Gaming with expensive AR smart glasses is first-class fun

One of my favorite Steam Deck upgrades costs more than a Steam Deck. I tested Xreal’s new $499 One AR glasses, which can serve as an external display for the console by connecting a USB-C cable between the two. The One glasses also work with other devices that can push video from a USB-C port, like some phones, tablets and computers, but unfortunately not with the Nintendo Switch (I hope it’s supported on the Switch 2).

At the expense of looking a bit conspicuous when wearing sunglasses indoors, it’s a more comfortable way to play games because I can look straight ahead, or in whatever direction I want, instead of leaning over to look at the Steam Deck screen. I imagine these would be fantastic, and perhaps more worth the cost, for travelers who want a big-screen experience on the go. For most others, it’s a premium expense that’s unnecessary but incredibly fun to use.

They’re impressive for such a small gadget; Like previous Xreal glasses, the One has built-in micro-OLED screens along the top edge of the glasses, which are projected and joined together to appear as one giant screen in front of you. The side arms of the glasses contain speakers (tuned by Bose) that send sound directly to your ears. In terms of volume, these can certainly reach “nuisance” territory, but at reasonable volume only the wearer will likely hear them. Then they fold up into a relatively compact case when you’re done.

I’ve been on a mission to find accessories that will help me play games more comfortably, partly because my gaming time as a new dad is currently limited to about 30 minutes at night before I go to bed. I want every second to be fun and feel good. I made progress in that effort when I got the $64 Mechanism Gaming Cushionwhich resembles a bean bag for your lap with an adjustable stand at the top. Instead of having to hold my Steam Deck in front of me, the pillow supports its weight at the viewing angle that’s best for my neck, and in the ideal position for my arms to reach. The cushion alone may be a sufficient upgrade for most, but when used alongside the Xreal One I consider it a pretty ideal sofa setup.

The One’s screens are slightly increased in size and field of view (FOV) compared to the Air 2 Prothe previous version. These 0.68 inches per eye screens can create an image equivalent to a 171 inch screen in front of you, and a 50 degree field of view compared to 46 degrees (if that sounds small, that’s because it is!). The glasses are powered by the device you plug them into, which means your device’s battery may drain faster than normal, but the drain seems to be more or less compensated for if your gadget’s screen turns off when the One is plugged in (as the Deck does). ).

In addition to the minor screen improvements, the new X1 chip in the Xreal One glasses makes them worth stepping over their predecessor if you’re considering this major purchase. Specifically, the chip provides 3 degrees of freedom (3DOF), or in other words, it can track your head movements, whether you’re looking sideways, up or down, or tilt your head, and adjust the orientation of the screen. as you move, so you can view comfortably from any angle. The Air 2 Pro could do this too, but only if you also get the $200 standalone phone-like device, the Beam Pro, and keep it connected via a separate USB-C cable. It’s great that this functionality is available internally in the new One AR glasses.

Another improvement is the digital interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment function. While it’s inferior to the ability to physically adjust the lenses to achieve greater clarity, as the Meta Quest and Valve Index VR headsets offer, it’s great to have some adjustment option at all with the Xreal One. After realizing I couldn’t actually use the Air 2 Pro unless I bought prescription lenses, I was happy that the One’s IPD settings were enough to let me get by without additional lenses. Although, if you need glasses frames, there are options available.

I enjoyed using the Xreal One, enough to play most of it Death stranding through it, and now I’m going to continue with an old save file Cyberpunk 2077. The bold contrast of every game looks phenomenal on these small OLED screens. But even if these AR glasses were flawless, it would still be hard to recommend them for $500 unless you’re a hardcore traveler. There are also a few other issues that anyone considering purchasing these should be aware of.

While I appreciate that the displays can achieve a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, the content looks extra blurry when you look at low-resolution text and images, which is exactly what I get from the Steam Deck (it likes to force 720p or 800p in games). The One tops out at 1080p, and for the most part the content is much more readable at that resolution.

The way the Xreal One’s screens combine to create a whole image is effective, even if I’m a nitpicker, so I can’t ignore how small the field of view is compared to most VR headsets. On the plus side, though, this small field of view allows you to see around the screens with ease, which can be useful if you want to stay somewhat aware of the happenings around you as you play. Another thing worth knowing is that parts of the entire image appear blurrier than others (especially the edges of the field of view). This is especially noticeable if you disable the head-tracking feature for a photo that’s locked in place, as you can then selectively focus on any part of the virtual screen to find the errors. That said, if you’re in a flow with a game, you might not notice this all that often – until you get to an inventory screen with small text and icons.

Even if you can overlook (or not really notice) these issues, you can’t get past the $499 price of the Xreal One. So out of curiosity I was wondering how the $299 Meta Quest 3S or even the older Quest 2 could stick around as affordable alternatives to AR smart glasses. Both options are one lot heavier than the Xreal One (and for me they border on painful to wear for too long unless you use the Elite band). I still found both headsets to be a solid experience that rivals the quality of the One at a much lower price. That said, using a VR headset with a Steam Deck isn’t a plug-and-play affair, and you may need to buy some accessories to make it work.

Specifically, you’ll need to buy an HDMI capture card, and possibly one or two cables. There are tons of ways to connect the Quest to your Steam Deck (or whatever portable gaming PC you have), but the way I found success was with the $50 Genki Shadowcast 2. It has USB-C in on one end and HDMI out on the other, allowing me to run a USB-C to USB-C cable from the Quest to the Shadowcast 2. From there I captured the HDMI out side of the card a small, affordable USB-C dock I had some lying around, which I then connected to the Steam Deck as the final piece of the puzzle. You could also have one USB-C to HDMI out cable which is then connected to a HDMI-in capture card that plugs into a USB-C port. As you can see, this can get a little messy with cables and dongles, but it gets the job done.

From there you want to get the Meta Quest HDMI Link App on your Quest headset. If you’re ready to try it out, you won’t find this new app in Quest’s app library until you click the drop-down bar at the top right of the screen to change the app source to “Prototype.” That’s where HDMI Link currently lives. After you launch the app, accept the hardware permissions, and select the highest possible resolution and frame rate, you should be able to see if the video feed is coming through. Then all you have to do is maximize the screen, or place it in your space at the ideal size for you, and enjoy gaming on a device that costs hundreds less than the Xreal One. The Quest also has many other functions, such as running standalone VR games Batman: Arkham Shadowplus a wireless connection to my gaming PC for playing Half-life: Alyxand more.

Despite the smaller price tag, not everyone will be entertained by the Quest’s multi-step process. Despite the problems, the Xreal One is a more convenient and easier to use gadget that allows you to display games on a personal large screen.