Nreal brings its AR glasses to iPhones and the Nintendo Switch, but it isn’t cheap
The Nreal Air specs are also headed to the US at last
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Nreal’s impressive AR glasses – the Nreal Air – are headed to the US along with a new adapter that’ll make the specs compatible with a load of new devices.
Launching today, theNreal Air AR glasseswill be available onAmazonfor $379. These glasses plug into a compatible smartphone via a USB-C cable and then virtually project a screen in front of you. Along with the surround sound provided by speakers in the glasses’ arms, the Nreal Air glasses make it feel like you watching one of thebest Netflix showsor playing anXbox Game Passgame in your own private cinema.
On top of that, the newly unveiled Nreal Air Adapter will allow you to connect the glasses to one of thebest iPhonesor aNintendo Switchfor the first time. This $59 add-on (when paired with anApplelightning to digital AV adapter) will allow iOS users to finally enjoy the same benefits that Nreal was already bringing to many Android users.
The only downside of the adapter is its price. $59 is a lot to spend when you already paid $379 for the glasses, and it only gets worse when you realize that you also need the $49 Apple adapter as well – for a total cost of $487. Thankfully, those of you hoping to use them with the Nintendo Switch won’t need an additional part – everything you need comes with Nreal’s $59 dongle.
We really liked the Nreal Air AR glasses – this writer called them the best gadget they’ve ever used – but again the price was a major sticking point. Aimed primarily at travelers, we felt that you’d get a lot more bang for your buck by buying a pair of thebest wireless headphoneswe’ve reviewed – like theSony WH-1000XM4– instead of these specs.
That said, if you have the cash to spare (and acompatible smartphoneor console like aSteamDeck) you’ll probably love them. And if you’re in the US you canbuy them right now from Amazon.com.
Nebula comes to Macs
Beyond the hardware news, Nreal has announced some improvements to its Nebula AR platform.
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Chief among them is a Mac version of Nebula that will bring the platform to all MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs powered by Apple chips. Once you’ve plugged your Nreal Air glasses into one of Apple’sbest MacBooks or Macs, an AR desktop will launch, displaying multiple displays in the air around you like you’re Tony Stark.
Nreal’s also updating the existing Nebula platform with a redesigned AR space that’ll feature new 3D icons and widgets that recommend AR content to users. On top of that, the Nebula Spatial Browser will now let you choose between two different display modes – horizontal mode for multi-window browsing and vertical mode if you want to see a longer version of one page.
Aside from cinema mode, which we like, we weren’t impressed by some of Nreal Nebula platform’s other AR features. However, this update shows that it’s looking to improve its platform’s usability. While we don’t think these updates go quite far enough, we’re interested to see what Nreal comes out with next.
If you’re looking to try a more interactive AR or VR experience then check out ourPico 4 vs Oculus Quest 2comparison guide to determine which headset is best for you.
Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.
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