Viture XR Glasses, Neckband, and Mobile Dock (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.viture.com/
AR has been touted as the future of media consumption but nothing really caught on with mass market appeal. But what about Viture’s so-called “XR” glasses? I spent a month with these glasses with extended use and have gotten a love-hate relationship with what is supposed to be the "future" of media consumption.
Despite being called “XR”, there is nothing incredibly fancy being done in these glasses. It is literally just a screen being reflected on the lens of the glasses. There are no cameras or sensors that allow for typical augmented reality experiences (with the exception of a gyroscope). However, despite being relatively limited in capability, the screen is actually very good. While only 1080p, in typical indoor environments, the screen is bright, colorful, and sharp. Viture claims for the screen size to be equivalent of a 120in TV but in reality, the screen size isn’t much different than having a monitor on your desk.
If you are wondering if these glasses look good when worn, the answer is no. The glasses look like they are hovering off of your nose and look far from normal. While you may be able to sit in a coffee shop or plane without many stares, I wouldn’t wear these like normal glasses and try to have a conversation with people. This does bring up the question of why companies are trying to do AR glasses when it is not physically possible yet without looking weird. Though, you will probably get the same amount of stares if you are playing on a Steam Deck or Switch in public by children.
The glasses by themselves do not have any smart capabilities as it is basically a USB-c display. This means while my iPad, laptop, and Steam Deck work seamlessly, other devices like a game console, desktop pc, or even the switch will require either the mobile dock or the neckband. I found that if you are planning to just use this with the Steam Deck, then the other accessories aren’t needed as it works perfectly. Connecting the glasses to the Steam Deck moves the primary display to the Viture glasses and disables its own. I played Resident Evil 2 and 3 almost entirely through the Viture Glasses with the Steam Deck and had a great time.
If you watched Linus Tech Tips review on these glasses, you will have noticed that they got motion sickness quite quickly after putting them on. This was quite surprising to me considering Linus is used to VR. I am accustomed to VR but even I get nauseous if I play for too long. That said, I have gotten little to no nausea when using the Viture Glasses. In fact, I have attempted to even do house chores while wearing the glasses and only really got annoyed by wearing sunglasses indoors. I have handed these glasses to some people, and a couple were unable to view the display correctly even when changing the nose pads, which may be why someone may get more nauseous than another.
The neckband is the most disappointing accessory as I was very excited for it to finally ship. The neckband is an Android TV device that removes the need to tether the glasses to a laptop or phone. It works fine with Google Apps being a quick separate installation. Viture has partnered with PSPlay and XBPlay to give users those apps for free and they work well. The mobile companion app also makes navigating the Viture a lot easier and it did not take any time at all to pair (Bluetooth). The issue that turns me away from using this device is the broken AirPlay functionality (as of writing). As an iPhone user, I would love to be able to just simply airplay content from my phone as navigating through it will be always faster than using the neckband. Chromecasting does work through Android device however.
Media consumption is actually a great experience as long as you are not trying to multitask. I can lie down in my bed or hammock in pretty much any position and my screen will be perfectly in front of me. Without having to worry if I might drop my phone on my head or get tired of holding my phone up, I can watch a movie or show with the same comfort as sitting in front of my tv if not more. In addition to the nice 1080p display, the speakers are actually pretty good as well. I expected the speakers to suck but they perform well in ideal scenarios. I tried wearing these on a road trip but the noise coming from the car driving and music playing from the speakers drowned out anything that was played from the glasses. When laying in my hammock, sometimes one side will be louder than the other because the sound isn’t bouncing evenly on both sides. But in an ideal scenario, the speakers sound more than serviceable for movie consumption and do have a spatial effect. Unfortunately, the HarmonFX tuning that is optional in the neckband’s settings will cause some audio to clip when using the movie preset, this could be fixed in a further update.
The biggest issue I have with these devices is how tethered it is with cords. Starting with the magnetic connector, it can sometimes be more annoying than convenient. It can easily be disconnected with a decent pull which can interrupt a multiplayer match when gaming. With my longer hair, I can't connect the cord to my glasses while wearing them as my hair gets in the way so I have to take the glasses off before connecting them which can be more annoying than it seems. The mobile dock can also easily become a mess of cords as can have one to power it, an HDMI to a game console, and up to two cords for the glasses. The short length of the glasses' connector makes it so that you can't be too far from the mobile dock especially when using hdmi.
Despite the many issues I have with these glasses, I think it is a solid media consumption and gaming device that does pair very well with the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. But for $439 to get the glasses by themselves and $747 to get the complete package, I would not recommend running out to buy these. However, if you frequently commute or really like the idea of playing games laying down comfortably in bed, I think these are worth considering.
Verdict
- Sharp and Vibrant Picture
- USB-C Device Compatibility
- Free PSPLay and XBPlay
- Works Great With Steam Deck
- Switch Compatibility (Mobile Dock)
- Lag-free HDMI Compatibility (Mobile Dock)
- Blur and Vignetting at Edges of Display
- Some May Feel Discomfort
- Short Cables
- Mobile Dock Battery Drain
- No AR Multitasking (Neckband)
- Airplay Not Working (Neckband)
- Higher Price Than NReal Air
- Cords Can Easily Pile Up
