2023-10-25 18:42:00
par Jennifer Mertens
published on Wednesday October 25, 2023 at 8:42 p.m. •
4 min reading
If the upcoming clash between Meta and Apple attracts all the attention in the market for augmented and virtual reality accessories, they are not the only ones to offer such products. China also has several serious players.
News : the Chinese company Xreal has unveiled two new pairs of augmented reality glasses, the Xreal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro.
Connected to a smartphone, computer or gaming console, the glasses essentially project a screen across the room.
The detail : Xreal relies on high-end components to compete against the competition.
Thus, the glasses feature 0.55 inch micro-OLED screens, signed Sony. A first, according to the company. Note that they do not have a camera. They cannot therefore take photos or record videos, nor project elements in augmented reality. Their display resolution is Full HD (1920 x 1080 per eye), with a very high contrast ratio and good brightness. On the Pro model, dimming technology makes the lenses opaque to improve the display. An operation which is partly reminiscent of the Apple Vision Pro. Like the Apple headset, it is possible to add lenses adapted to your vision. Interesting.
To note : Xreal’s new glasses will launch in November in the US, UK and select European markets.
The Xreal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro will be priced at €459 and €515. Prices close to that of the Meta Quest 3, while the proposition is far from being the same. Here, there is no question of virtual reality, nor of giving the impression of immersing yourself in an environment to embody a video game character . In the end, the proposal is quite disappointing compared to the two other American actors. Indeed, these are not augmented reality glasses as we usually understand.
The next big consumer product after the smartphone
Interest in this type of product is growing, as big names in the technology sector reveal their ambitions in this area or renew their commitment.
Virtual or augmented reality accessories have in fact been the subject of new attention since June. For what ? Quite simply because Apple presented its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. A few days earlier, Meta had tried to pull the cover on its own headset, the Meta Quest 3, more focused on virtual reality and gaming. But above all, more accessible. More recently, Mark Zuckerberg’s company unveiled a new pair of connected glasses, in collaboration with Ray-Ban. Three different proposals that demonstrate this serious interest in connected or reality-enhancing headsets and glasses. There is no doubt that other actors will join the competition. Xiaomi is already doing this and Samsung is expected again in this area.
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