Nreal is taking mixed reality (MR) seriously and wants to convince you to do the same. Today, the Beijing-based startup has opened pre-orders for the dev kit of its Nreal Light headset, an inconspicuous, sunglasses-looking device that plugs right into your Android smartphone via a USB-C cable. It comes with a touch-sensitive controller, computing unit equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, the glasses itself and other minor accessories.

These MR glasses will allow you to run any Android apps layered onto the real world, Iron Man-style, as well as dedicated software for the device. That's where developers come in. Nreal’s SDK allows devs to develop their own applications for the device as well as migrate native Android apps to Nreal MR. The dev kit, priced at $1199, comes with all you need to start developing for the Nreal Light.

Some of the highlight features include:

• 6DoF Space Recognition: gives applications information about the physical structures of the environment the glasses are in.
  
• Plane Detection: detect flat surfaces (both horizontal and vertical) in the real world.
  
• Hand Tracking: allows users to manipulate or interact with their MR environment using their very own hands.
  
• Multiplayer Mode: enables users to share a single MR environment, and allows developers to build collaborative applications and games.

To have an idea of what's possible with the device, the company just shared a footage on Twitter taken in real-time with the Nreal Light:

It's here. We're offering more resources so you can build MR apps now.

1. WebXR coming to Nebula
2. Nreal Tower, Nreal's MR game (models how to build MR games)
3. Nreal Light Dev Kit Bundle (2x glass+lens) @ $2,559

The time to build is now! https://t.co/sze7NWvCwV#Dare2Dream pic.twitter.com/aVOoA2piv8

— XREAL 👓 (@XREAL_Global) May 18, 2020

​

And yes, if you've been wondering, games are also in the works. Nreal shared a teaser of a tower defense-styled game developed in-house, called Nreal Tower, giving a taste of what's possible with the SDK and that more games could be in the works from the company:

​

If you're not a developer, Nreal plans to release its consumer version at a later time, priced at $499. It shows promise and definitely sits on the more affordable end of the spectrum when it comes to MR devices. Would you like to try it on?

SOURCE: GBAtemp Inbox
Nreal Developer Page

 

[Jonna]

What about those of us with glasses?

 

[Prans]

What about those of us with glasses?

They have dedicated prescription lenses that fit the device! First question that popped to my mind as well and had to ask them

 

[Plasmaster09]

They have dedicated prescription lenses that fit the device! First question that popped to my mind as well and had to ask them

Okay that's kind of cool.
However, it would probably do better if they made it so that glasses users could just buy a little clip attachment, adjust the MR glasses and the clip and that's it.

 

[Veho]

That design is optimistically sleek and small. Is there a functioning prototype/demo unit of that size, or are they hoping they will be able to shrink it that much for production? It would be great if they manage, but I have my doubts.

 

[Prans]

That design is optimistically sleek and small. Is there a functioning prototype/demo unit of that size, or are they hoping they will be able to shrink it that much for production? It would be great if they manage, but I have my doubts.

the dev kit looks just like in the image and I've been following their progress, at tech conferences they showed it off, the device looked as slim.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Interesting, hopefully the more "wallet friendly" dev kit price helps entice more "normal" devs into building AR apps/games for consumers, and not just "workforce" stuff like Hololens and Google Glass (assuming you'd even consider that in the same ballpark as something like this). Hololens is super cool, but that $3.5k per glasses kit was pretty dang expensive.

Am curious to see what comes of this.

That design is optimistically sleek and small. Is there a functioning prototype/demo unit of that size, or are they hoping they will be able to shrink it that much for production? It would be great if they manage, but I have my doubts.

From what I understand, the majority of the processing would run off your smartphone (or that hockey puck thing), not the glasses themselves, so I suspect the images show off the actual size of the thing since it seems to be nothing more than a screen, some speakers, a camera, and some spatial sensors which, at this point, are definitely small enough to fit into a space that size.

 

[Bladexdsl]

Fuck VR and it's bulky lame headsets, no glasses friendly options and damn headaches. MR is the future!

 

[Veho]

From what I understand, the majority of the processing would run off your smartphone (or that hockey puck thing), not the glasses themselves, so I suspect the images show off the actual size of the thing since it seems to be nothing more than a screen, some speakers, a camera, and some spatial sensors which, at this point, are definitely small enough to fit into a space that size.

Processing was never the issue with these VR/MR/AR things, the problem was always the size of the screens and optics and how to fit it all into a headset. Looks like they managed.

the dev kit looks just like in the image and I've been following their progress, at tech conferences they showed it off, the device looked as slim.

Nice.

 

[Anxiety_timmy]

What about those of us with glasses?

Yeah I had that same question

 

[diggeloid]

This looks like it's going to be awful. Also, I find it strange that they're using a name that sounds so similar to "Unreal". I know Chinese companies steal from western companies all the time, but are they also going to try stealing from Tencent?

 

[tatumanu]

The design is almost appealing to me, they did a good job!
I'm not excited for a world where this is as popular as smartphones, people are going to miss use this. I'm tired of people bumping into me, or text driving as it is.
Great for professionals, movie and gaming enthusiast!

 

[Deleted User]

oh wow this looks coo- 500$
*W E L P__I' M__O U T T A__H E R E*

 

[Jonna]

Yeah I had that same question

And luckily it was answered right below my post!

 

[SonyUSA]

This looks like it's going to be awful. Also, I find it strange that they're using a name that sounds so similar to "Unreal". I know Chinese companies steal from western companies all the time, but are they also going to try stealing from Tencent?

Agreed, they look really laggy and terrible

 

[SG854]

Nreal sounds like a Nintendo product

 

[lordofcombo]

I NEED ONE

 

[fvig2001]

Won't this have low FoV if they use a glasses like design. I mean, with real glasses, FoV is already decreased by a lot.

 

[Joe88]

Won't this have low FoV if they use a glasses like design. I mean, with real glasses, FoV is already decreased by a lot.

According to a news post about it from last sept the fov is 52, which is god awful (and 1080p per eye)

 

[Teletron1]

Fuck VR and it's bulky lame headsets, no glasses friendly options and damn headaches. MR is the future!

Sony claims to have anti dizzy/motion sickness coming in a new VR for PS5