(Credit: Asus / Xreal)
At CES, Xreal and Asus announced augmented reality gaming glasses that put a 171-inch virtual screen in front of your face. They're now available to preorder in the US, but they're not cheap.
The Asus ROG Xreal R1 AR Gaming Glasses cost $849.99. You can preorder the wearable today at Best Buy; if you want to buy directly from Xreal, you can do so starting on May 17.
Asus' press release says shipping begins on June 1, but Best Buy lists a pickup date of May 29. Mashable also saw one Best Buy location with pickup availability on May 25.
The ROG Xreal R1 are the world’s first 240Hz micro-OLED gaming AR glasses, offering the equivalent of a 171-inch screen, a 57-degree field of view, 700 nits of peak brightness, and a 0.01ms response time. Asus says this offers “buttery-smooth visuals for fluid, highly responsive gaming experiences with no motion blur or jittering.”
(Credit: Asus / Xreal)The glasses let you step away from your TV or monitor to play games; you may even choose to lie down to play. They weigh 90 grams, which should make them comfortable in most positions.
The R1 glasses use a spatial computing chip with 3 Degrees of Freedom (3DoF), which locks the display in place so you can move around without it moving and causing motion sickness. "This assists the R1 in bridging the gap between traditional gaming and spatial presence through real-time 2D-to-3D conversion, adding lifelike depth and scale to existing game libraries," Asus says.
The device can be connected to most gaming hardware, including PCs, handhelds, and consoles. You also get a ROG Control Dock with your purchase, which lets you control multiple devices from a single hub. Asus says tweaking settings can offer "seamless integration" across any product, but it also notes that the ROG Ally handheld provides the most cohesive experience.