It's going to be interesting to see this compete with the Meta VR glasses. They are essentially identical for productivity except the Aura has physical light pass through while the VR glasses use external cameras to provide pass through. The Meta VR glasses will have better resolution I think, but then the Aura has access to the whole Android ecosystem - so that means real implementations of Microsoft Word etc.
But the real choice is the unfortunate one of who is least likely to abandon the whole thing when it doesn't take off and leave you with an un/poorly supported device. Both companies have terrible track records on this.
Resolution matters a lot for productivity, and Meta's displays have more than twice the number of pixels. Image quality for the display will be much better on the Meta VR glasses because of the lack of interference from outside light. See-through displays sound good in theory but require too many compromises IMO. There's no such thing as "black" on a see-through display, only "transparent". Definitely try before you buy.
I feel like Meta's track record of VR device support has been decent enough. Quest Pro still gets updates even though it was discontinued almost two years ago. When they ended support for Oculus Go they released an update that unlocked the device and granted root access. I'm sure you can find some complaints on Reddit but looking at what they've actually done I think it looks pretty good.
Yes I actually agree with you on the support question.
Quest Pro is a good example though because yes, they provided OS updates. But they never released anything like the required software to address professional use cases that they suggested would happen when they launched it. That's where I harbor the doubts about support. I just don't think Meta "gets" professional / business use. They aren't built with that DNA as a company.
It's true that Meta hasn't provided much software support for productivity use cases. At least the Meta VR Glasses will have DisplayPort support. So if you don't like the software on the device it will still work as a portable monitor setup for your other devices.
> The Meta VR glasses will have better resolution I think, but then the Aura has access to the whole Android ecosystem - so that means real implementations of Microsoft Word etc.
Those aren't mutually exclusive though. Horizon OS is based on AOSP, and the more applications cross over into big screens on Android, the more Horizon gains the ability to leverage them too. Whether they actually show up in Facebook's store is a separate question, but I also have no idea how common the use of SideQuest is, just that the store is somewhat of an artificial limitation. (Google Play, on the other hand...)
> But the real choice is the unfortunate one of who is least likely to abandon the whole thing when it doesn't take off and leave you with an un/poorly supported device. Both companies have terrible track records on this.
Agreed. I would never buy a device like this from Facebook, and while glasses as a display are super useful, I don't necessarily see the need for a dedicated compute device for them when this experience could just as easily be powered by a phone. (I could maybe see replacing a phone with this, but more for particular minimalist crowds and not as a mass-market sell.)
The devil is in the details. Every single UX design choice can have massive impact on productivity and creative tooling workflows. Don't predict anything based on the spec sheet.
It solves the problem with hand tracking if done correctly (and only Apple has come close).
Hand-tracking is a terrible idea without micro gestures and eye tracking - because your arms tire very quickly and pointing at things is very inaccurate.
There's a reason why brushes are more popular than finger painting)
Of course - we've already invented the optimum solution which is tracked 6dof controllers - but someone decided they aren't ever going to be mainstream so here we are...
I actually don't see any reason why I would use this instead of my Xreal Air (released like 3 years ago) + Samsung Dex. The phone is a perfect "compute puck" for wired AR glasses and Google even makes them, so why the heck are they selling separate compute pucks with these glasses and making them unaffordable?? Just make some pixel glasses that run android xr on the pixel phone instead
Hmm, fair point, I suppose I just don't use the hand tracking stuff very often since it's just not very productive (I use portable mouse & keyboard even on my Samsung headset that supports hand tracking).
But even given that the glasses have to support hand tracking and 6DOF, I think they can probably build the sensors into the glasses but compute them with the phone. Or maybe calculating hand tracking would drain the battery of a Pixel too fast or something. Not sure.
I think it’s more that you need really good latency guarantees for 6DOF to not feel terrible - it’ll be pretty hard to get that from a multitasking phone
the demo video (on xreal site) looked to have little screens behind the glasses facade, at least I thought I saw a glimpse of that, assumed it was the same as other devices in this form factor
looking closer, there are two lens like things, bulkier, as say compared to the hololens 2, which is my benchmark for AR/XR (bulky device, but singular lens)
The entire category is socially frowned upon right now as perv glasses because a non insignificant portion of males are utter pervs
I like glasses like these, but just for a simple use case.
I picked up a pair of factory refurb VITURE Pro XR for $130 and they are fantastic for watching movies from my phone on a trip, or playing games from like a steam deck.
