The Xreal Air 2 Ultra is billed as an affordable Vision Pro and Quest 3 alternative, but we have doubts

Date:
Tue, 09 Jan 2024 12:40:49 +0000

Description:
The Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses look promising, but they also look set to repeat several mistakes we've seen before.

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Just as Apple has officially confirmed that its Vision Pro headset will go on sale in February , Xreal has announced a spatial computing rival thats way more affordable. Its new Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses will come out in March, and will cost $699 (around 550 / AU$1,050), which is significantly less than the $3,499 Apple gadget (around 2,755 / AU$5,225).

The Xreal Air 2 Ultra launch happened at CES 2024 , the massive annual tech expo in Las Vegas. The glasses are a follow-up to the AR smart specs weve tried in our Xreal Air review and Xreal Air 2 Pro review , with both delivering solid visuals in a comfortable-to-wear and sleek form factor. If you ask us, the Xreal Airs are the best version of this kind of smart
glasses.

The new Ultra model looks set to take things up a notch with the addition of cameras the first time Xreal has incorporated them into its Air specs. These will allow spatial computing apps to identify real-world objects that virtual elements can interact with, and will also enable hand-tracking.

Xreal has also highlighted that its specs can let you enjoy immersive 3D spatial video, just as you'll be able to on the Vision Pro which in our experience is the most mind-blowing Vision Pro feature . To view your own recordings on the Air 2 Ultra you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro and a third-party video conversion app to turn your file into the right format; the process sounds nearly identical to the way you watch spatial video on a Meta Quest 3
. Are they truly an Ultra XR gadget at an affordable price? (Image credit: Xreal)

One issue weve previously had with the Air glasses is that they lack the ability to interact with virtual elements theyre effectively just wearable screens. So, with the introduction of cameras, the Air 2 Ultra glasses could finally feel like true AR glasses.

Unfortunately, theres a big catch. Familiar faults remain

While the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is billed as an affordable alternative to the Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3 , the comparison isnt exactly accurate, as the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is not a standalone product. Much as with the other Xreal Air products, youll need to hook them up to a compatible gadget with a USB-C display port (meaning it can output video and audio through USB-C).

That's just for screen mirroring though. If you want a bona fide spatial computer there are just three compatible devices listed on the official store page right now: the Samsung Galaxy S22 , the Samsung Galaxy S23 , and a
custom computing unit that Xreal says is on the way. The list is slightly longer if you include the other phones in Samsungs S22 and S23 lines the Ultra and Plus models but still, if you have any other smartphone it looks like youll have to buy a new handset to get the most out of these specs.

As such, while the glasses and Samsung phone combo would still be a whole lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro costing you not much more than $1,000 / $1,100 if you can find a Galaxy S22 on sale, for example with this $369.99 Galaxy S22 deal at Target they dont look like an affordable alternative to the $499.99 / 479.99 / AU$799.99 Meta Quest 3. The Meta Quest 3 will probably still be the best affordable XR gadget (Image credit: Meta)

Maybe the custom computing unit will offer a cheaper alternative to a whole smartphone it wont need features like cameras after all but the Xreal
system will still cost more than a Meta headset, and it won't be as easy to use as a Quest given all those required add-ons.

Whats more, currently its not clear if Xreal will come close to matching the quality and range of dedicated XR software found in the Quest library (XR being a catchall for VR, AR, and MR). So you might have cool gear, but not
all that much to look at or play on it.

Well have to try the Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses for ourselves to get a proper sense of their capabilities. But, much as with the base Xreal Air 2, while
the Ultra model is a clear leap forward it looks like it'll be let down by familiar faults. You Might Also Like I tried LG's amazing transparent OLED TV you'll actually be able to buy New Apple Vision Pro videos give us a closer look at the sci-fi visionOS Meta's new VR headset design looks like a
next-gen Apple Vision Pro



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/the-xrea l-air-2-ultra-is-billed-as-an-affordable-vision-pro-and-quest-3-alternative-bu t-we-have-doubts


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