Google Android apps launch via Xreal AR glasses versus Apple’s Vision Pro

BEIJING – Games and movies in the Google Play Store apps can now be viewed in three dimensions via a new Android mobile device from augmented reality glasses maker Xreal. Alibaba.com-backed startup said Tuesday.

The Beam Pro, the company’s latest product, is a smartphone-like device that can be used as a virtual mouse with AR glasses and links the headset to Google Play Store apps, including gaming, movie streaming and social media apps.

Augmented reality imposes digital images on the real world, giving someone wearing AR glasses the impression of being in a virtual 3D space.

Xreal’s latest product launch is an indication of how Alphabet continues to hold its ground in headsets after Google Glass’s retirement, even as Apple launched its long-awaited VR offering this year.

AppleVision Pro allows users to view apps and a digitally captured version of the real world using what the company calls spatial computing technology.

Xreal sells a range of AR glasses, some weighing just 72 grams (2.5 ounces), that can display the screen of a connected laptop, smartphone or gaming console. The Beam Pro, which connects to the glasses via a cord, is expected to ship in the US in August and will have a starting price of $199.

“We hope this can finally become the hero product that people will really like,” Chi Xu, founder and CEO of Xreal, told CNBC in an interview.

“I actually think this [is] It will be the new category standard,” he said, adding that some smartphone makers “would actually want to go this route.”

Xu said part of the challenge to the wider adoption of AR glasses is the lack of content and the inability to include user-generated images.

That’s starting to change this year. The Beam Pro has two cameras that can capture photos and videos for three-dimensional viewing in AR glasses, similar to Apple Vision Pro’s advertised ability to capture “spatial 3D photos and videos.”

Xreal said it uses Beam Pro Nvidia CloudXR technology for image rendering and Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon spatial computing platform. The startup said it is also working with Amazon Web services to explore ways to improve the product’s processing power and features.

According to IDC Research, Xreal had the largest market share in global AR headsets in 2023.

“Companies like XREAL and Rokid have shown that there is an audience for AR glasses to consume gaming and multimedia content without spending thousands of dollars, and this will undoubtedly attract the attention of other companies looking to do the same,” Ramon T. Llamas , said research director of IDC’s Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality team in a report in April.

Xreal AR glasses cost around $200 to $400, depending on the model and sales promotion.

That means a set of Xreal AR glasses and Beam Pro costs significantly less than $1,000. Apple charges $3,500 for its Vision Pro.

Xu said Xreal has sold “really almost 400,000” AR glasses since the company launched in 2017. He said the average weekly usage is about 4 hours, with the top 15% exceeding 10 hours per week.

The company said in January that it had shipped 350,000 pairs of AR glasses. Around the same time, Xreal said it had received a $60 million injection, valuing the startup at more than $1 billion.

Xu said he expects tech glasses to evolve in three directions simultaneously, ranging from a heavier and more expensive virtual reality headset to a lightweight frame that can be worn all the time.

“Unfortunately, we won’t see the kind of iPhone moment where everyone comes together at just one point,” he said, noting the variety of headset experiences. “I believe different people find different types of flavors and combinations there. But not all of them have taken off yet.”

It’s unclear how many Vision Pros Apple has sold since launching in the US earlier this year. The headset will launch outside the US on June 28, starting in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

The Beam Pro was launched in China at the end of May. As of June 12, there were just under 5,000 orders, Xu said, adding that he hoped that by the end of a promotional period in mid-June, the number of orders would reach about 10,000.

In late August or early September, Xu expects that the Xreal Beam Pro will be able to use 5G mobile networks in addition to WiFi.

Xu said 5G support creates new opportunities for cloud gaming development, and Xreal is already in talks with major global cloud gaming companies.

“I think this one [is going to] take cloud gaming to the next level because honestly if you only play cloud gaming on a mobile phone the screen size didn’t make much sense but [when] You can put AR glasses there, you have a huge screen,” said Xu.

Cloud gaming relies on remote servers and an internet connection to give people a smooth gaming experience with just a small download of files.

In terms of non-gaming applications, Xu said Xreal’s strategy is to build on people’s existing technological habits using smartphones and slowly transform them into a 3D space.

“We’re not trying to dramatically change the way people use technology, right?” he said. “We’re trying to take small steps and make that faster.”