XREAL 1S Assessment – Gaming Nexus

XREAL’s been on a roll currently with some strong AR glasses of their lineup. Their XREAL One Pros are those that I’ve been utilizing essentially the most currently, however as we speak they’re saying a brand new pair of their lineup. Well, it was introduced a month or so in the past in Japan, however right here within the United States, the XREAL 1S is now formally accessible.

The XREAL 1S is ready to be the alternative for the XREAL One. Sporting the identical birdbath lenses, the XREAL 1S does have new Sony microOLED screens that produce a very nice picture. Dare I say, the picture is best than the XREAL One Pros. But earlier than that, let’s get into some specifics concerning the pair.

Coming in a darkish blue coloration, the 1S seems to be fairly near the One’s with just about the identical dimensions. Like the One, the 1S has versatile hinges on the temples and you’ll tilt them in three completely different positions. The ends of the temples are additionally versatile with the left temple that includes the USB-C port.

On the highest and backside of every temple are audio system tuned by Bose. This has been on the previous few XREAL glasses. Sound is fairly good for a set of AR glasses. There is a few sound leakage because the audio system fireplace up and down. Sitting subsequent to some pals, they mentioned they have been capable of hear what I used to be watching at ranges that I discovered I used to be snug listening to.

I gained’t undergo the management scheme an excessive amount of because it’s the identical because the XREAL One Pro. You can learn my earlier evaluation to get many of the specifics with how the buttons work on the temples. The XREAL 1S has two buttons on the fitting temple, one on prime and one on backside. There’s additionally a rocker change that lets you alter quantity, brightness, and the darkness of the electrochromic dimming when activated. You can change the motion of the highest button to fit your wants as properly.

So what units this aside from the XREAL One? For starters, the XREAL 1S makes use of Sony microOLED panels able to 1920×1200 decision and as much as 120Hz refresh price. Not solely do you get a bit bit higher decision than the earlier set, you get a barely extra area of view. The 1S’s area of view is available in at 52 levels, 2 levels greater than the 50 within the One. Finally, the height brightness of the panels will increase from round 500 nits to 700 nits with the 1S. So so far as the display screen goes, you’re getting a greater display screen than the One in all points.

You can, like with the One Pro, alter the scale and distance of the display screen. You can go from a simulated 200” all the way down to 92”. Distance sensible, you possibly can have the simulated picture as shut as 1m as much as 10m. The accessible sizes of the display screen will rely on the gap you set so there’s some variations relying on how shut you place the picture to your eyes.

Color and readability sensible, I actually like these microOLED shows. The image isn’t too brilliant however the colours are represented properly and I don’t discover any display screen door impact with them. Text continues to be not one thing that I feel is obvious to learn, thus I don’t advocate these for builders or those that work in phrase processing quite a bit. I feel we nonetheless want just a few extra notches of elevated decision earlier than I’d exchange my conventional monitor setup with a pair of AR glasses when programming in Visual Studio. For films, movies, and gaming although, the picture high quality is great and the help of as much as 120Hz ensures you may get some easy movement with quick paced video games. Do I just like the picture higher than the XREAL One Pro? I feel I do and whereas I do miss the FOV of the One Pro when utilizing the 1S, I feel a future small iteration of the One Pro with these shows would make for a pleasant entry into XREAL’s lineup till we get the Auras.

The XREAL 1S makes use of the standard birdbath optics so you will get some minor reflections in your view when you put on brilliant clothes. While these reflections have principally been solved with the Prism type lenses within the XREAL One Pro, these optics do have their very own drawbacks, which is the slight pin cushion impact on the edges. In the XREAL 1S, I did discover the picture to be sq. all the best way round and I had readability from edge to edge in all instructions.

Like the earlier glasses, the XREAL 1S accommodates the XREAL X1 chip. This chip actually units their glasses aside from rivals as they permit for lots extra performance onboard with out the necessity to join it to a cellphone or secondary system. Again, you possibly can see my detailed evaluation of what the XREAL X1 chip can do in my evaluation of the XREAL One Pro. But, XREAL has a brand new trick up their sleeve with the XREAL 1S.