They really are native 1080p 120Hz micro OLED screens. Fantastic contrast and brightness.
I don't care at all about the head tracking or passthrough or any of that stuff. To me they are just a simple fixed floating huge high quality screen that I can use on the go.
I'm also able to watch 3D movies on them with of course zero crosstalk and that's pretty neat too!
If anyone else is interested in trying these types of glasses here they are for $152 (with coupon SHOPNOW15) certified refurb from the original company with an excellent 30 day return policy.
They can certainly work for that, they are quite clear and sharp, but sometimes you can get a sample with a soft spot on the lens, in that case return and try again is my only suggestion. I bought only 1 of these from the eBay link I sent last year when they were slightly cheaper and got a perfect sample on the first try.
I actually used them like this when I was stuck in bed after a back surgery for a couple weeks, plugged into my laptop.
They do make a newer model now that is actually fairly stripped down in terms of functionality but is supposed to have the best clarity, the VITURE Pro 2 XR, and new they are only $300, and you can get a 10% off coupon for their site, so they are $270 new which isn't bad at all.
Many companies are making these glasses (Xreal, Viture RayNeo, Rokid, etc). They are all fundamentally the same thing. Same micro OLED panels and similar optical design. But they keep adding more features like better head tracking, better built in audio (I just use my AirPods Pro 2), built in cameras, more on-board processing for 3D stuff, that just makes the price go higher, so it's nice to see they still make a new pair with stripped down features for those of us who just want a basic display and for fairly cheap still.
I think you just need to try it to see for yourself if it works for your use case. The return policy is really good.
------
Our Guarantee & After-Sales Support
Free Returns & Full Refunds: Not satisfied? Enjoy free return shipping and full refunds. All inquiries answered within 24 hours; refunds processed within 48 hours after return inspection.
Missing or Incorrect Items: Wrong item or missing accessories? Please contact us—we’ll send replacements for free and add a 5% partial refund.
Fit, Compatibility, or Performance Issues: Discomfort, connection issues, or device malfunctions? If you experience the above issues and wish to return, select “Doesn’t fit” or “Didn’t like item”—we’ll process your return within 24 hours.
Fast & Responsive Support: For non-quality issues (setup, connection, firmware, or feature settings), we recommend contacting our support first for quick guidance.
Is this something that you would use in coffee shop and exchange for an external computer monitor? I have been really on the fence about investing in something like this
I have the same question, but change “coffee shop” to tiny apartment (with only one desk and 2 people with remote jobs). Taking this with me for work-cations seems like it could be fun but it would have to support cross-platform (osx) and there would have to be strong signals that it’s not a pair of “pervert glasses” if I’m to use them in a public setting.
They just show up as a DP over USB-C monitor, so they work natively in any OS or phone etc. I don't really think you would have any problem with them in a public setting.
I think yes. But I think it would be a really individual decision based on a few factors. I say at $150 and an easy return why not try since you have been on the fence?
It’s kind of funny reading this blog announcement as a corporate product announcement, because I’ve been actually playing with nreal’s air 2 ultra glasses. They are absolutely perfect for open XR work, I love them. You get the cameras, buttons, accelerometer, all over the cable without fuss, and they show up in Linux as just a regular DRM device. Literally by default most window managers just see them as another display. It was such a nice experience getting a 3d engine hooked up to them and adding 6DoF tracking working with visua slam (two fisheye cameras gives you instant depth, a luxury compared to the usual monocular focus). Honestly these glasses are good enough that I use them with a pinephone as my primary computing device these days. And this was on the side executed by an agentic harness while I focusing on other things! I guess I’m also now competing with Google, and so could you too.
If you're interested in running full Linux Desktop apps instead of Android apps, Simula is getting closer to releasing VR/AR compatible compute packs with laptop competitive specs: https://simulavr.com/blog/compute-pack-progress/
Oh wow, I didn't look at the price of the Xreal Aura, assuming it was something in the range of 399 to 599. Yeah, if it's the same price as the Steam Frame there's absolutely no contest.
I'm not interested in VR/AR stuff, but I'm still waiting for dumb lightweight wireless glasses that would be able to replace my four monitor setup on PC.
This is cool. Its part of an ideal version of my home setup. But god the marketing feels so off, its like its made by people who have never used a monitor or done work on a computer. The marketing makes it out to be a phone screen for your face which is such a sad vision for genuinely cool technology. Also horrible demonstration of AI do these people even use AI?
