audio thanks to technology from DTS, one of our partners. “, told us Zhihao Zhao.
Nreal equipped the glasses with buttons to adjust the brightness, an adjustable magnetic nose support and support for prescription lenses. In a future update, Nreal plans to add content sharing support.
Sounds too good to be true? Let me tell you, it’s not. We tried them on and the near-eye display technology, coupled with the surround sound, convinced us we wouldn’t tire of them easily. As Zhihao Zhao says, “the visual is pretty sharp so you can feel the vividness of the color of the virtual objects.”
The company’s belief is that they will replace the smartphone in the near future, at least when it comes to AI, 5G and AR/MR applications.
In the future, you can leave part of your daily job to these glasses
We’re skeptics by profession, so our advice is to take that prediction with a pinch of salt. Virtual reality gear is nowhere near mass adoption, and that rings even more true for mixed reality devices.
Content sharing will roll our pretty soon
That said, if you want to be ahead of the trend, you can pre-order your Nreal Light glasses this year, as they’ll hit the market in the later part of the year.
The glasses can be bought standalone and paired with your smartphone or laptop via USB Type C or as a bundle, with a computational device, rechargeable battery and controller.
The bundle “will cost as much as a high-end smartphone”, assured us
Zhihao Zhao.
Is it time to give mixed reality a chance? Tell us in the comments!
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