RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses and JoyDock Gaming Bundle (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.rayneo.com/products/rayneo-air-2-and-joydock-bundle
In recent years, consumer-oriented augmented reality (AR) has gained popularity. As a fan of the technology, I am personally excited with this direction as AR has traditionally been limited to enterprise uses. What’s more is that AR glasses have become popular gaming companions to extend displays. By plugging in such a device to a handheld, you are able to have access to a massive, virtual display in a pocketable form factor.
TCL’s RayNeo branch has recently launched a bundle, aimed primarily at the Nintendo Switch, that not only expands your gaming display but also your gaming time on the handheld. Let’s take a closer look at the RayNeo Air 2 and JoyDock bundle in this review.
RayNeo Air 2 and JoyDock contents and specs
Separately, the RayNeo Air 2 costs $379 but the company sells the RayNeo Air 2 and JoyDock as a bundle for $439 which comes with the following items:
Specs of the RayNeo Air 2 and JoyDock are as follows:
Well-designed AR accessories
There are two main components to this bundle: the RayNeo Air 2 glasses and the JoyDock. The RayNeo Air 2 is very much akin to other consumer AR glasses on the market such as those from XREAL and Rokid as they function in pretty much the same way. You plug them via a USB-C cable to a device’s USB-C port with video output support (phone, Switch, or laptop). The source’s screen will then be mirrored, in an enlarged fashion, onto the glasses through a system of mirrors.
For such a device, you will need a comfortable pair of glasses. On this front, the RayNeo Air 2 will not disappoint. The flexible temples, adjustable nose pads and angle of the arms enable you to have a custom fit, without having to fiddle with swapping parts of the glasses. At 76g, these glasses can easily be worn without causing any noticeable discomfort. You can also control the brightness and volume of the glasses with the dedicated rockers on each arm based on your needs and preferences. Furthermore, RayNeo includes a pair of lens inserts which you can bring to a local optician’s to have fitted with your prescription lenses. This is a must-have for AR users like myself who need glasses to see, and I am glad to see that the company accommodated this user base.
These AR glasses also look different than the others on the market with the purplish tint of the front lenses. They easily enable the RayNeo Air 2 to double as an inconspicuous, stylish pair of sunglasses, especially as the USB cable is detachable.
While the inclusion of a soft pouch for the glasses is welcome, a hard carry case would be more convenient. This would provide some much-needed peace of mind as it’s common to worry about whether the device would get damaged when tossed in a bag. Being designed as a travel/commute accessory, it would have made sense to have a protective case included, especially as the cost isn’t exactly cheap.
As for the JoyDock, it is a 16mm-thick polygonal slab that weighs 282g. It packs a rather futuristic look that I grew fond of. It is also sturdy and comes with a mount that clips onto the Switch’s back and can slide into. Once fitted at the back of the Switch, the JoyDock stays securely in place, without any wobbling to speak of. This attests to a well-designed product from RayNeo’s part and the overall high quality build is also reflective of the price.
Switching your gaming setup with a massive AR display and battery
Equipping your Nintendo Switch with the JoyDock is a simple affair and once mounted, you can use the flexible USB-C cable to pair the devices. The JoyDock in fact doubles as a power bank as it has a massive 10100mAh (2x5050mAh) built-in battery. However, using the Switch in handheld mode with the JoyDock attached to the back as a power bank is not that ergonomic. The accessory is quite bulky and gets in the way of your fingers resting at the back.
It’s best to use the bundle as designed by plugging in the RayNeo Air 2 into the JoyDock. This will lead to the Switch to enter docked mode and you will have to detach the Joy-Cons. Wearing the AR glasses paired to the Switch results in a viewing experience similar to that of watching a massive 201’’screen from a 6m distance. The Sony micro-OLED displays of these glasses deliver vibrant visuals that intricately replicate details of video games.
As the Switch runs in docked mode with the JoyDock connected, the upgraded 1080p resolution while still being somewhat “handheld” is a welcome benefit. The RayNeo Air 2 also provides 120Hz refresh rate, enabling a lag-free gaming experience. The experience is supplemented by quality audio of the integrated speakers.
Like other AR glasses on the market, the RayNeo Air 2 is somewhat limited by the field of view. The FOV of this model is 46°, which is the same as the XREAL Air 2, and appears to be where the industry is currently bottlenecked at. But these glasses will deliver on expanding your gaming screen in a pocketable form factor, without compromising on the visual fidelity.
A commendable first outing into the gaming world by RayNeo
However, like most AR glasses, the RayNeo Air 2 simply mirrors the source’s display onto a static screen. As I have pointed out in my previous AR glasses reviews, the effect of static AR screen mirroring quickly wears off; and is quite frankly a lazy approach. This is because the virtual display follows and blocks your field of view whenever you move your head/body. You’d be better off with a portable display which, while it won’t fit in your pocket, can fit in your backpack.
A much more convincing and attractive AR experience is with 3 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) mode. This allows you to position the virtual display onto your environment and it will stay put, like a hovering holographic screen. It will stay in place, even if you move your head around and is better for multitasking, and simply delivers a better overall AR experience. However, this experience is not available on many AR glasses. The RayNeo Air 2 is capable of 3DoF visuals in its dedicated Android app but its uses are limited to that app and while it does have some games and such, you cannot have access to your pre-installed phone apps in 3DoF.
I was left disappointed that even with the JoyDock, which is quite a bulky device, the RayNeo Air 2 is not capable of delivering 3DoF AR experiences on more devices. This is in contrast to the XREAL Beam which does just that: mirror the screen of any device with USB-C video output with 3DoF support. The experience is so much more impressive and captivating, as I describe in my review for that device. The RayNeo JoyDock is not a competitor to the XREAL Beam and simply enables static AR screens on your gaming handhelds and provides a considerable expansion to battery life.
While designed with the Switch in mind, the JoyDock is still compatible with other handhelds like the Steam Deck. You won’t be able to attach the accessory to the back of other handhelds but you will be able to extend the battery life quite considerably. However, you will have to keep in mind that bright ambient light might cause the display to look dimmer. Having a cover/shield like XREAL and Rokid offers would address this issue but RayNeo does not include such an option for its gaming-oriented AR glasses. That said, the display has been perfectly visible indoors, even during daytime or when the lights are turned on.
RayNeo's move into the gaming sphere with the JoyDock is welcome as it is always good for consumers to have competition in the market so we have more (and, hopefully, better) options to choose from. The RayNeo Air 2 glasses deliver crisp visuals on a massive display but the lack of 3DoF mode is a downer, especially considering the bulky JoyDock accessory which could have packed some more brains into it. For a more convincing experience, I’d recommend the XREAL Beam and XREAL Air glasses combo, which is also compatible with the Switch and is cheaper (you can further save if you use the first-gen XREAL Air).
Given that the RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses and JoyDock bundle is the first gaming kit from the company, it is a commendable move. It shows that the company is interested in the gaming market and it’s worth keeping an eye on what it has to offer in the future.
Verdict
- Crisp visuals of micro-OLED displays
- Comfortable RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses
- JoyDock doubles as a power bank
- RayNeo Air 2 supports prescription lens inserts
- Lack of 3DoF screen mirroring
- Bulky JoyDock
- No hard carry case included for the AR glasses