The part where he asked AI to organise his windows was almost as painful as the part where he was in a generic chase sequence of a Ubisoft slop game and asked whats the best way to catch the assassin.
>Continuous AI dependence of a large fraction of society is coming fast. It needs a name. Cyborgism? Umbilicals?
"Quick, everyone! There has been an event in the time line that causes derision between the masses, let's assign derogatory phrases to blindly label individuals on each side -- we'll call them slurs -- according to the corresponding biases before any kind of human oneness or organization can take place, otherwise we risk human relations improving!"
or, another route : every single step need not be 'us or them'.
The opposite of creating new labels to amplify such dangerous expressions of opinion would be to reduce and simplify vocabulary into a kind of newspeak in order to unworsen such thoughtcrime.
These combined with constant access to LLMs are basically the power glasses or specs from the book Accelerando by Charles Stross that the main character becomes so dependent on he becomes severely disoriented when they are stolen.
(If that's all you want from them, aren't there cheaper solutions? These are "full VR in glasses form factor")
Not sure. I mainly still use a Quest 3 as a monitor replacement and had no strong reason to switch. The prescription inserts I got with these weren't quite right for my prescription and I prefer using my actual spectacles. So I've only used them to port stuff to/develop for - and tinker with existing apps (mainly the google supplied stuff as the embargo only lifted yesterday so there wasn't much released for it specifically).
I haven’t seen any device with the stability capabilities of Hololens 1 or 2. Would love to be proven wrong soon. The HLs use sensor fusion in hardware to adapt the current rendering at up to over 200 fps during device movement.
Hololens was ahead of its time. I have not used the Vision Pro much but suspect it's the closest and other headsets will start catching up in the next year or two
If you just want a "dumb" pair of wired display glasses, they have a $300 version (xbx a01+) that has no brick, no Android and no AI, it operates as a plain DP Alt Mode USB-C connection. They're like a modern version of the old Sony HMZ-T3, but with the size/weight/style of normal sunglasses.
I like mine, they are more usable as a work monitor than I thought they would be (I'm used to blurry VR sets but these are sharp except for the extreme edges). The FOV is not quite as wide as the new XR ones but I'm ok with that... I don't use them for any immersive effect.
even the $650 One Pros have most of the QoL features here, like the hardware IPR adjustments and an optional 6DoF camera
the only things that make the Aura tempting are the 70deg FoV (which like you say isn't a feature everyone wants or needs) and the 1000 lumen brightness. neither justifies burning extra money on the useless puck, even if Google is subsidizing it.
if the Aura was available at $700-$800 puckless they'd be a genuine upgrade over the One Pro.
My biggest complaint with the older models was the weight and the heat... even the A01's with barely any processing often get uncomfortably warm for me after some time, and it's already significantly cooler than the One Pro IMO.
I have tried the follow mode on my x01 but unfortunately it seems to add a slight (but annoying nonetheless) blur to the image... thankfully the normal mode does not bother me as much.
I've noticed that in the corners of my 1s in follow mode where it doesn't bother me. Lucky, because mine would probably gather dust if follow didn't work well.
Not really sure how it's any less dystopian than blinking at a screen 2 feet away on your desk, as people have been doing for decades?
To be honest, it feels a lot less dystopian to me. Frees up your body so you can easily alternate between sitting and standing, and move between environments or inside/outside a lot easier.
Like, it's technology adapting itself to our bodies, instead of trying to adapt our bodies to technology by hunching over and developing neck strain and bad backs.
This was part of a dystopian National Lampoon recording 50 years ago. It ended on a note about how even when the person closed his eyes, it didn't end.
It went something like "…there's a red light blinking in the darkness. You have a message."
I really want XR glasses to work but having a 50 inch screen in front of me that moves with the micro-movements of my head is very annoying.
Using an ide is difficult because in order to have enough text on the screen to be useful the font size has to be that micromovements of the head makes reading the text difficult - its fine for 15 minutes but try doing 2 hours of coding on it, and the extra cognitive load of tracking the moving screen and text is too much. Mine sit in the case now, gathering dust.
Watching movies, probably fine. Playing games, probably fine. I don't do those things.
I have the XREAL One Pro. It is polarized which makes it always dimmer, especially indoors, and they sort of PWM from the polarized state to a 99% black out with a button interface. When it's really bright outside and you have the display on, you can see barely where your next step is and not much else.
