We’ll get there, but I promise you, there’s no AR revolution happening yet.
Can You Buy True AR Glasses in 2024?
To be clear, augmented reality glasses arent here yet.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
you might’t go buy that product yet.
Were more in the smart phase of our glasses.
One of the best examples of what companies pursuing AR glasses are building towards isApples Vision Pro.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The digital window is reacting to my real furniture and environment.
Im viewing everything through cameras.
The same thing is true for the Meta Quest 3 headset.
Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek
What Kind of Smart Glasses Can You Buy Now?
The Vision Pro is a good example of where the cutting edge is today.
Until then, we’re left with different products tackling different pieces of the full AR sum.
Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek
Since I tried those in 2021, this area of smart glasses has improved dramatically.
I tried theTCL Nxtwear Sand theXreal Air 2in 2023 and was impressed by the advancements.
For one, the physical size slimmed down a bit.
Joe Robinson / How-To Geek
The comfort, through flexible materials, has increased.
The other big improvement in recent years is around display technology.
The Air 2 glasses use Sony micro-OLED screens to get a bright and robust picture to view content on.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Theres no battery or processing power to speak of inside the unit.
Its like wearing a computer monitor on your face.
Ive tried the products mentioned above, as well as audio frames from Bose.
I liked using the sporty Bose ones for running so I could be more aware of street noise.
I also didnt need sunglasses and earbuds.
The convergence factor is real.
Evenstartups are trying to get into the spaceby integrating ChatGPT into your ear.
The smaller companies face an uphill battle, however, trying to integrate into the iPhones walled garden.
More information is accessible with advanced chatbots like OpenAIs ChatGPT or Microsofts Copilot.
This AI functionality is actually the secret to the well-receivedMeta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses.
The speakers and microphones were phenomenal for a pair of glasses.
It’s all hands-free.
The Hey Meta command, and needing to add look, is a little clunky.
It never felt natural to say out loud.
There are also some guardrails and limitations around the information offered, at least right now.
But you’re able to see where this is going, right?
Look at a face and tell me who it is.
When Will We Get True AR Glasses?
Thats where we are regarding the state of shipping products that are inching toward AR glasses.
These are just the first small native operating system-level flourishes too.
There are translation apps to see speech bubbles as people talk for virtual captioning.
Games can be placed on your real tables.
Plus, this is still version one, only a month into the product’s life.
True AR glasses are coming, it’s just a matter of time.
