You can already work and game on a virtual screen using the current crop of augmented reality glasses – but what if you’re a demanding gamer who lives for high-fidelity graphics and buttery smooth animation?
That’s where the Asus ROG Xreal R1 glasses come in. They boast a refresh rate of 240 Hz on their Micro-OLED displays, making them arguably quicker than anything else on the market today. These were first revealed in January, and now we know they’ll cost you US$849.
The keen-eyed among our readers will notice that the ROG glasses are largely the same inside and out as the Xreal One Pro, which cost $649. They both feature the aforementioned 1080p Micro-OLED panels to conjure up a 171-inch virtual display at 700 nits of brightness with a 57-degree field of view and 0.01-ms response time, and built-in speakers with Bose-tuned sound.
Asus
They also do automatic electrochromic dimming, which blocks everything outside from view so you can focus on your game while you’re looking at it, and make your environment visible again when you look away from the screen.
The glasses can lock your virtual display in a fixed position in space, or have it follow your eyes using 3DoF (three degrees of freedom) tracking technology. They also promise instant 2D-to-3D conversion for whatever you’re watching or playing, though I imagine your mileage may vary with different kinds of content.
ROG XREAL R1 Gaming Glasses – Global Launch Trailer
The ROG version supports twice the refresh rate of the regular One Pro, and it comes with a docking station to quickly connect to three other devices (like gaming consoles) with a single USB-C cable and no additional software. The dock comes with two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4 port.
Asus
Beyond that, it gets a couple of gamer-y software features, like a crosshair in the center of your screen to help with aiming at opponents, and an FPS counter. Sadly, it doesn’t get HDR.
At just over 3 oz (91 g), the R1 glasses are meant to deliver a big-screen experience when you’re gaming on the go with a connection to your handheld console or laptop. You’ll likely get closer to seeing that 240-Hz refresh rate in action when you’re plugged into a beefier desktop rig with a powerful graphics card though.
Asus
That sure sounds like fun, if you’ve got the scratch. Asus does somewhat justify the R1’s price bump over the One Pro with the included docking station and higher refresh rate, but you really have to want to be able to move between consoles instantly or play at your desk for this to make sense on your face. Most gamers will be able to enjoy a wide range of titles on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch without those, and the Xreal One Pro should do the trick for them.
You can pre-order the R1 glasses at $849 over on Asus’ site, Xreal’s site, or Best Buy now; orders are slated to begin shipping June 1.
Source: Asus