Their AURAs are probably the same in this specific capability, it looks like the same thing I have in my hands, apart from the extra cameras and a different set of buttons.
The projection lenses look the same too, which means there's no periphery at all. That makes the sort of "screens hovering around you" in the advertising not all that representative of the experience. You see what's in front of you and might barely contain the one screen that you're looking at.
But the real choice is the unfortunate one of who is least likely to abandon the whole thing when it doesn't take off and leave you with an un/poorly supported device. Both companies have terrible track records on this.
I feel like Meta's track record of VR device support has been decent enough. Quest Pro still gets updates even though it was discontinued almost two years ago. When they ended support for Oculus Go they released an update that unlocked the device and granted root access. I'm sure you can find some complaints on Reddit but looking at what they've actually done I think it looks pretty good.
Quest Pro is a good example though because yes, they provided OS updates. But they never released anything like the required software to address professional use cases that they suggested would happen when they launched it. That's where I harbor the doubts about support. I just don't think Meta "gets" professional / business use. They aren't built with that DNA as a company.
Those aren't mutually exclusive though. Horizon OS is based on AOSP, and the more applications cross over into big screens on Android, the more Horizon gains the ability to leverage them too. Whether they actually show up in Facebook's store is a separate question, but I also have no idea how common the use of SideQuest is, just that the store is somewhat of an artificial limitation. (Google Play, on the other hand...)
> But the real choice is the unfortunate one of who is least likely to abandon the whole thing when it doesn't take off and leave you with an un/poorly supported device. Both companies have terrible track records on this.
Agreed. I would never buy a device like this from Facebook, and while glasses as a display are super useful, I don't necessarily see the need for a dedicated compute device for them when this experience could just as easily be powered by a phone. (I could maybe see replacing a phone with this, but more for particular minimalist crowds and not as a mass-market sell.)
The devil is in the details. Every single UX design choice can have massive impact on productivity and creative tooling workflows. Don't predict anything based on the spec sheet.
Hand-tracking is a terrible idea without micro gestures and eye tracking - because your arms tire very quickly and pointing at things is very inaccurate. There's a reason why brushes are more popular than finger painting)
Of course - we've already invented the optimum solution which is tracked 6dof controllers - but someone decided they aren't ever going to be mainstream so here we are...
But even given that the glasses have to support hand tracking and 6DOF, I think they can probably build the sensors into the glasses but compute them with the phone. Or maybe calculating hand tracking would drain the battery of a Pixel too fast or something. Not sure.
Passthrough is lame compared to real AR
looking closer, there are two lens like things, bulkier, as say compared to the hololens 2, which is my benchmark for AR/XR (bulky device, but singular lens)
The entire category is socially frowned upon right now as perv glasses because a non insignificant portion of males are utter pervs
I picked up a pair of factory refurb VITURE Pro XR for $130 and they are fantastic for watching movies from my phone on a trip, or playing games from like a steam deck.
They really are native 1080p 120Hz micro OLED screens. Fantastic contrast and brightness.
I don't care at all about the head tracking or passthrough or any of that stuff. To me they are just a simple fixed floating huge high quality screen that I can use on the go.
I'm also able to watch 3D movies on them with of course zero crosstalk and that's pretty neat too!
If anyone else is interested in trying these types of glasses here they are for $152 (with coupon SHOPNOW15) certified refurb from the original company with an excellent 30 day return policy.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/389249036434
I actually used them like this when I was stuck in bed after a back surgery for a couple weeks, plugged into my laptop.
They do make a newer model now that is actually fairly stripped down in terms of functionality but is supposed to have the best clarity, the VITURE Pro 2 XR, and new they are only $300, and you can get a 10% off coupon for their site, so they are $270 new which isn't bad at all.
Many companies are making these glasses (Xreal, Viture RayNeo, Rokid, etc). They are all fundamentally the same thing. Same micro OLED panels and similar optical design. But they keep adding more features like better head tracking, better built in audio (I just use my AirPods Pro 2), built in cameras, more on-board processing for 3D stuff, that just makes the price go higher, so it's nice to see they still make a new pair with stripped down features for those of us who just want a basic display and for fairly cheap still.
I think you just need to try it to see for yourself if it works for your use case. The return policy is really good.
------
Our Guarantee & After-Sales Support
Free Returns & Full Refunds: Not satisfied? Enjoy free return shipping and full refunds. All inquiries answered within 24 hours; refunds processed within 48 hours after return inspection.
