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Qualcomm-Powered Glasses Offer an (Expensive) Taste of AR

If you're itching to try AR but aren't interested in Microsoft's HoloLens, the R8 may be for you.

 & Tom Brant Managing Editor

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LAS VEGAS—After enjoying success in smartphones, Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile processors began invading the nascent world of consumer virtual reality headsets last fall, and they have now set their sights on augmented reality.

CES 2017 BugAt CES here, the San Diego chip maker showed off its first augmented reality glasses geared towards consumers. Made by boutique tech design firm ODG, the glasses are powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. They vaguely resemble the Microsoft HoloLens, one of the few augmented reality glasses with which non-enthusiasts may be familiar.

There are two models, with the $1,000 R8 geared towards mobile gaming and the $1,800 R9 designed for prosumer media applications. Yes, you read those prices correctly: these may be consumer headsets, but their stickers reflect just how early days it is for augmented reality.

What can you do with them? In theory, the possibilities are endless. Think Pokemon Go, but on steroids, or a Google Maps display that is always in your field of view. During my brief demo, I watched a video of an animated world populated with dinosaurs and aliens, all without losing sight of the hotel suite in which I was standing in real life.

The resolution looked very good, even on par with a low-end smartphone-powered VR headset like Google Cardboard. In practice, however, your gaming enjoyment will likely be hampered by tinny speakers and a short battery life. While the Snapdragon 835 is designed to maximize power efficiency, there's still the problem of providing power to the HD screen and motion tracking sensors.

Still, if you're the earliest of adopters and are itching to try augmented reality, the ODG glasses are a worthwhile alternative to the developer-focused HoloLens. The R9 will go on sale in the first quarter of 2017, with the R8 shipping by the end of the year.

About Our Expert

Tom Brant

Tom Brant

Managing Editor

I’m a managing editor at PCMag.com focused on PC hardware. Reading this during the day? Then you've caught me testing gear and editing reviews of Wi-Fi routers, printers, laptops, and tons of other personal tech. (Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I've covered most major consumer tech events, including CES, Computex, Google I/O, and IFA. I've also appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.

Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo's rainforests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data's role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

The Technology I Use

While most people buy a phone or laptop and stick with it for years, I’m lucky enough to use devices based on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows daily as part of my job. As a result, I cycle through lots of tech in addition to my IT-issue work laptop. (Yes, that's a ThinkPad.) Personally, I’ve also owned a lot of tech products both cutting-edge and cringeworthy, from the Nintendo GameCube and the original MacBook to the Palm m105 and the CueCat.

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