5 reasons why gaming on AR glasses is awesome

Console gaming is still about sitting down with a controller in front of the TV, but that doesn't mean gaming hasn't changed significantly in recent years. With AR glasses, you can now play games in your own home anywhere, anytime. This is why gaming on AR glasses is so awesome!

1. The (virtual) screen is larger than the TV

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Growing up, big-screen TVs seemed to embody video game luxury. Now, that has almost changed. Sure, there's still something impressive about a game running at 4K resolution on big screens, and TVs have gotten much bigger over the years. However, with AR glasses, think even bigger.

The XReal Air 2 Pro, plugged into a USB-C port on a phone or laptop, can also get a similar experience with the TCL NXTWEAR. The front screen will look more like a projector than a TV. Like a projector, the image quality is not as sharp, but the image is very large. When wearing these glasses while sitting in front of the TV, the virtual screen stretches across most of the wall.

2. This monitor can be taken anywhere

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An 80-inch TV is not a suitable choice in many homes. It might be too big for an apartment, and even in a large, open house, you have to decide whether you want to devote that much living space to a screen that sits unused most of the time. Are not. Additionally, you can only fully enjoy the screen from one specific location, meaning anyone living with you may have to "enjoy" whatever you're watching, regardless of whether they like it or not.

AR glasses are much more flexible. You can comfortably leave your living room and play games anywhere you like. Play while sitting on an outdoor bench. Play while burning calories on the treadmill. You can even continue gaming on the couch while someone else watches TV, as long as they're comfortable with you losing focus for a bit.

3. Games feel more immersive

Watching a game on a big screen like in a movie theater is a different experience than playing the same game on a laptop screen. It doesn't matter what type of game you are playing. Mobile titles like Iron Marines seem better suited to AR glasses than the awkward aspect ratio of the Z Fold 5. Sea of ​​Stars may have a classic look that wouldn't be out of place on the Super Nintendo, but also looks great on virtual screens. Even Monument Valley looks more impressive when stretched across the wall.

However, the cinematic gaming experience is on a completely different level. Playing Twin Mirror with AR glasses feels like it's a different game than playing directly on your phone.

4. It's a way to save money

Console gaming requires both a console and a TV. This is the cheapest route to gaming for many people because they already have a TV. Without a TV, everything would start from zero. In both cases, buying a large TV, even as large as the virtual screen in a pair of AR glasses, is not cheap.

What about playing games on PC? This requires powerful hardware. You may need to buy a new laptop or build a desktop rig, with powerful CPUs and GPUs driving up costs. A high-quality gaming monitor can cost you even more.

On the other hand, cloud gaming on your PC or phone is currently the cheapest possible option, especially if you're using NVIDIA GeForce Now to stream Steam games you watched on sale. Buying a pair of AR glasses to plug into your existing phone (assuming it's compatible) is the equivalent of buying a TV or monitor. Can you buy cheaper TVs and monitors? Sure. But if you want to buy a giant OLED version of either screen, you'll have to spend about $450.

5. Compatibility with many devices

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The AR glasses work with any device that can output video via a USB-C port like a phone, Steam Deck, or Nintendo Switch. Cloud gaming may or may not be acceptable if you have an extensive game library on any device.

You can even plug AR glasses into your PC if you're comfortable gaming at your desk and want a different visual experience. Or, if you're already attached to your console game library, you can even unplug the system from your TV and use an adapter to connect the system to the AR glasses.

Some of these setups are obviously more cumbersome than others, but the option is still there. Once you put your glasses on, you won't really be looking at the awkward arrangement of your devices and cables. Some AR glasses have a dedicated hub that can stream games if you don't want to bother connecting to your existing hardware.

Gaming on AR glasses is not for everyone. Wearing glasses can be tiring, especially if they don't fit properly. The screen does not offer high resolution and image quality may suffer if the alignment with your eyes is not quite correct. And 4K gaming is not possible.

Marvin Fry

Update 01 August 2024