Missing or Incorrect Items: Wrong item or missing accessories? Please contact us—we’ll send replacements for free and add a 5% partial refund.
Fit, Compatibility, or Performance Issues: Discomfort, connection issues, or device malfunctions? If you experience the above issues and wish to return, select “Doesn’t fit” or “Didn’t like item”—we’ll process your return within 24 hours.
Fast & Responsive Support: For non-quality issues (setup, connection, firmware, or feature settings), we recommend contacting our support first for quick guidance.
------
I bought some vr glasses a few years back but ended up returning them as there was no way you could code with them.
They weren't xreal, but a similar competitor, can't recall the name.
the only jank in standalone is android's handling of physical keyboards.
the software side is WayVR which a wayland compositor (?) that can handle windows, or can also handle monitors (and virtual ones) at least with KDE
I really wanted something I could bring with me when working away from home without a multi-monitor setup.
The glasses I had were Viture, I remember now, they were very disappointing.
The quest is really affordable for this purpose, so I think I might try it.
Have a meta quest 3 but want to replace the chrome browser on and generally meta as well.
The part where he asked AI to organise his windows was almost as painful as the part where he was in a generic chase sequence of a Ubisoft slop game and asked whats the best way to catch the assassin.
Continuous AI dependence of a large fraction of society is coming fast. It needs a name. Cyborgism? Umbilicals?
We'll also need to coin some names for the symbiotes to call the resistors. Neoamish? Analogues?
The economic power difference between the two groups may justify calling them the Eloi and the Morlocks.
"Quick, everyone! There has been an event in the time line that causes derision between the masses, let's assign derogatory phrases to blindly label individuals on each side -- we'll call them slurs -- according to the corresponding biases before any kind of human oneness or organization can take place, otherwise we risk human relations improving!"
or, another route : every single step need not be 'us or them'.
... on another hand, 'gargoyle' is kind of cool.
Given how this AI push has been extremely anti-labor, we are actually fighting for human relations to improve.
How about "human beings?"
Not sure. I mainly still use a Quest 3 as a monitor replacement and had no strong reason to switch. The prescription inserts I got with these weren't quite right for my prescription and I prefer using my actual spectacles. So I've only used them to port stuff to/develop for - and tinker with existing apps (mainly the google supplied stuff as the embargo only lifted yesterday so there wasn't much released for it specifically).
I also think a well encoded mp3 at around 192kbs VBR is good enough for everyone and nobody needs a 4k TV - so judge me as you see fit.
I like mine, they are more usable as a work monitor than I thought they would be (I'm used to blurry VR sets but these are sharp except for the extreme edges). The FOV is not quite as wide as the new XR ones but I'm ok with that... I don't use them for any immersive effect.
the only things that make the Aura tempting are the 70deg FoV (which like you say isn't a feature everyone wants or needs) and the 1000 lumen brightness. neither justifies burning extra money on the useless puck, even if Google is subsidizing it.
if the Aura was available at $700-$800 puckless they'd be a genuine upgrade over the One Pro.
To be honest, it feels a lot less dystopian to me. Frees up your body so you can easily alternate between sitting and standing, and move between environments or inside/outside a lot easier.
Like, it's technology adapting itself to our bodies, instead of trying to adapt our bodies to technology by hunching over and developing neck strain and bad backs.
It went something like "…there's a red light blinking in the darkness. You have a message."
or at least i might wake up since im the one typing this.
and im arriving at alpha centauri.
all the progress and human evolution, timelines etc with exponential acceleration in the last act.
all to do with the effects of space time travel. the brain needs to remain active even in stasis.
thats the wake up signal.
Using an ide is difficult because in order to have enough text on the screen to be useful the font size has to be that micromovements of the head makes reading the text difficult - its fine for 15 minutes but try doing 2 hours of coding on it, and the extra cognitive load of tracking the moving screen and text is too much. Mine sit in the case now, gathering dust.
Watching movies, probably fine. Playing games, probably fine. I don't do those things.
Their AURAs are probably the same in this specific capability, it looks like the same thing I have in my hands, apart from the extra cameras and a different set of buttons.
The projection lenses look the same too, which means there's no periphery at all. That makes the sort of "screens hovering around you" in the advertising not all that representative of the experience. You see what's in front of you and might barely contain the one screen that you're looking at.