We’ve got some good news if you’ve been waiting for high-quality heads-up glasses since the first Iron Man movie. The Nreal Air AR glasses just went on sale in the United States. The augmented reality headset was previously only available in Asian markets and for Android devices.
The glasses appear like oversized sunglasses and allow you to enjoy watching streaming services like Netflix and YouTube wherever you are. The devices can stream games through GeForce and Xbox Cloud services.
Nreal claims that the Nreal Air is the equivalent of watching a ten-foot screen from 20 feet away. And, unlike virtual reality (VR) headsets, the Nreal AR glasses don’t obstruct your vision. So, you can see what’s happening around you while you watch or play.
Interestingly, Nreal says that the Air AR glasses are compatible with iOS. However, the Apple iPhone is not listed on Nreal’s compatibility page. And the Amazon listing makes it clear that you need a special dongle to use the glasses with “Apple devices with lightning and Nintendo Switch.”
These augmented reality glasses have some key differences from the versions available overseas. The most notable of which is the lack of a camera. The Asian version of the device features outward-facing cameras to track physical motion, and the American version does not. Instead, the devices will only track user rotation. Nreal also states that the new devices will consume about half as much power as their Asian counterparts.
So, while our dreams of an actual heads-up display that’s fully featured remain just that, the Nreal Air AR glasses may be a good step in that direction. (That said, iPhone users may want to hold out for clarification on the compatibility situation.)
Source: The Verge