For the XREAL 1S and coming to the XREAL One Pro and One, XREAL has made it so the glasses can flip something into 3D known as Real 3D. Whereas the competitors makes use of software program to allow this characteristic and it’s restricted to a couple applications, XREAL makes use of the X1 chip to transform 2D video into 3D permitting individuals to observe something in 3D mode. Got some previous movies that you just watch? Press a button and make it appear to be it’s in 3D. Playing a sport in your Steam Deck or streaming it from a console? XREAL will allow you to expertise the sport in 3D. Even when you’re simply working in your laptop, the X1 chip will make your desktop look 3D. There’s nothing which you could’t convert to 3D with this new characteristic.

It does so by utilizing AI to transform a 2D body right into a 3D picture in actual time. It’s truly actually rattling slick and I discovered myself watching a ton of stuff in 3D mode. I used to be stunned at how properly it labored within the beta session and simply seeing one thing like a music video or TV present on YouTube in 3D was fairly spectacular.

How properly does it do with video games? For some video games, the impact is superb. When taking part in an isometric RPG like Shadowrun Returns, the world seemed a lot extra immersive because the 3D impact made it really feel like I used to be taking a look at a desk with miniatures. The buildings, furnishings, objects, characters, and decorations have been all rendered within the right distance giving this sport a really spectacular 3D look. An unconventional sport I attempted with this tech was Balatro. It didn’t add an excessive amount of, in fact, but it surely was sort of seeing the playing cards “float” in the course of the display screen a bit. With Skyrim, I discovered the textual content to be too jaggedy to actually get pleasure from studying and there have been a number of bizarre rendering anomalies when attempting to get the 3D impact to work. Fallout 4 labored higher, however there have been nonetheless many instances the textual content that will get displayed was distorted. How properly the characteristic works is admittedly sport dependent when it comes to readability and accuracy.

When the characteristic was first launched, it was restricted to 30Hz, however a latest replace from XREAL bumped it as much as 60Hz. I double checked this by taking part in just a few extra decrease GPU intensive motion video games with the efficiency monitor on on my Steam Deck. On the higher left, it might by no means go previous 60FPS with Real 3D mode on. With it off, the FPS counter went above 60 in my XREAL 1S. So, it’s undoubtedly not a mode you’d play in if you’d like some excessive body price quick motion gaming. But for slower paced video games, some old style motion video games, RPGs, and strategic video games, the Real3D characteristic is only a sight to behold. As a aspect night time when you do get the XREAL 1S, at all times be sure you’re up to date to the most recent firmware to get the most recent and biggest options and stability fixes.

Is it good? No. It’s received a methods to go, however even at its present state it’s nonetheless actually usable and enjoyable to observe. You’ll get anti-aliasing points on edges of issues that may be distracting. Edges of heads and faces can typically shimmer relying on the state of affairs. Watching some sporting occasions, many instances the perimeters on the lettering may even shimmer and deform. The X1 chip additionally makes its greatest guess on how far again or ahead issues are in view and sure objects can typically be positioned within the mistaken depth making the picture look a bit bizarre. You can alter the extent of 3D depth utilized with 4 completely different settings accessible. Some work higher than others on sure varieties of content material. But for essentially the most half, it does rather well and I used to be capable of watch loads of exhibits from begin to end in 3D mode.

Heat does emanate from the highest entrance of the XREAL 1S, but it surely isn’t too unhealthy. I don’t really feel it when I’m carrying the glasses and even throughout lengthy classes of watching content material with Real3D on, I didn’t discover any warmth close to my brow or prime of my eyes.

The XREAL Eye digital camera can be appropriate with the XREAL 1S and plugging one in permits for sixDoF options. I took mine from my XREAL One Pro and related it to the identical port on the 1S. Doing so enabled just a few extra options within the glasses resembling recording video and taking photos.

With the Eye in place, the 1S activated the spatial anchoring characteristic. This mode permits you to pin the picture in house permitting you to stroll as much as it and even round it. The performance feels the identical because the XREAL One Pro the place it really works in good situations with some glitches right here and there. Sometimes as I walked round, the picture would change place and that is in rooms with loads of mild. But, when you don’t transfer an excessive amount of and wish to anchor your image in house, the Eye will allow you to try this. You can nonetheless anchor a picture with out the Eye, it’s simply you gained’t get the power to stroll as much as and round it. Also, you gained’t have the ability to use anchoring in a transferring car so when you’re taking a automotive trip or on a aircraft, easy observe is the best way to go.

