NReal, a market leader in MR experience, announced their compelling “Light” smart glasses during 2019 CES. However, these glasses weren’t expected to ship until 2020. Now that they’re available in at least some parts of the world, they’re taking users by storm.
The NReal Light smart glasses offer a convenient mixed reality experience that goes beyond the standard heads-up display. They sit on your face just like a set of (slightly chunky) sunglasses, but they’re not as bulky as other VR and AR headsets we’ve seen.
You should be able to enjoy wearing glasses like this for a decent amount of time, to play games or interact with apps, without feeling overwhelmed or exhausted.
NReal Light Smart Glasses: Features
The NReal Light smart glasses are an ergonomic and lightweight set of smart glasses, which tether to an external computing device, such as a smartphone. The glasses use spatial tracking technology and projected images to overlay apps onto the real world.
According to NReal, it’s essentially a more comfortable alternative to watching things on your smartphone or interacting with games through your device. The consumer retail version of the headset comes with a selection of nose clips to ensure that you get the perfect fit for your face.
There’s also a corrective lens and a black “VR” cover, which blocks any outside vision that might detract from the experience. NReal has also introduced a developer kit that includes a controller and dedicated miniature computer. Hand-tracking functionality is expected to arrive at some point in the future.
NReal Light Smart Glasses: performance
The Light Glasses from NReal require a connection to your Android phone, and they come with a touchpad controller included too. Images delivered by the two displays on the device will cover a full 52-degree horizontal field of view, which is excellent for immersion. They don’t totally cover your natural field of view, but it’s a nice enough experience, particularly with the 1080p.
Sensors in the smart glasses track the eye movements and the 3D mapping view in front of them, so that digital objects and characters can interact with the environment. Microphones and speakers are built into the frames too, and users can control objects with something like a curved laser pointer.
The NReal 3D Nebular system allows all Android apps to work through the NReal Light glasses. These show up in 2D, but you can move them around to combine them with 3D applications too. There’s also the option to connect to a friend with a set of Light glasses, so you can both experience the same shared MR environment, where you see the same things.
NReal Light Smart Glasses Review: Verdict
These lightweight smart glasses from NReal pack a punch for those who want to experiment with mixed reality in style. Although there’s still room for growth in some aspects of the experience, like the need for a wider field of view, all around, everything works surprisingly well.
Whether you’re playing games on your smartphone, or sharing an MR environment with a co-worker, the NReal Light glasses are a delight.