I didn’t discover any drifting when utilizing the anchor mode. The picture stayed as a replacement and I used to be proud of how steady it was. I’m one which prefers having easy observe and even the place the picture is caught to my face, however if you’re one that will moderately have the anchor technique of watching media, the XREAL 1S does an ideal job of protecting the picture in house and in place.

Along with the discharge of the 1S, XREAL can be releasing a companion system known as the Neo. The Neo is a powerbank and show pass-through that allows you to cost the system you’ve plugged it into whereas utilizing your glasses with it. This works properly for moveable gaming units just like the Steam Deck or Switch 2 letting you get extra play trip of it.

The Neo sports activities a ten,000 mAh battery and quick costs most units. With my Galaxy Fold 7 plugged in, I used to be getting about 3,400 mA charging velocity, which is fairly good. There’s a USB-C enter on the aspect with the show cable for the glasses and a USB-C enter on the other aspect to cost the Neo. That means you should utilize it whereas being charged, which is good.

The cable to hook up with a USB-C show is completely connected to the Neo, which I don’t like. If the cable goes unhealthy, then it renders the Neo ineffective. I’d have moderately seen one other USB-C connector there to help you use no matter cable you want. Unfortunately, Neo’s cable isn’t interchangeable so let’s hope that it does final some time.

The show connector cable has a forty five diploma USB-C connector so it could actually sit a bit extra flush with the system it connects to. There’s a clip close to it so you possibly can clip it to the surplus cable or the glasses cable when you so need.

On the entrance, there’s a spherical magnet that may allow you to connect any cellphone with a mag-safe case or mag-safe ring in-built. If your system doesn’t have one, the Neo comes with two attachable rings so you possibly can have the Neo related to it when in use. There’s no Qi charging right here because it’s solely for connecting the Neo to the system and protecting them collectively. You may be asking why you’d need that and that’s as a result of the Neo additionally includes a kickstand so you possibly can rise up the cellphone or moveable gaming system on a flat floor. The kickstand could be positioned at a number of angles with a most angle of about 50 levels.

I’ve confirmed that the show go by means of will allow you to run at 120Hz. On my Steam Deck, I related the Neo to the hand-held after which related the XREAL 1S to the Neo. The show settings certainly detected 1920×1080 120Hz mode and I used to be capable of set it to that manually.

As a battery financial institution and stand for a cellular system, the Neo does allow you to get pleasure from your system longer and props it up if you wish to achieve this. There’s no additional performance whenever you join your glasses to the Neo, but it surely looks like a pleasant touring companion to get additional utilization out of a tool with the additional battery energy it offers. And sure, it is going to work with the Switch 2. Also, it is going to work with different AR glasses. I used to be capable of plug in my VITURE Luma Ultra to it after which plug the Neo into my cellphone and it labored.

Back to the XREAL 1S, what comes with the glasses is typical of what XREAL has included prior to now. You get just a few completely different nostril pads, a cleansing material, and a tough shell magnetic case. As with the XREAL One Pro, I discovered the case to be OK, however a step again since there’s no pouch or separate space to maintain your USB cable in. I purchased a 3rd social gathering case from Amazon as a result of I do wish to hold the glasses and twine from contacting throughout journey to reduce any prospects of scratches in the event that they do are available in contact.

For those that want prescription lenses, those that I used to be provided with did an excellent job with one minor concern. I’ve picked up just a few from HonsVR, which is the corporate that developed those I used to be utilizing. The lenses connect into two little holes that you just expose close to the nostril piece space by eradicating two small rubber plugs. The prescription lenses have been strong and didn’t exhibit any bounce or motion once I moved my head round.

The one minor concern is that the fitting temple is not going to lay flat with out pushing the fitting prescription lens both down, bending the body a bit. I’ve to consciously fold the left temple down first to reduce the bending of the fitting prescription lens. It’s a small drawback, however one that you just’ll need to concentrate on must you resolve to get some prescription lens inserts for the XREAL 1S.

The XREAL 1S is ready to switch the One Pro as it’s just about the identical design with higher internals. The software program aspect provides Real 3D, which actually takes these glasses to a different stage. XREAL’s actually knocking it out of the park leveraging that X1 chip in these glasses. And the value? The XREAL 1S is coming in at $449, $50 lower than the XREAL One. That’s actually good as you get higher screens and pay lower than the earlier model. For the Neo, that’ll are available in initially at $99, however will improve to $119 after February 4th, 2026. The Neo begins to ship subsequent month whereas the XREAL 1S is obtainable now.