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Don't only consider VR headsets; also check out AR glasses. The newest generation of AR glasses are surprisingly practical as portable displays e.g. Nreal Air.[

Don't only consider VR headsets; also check out AR glasses. The newest generation of AR glasses are surprisingly practical as portable displays e.g. Nreal Air.[1] However neither VR headsets nor AR glasses have reached the resolution sweet spot to compete with monitors in permanent workspaces [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDekX4vrSsA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDekX4vrSsA

georgewsinger 4y ago
The Nreal Air looks cool, but it only offers a 46 degree FoV[1]. That's less than half the FOV of the Quest 2, which makes it hard to see all of your windows/workspace. (To be fair: the tradeoff is excellent PPD within its narrow FOV). [1] https://www.nreal.ai/specs/ https://www.nreal.ai/specs/
- anotherjesse 4y ago
  (I'm trying a pair out. They are on Amazon for $379 and extended returns during Christmas...) It feels like a wall height screen about 8-10 feet in front of you. Perhaps a little bigger would be good, but it isn't that too small. The resolution of 1920x1080 is ok. I wish it was higher. And it doesn't support AR monitors (the 1920x1080 in the glasses a mirror of the iPad - except for blink .. - the demos for android are much nicer with AR windows places in physical space) The setup I'm testing: - nreal 1920x1080 nreal air - usb-c plugged into an ipad mini + cellular - tailscale allows me to remote into my desktop computer - with bluetooth keyboard and mouse - and then blink app to tmux (or perhaps vscode - I haven't tried it yet) I've only been testing a couple days. It feels much better than my experiments with Quest2 VR desktop. And when I am able to just work within a single app (blink, safari, ...) it is a good experience. My biggest struggle is iPad os - inconsistent keyboard shortcuts even in apple applications. I'd like to try a tiny raspberry pi like device that allows remote-ssh vscode + remote tmux + streaming chrome (vnc or perhaps https://www.mightyapp.com https://www.mightyapp.com) - but the hardware needs to support USB-C Display Port. Perhaps a DIY powered by Framework mainboard... https://twitter.com/FrameworkPuter/status/1569120813806424064 https://twitter.com/FrameworkPuter/status/156912081380642406... Overall, it is still promising and I'm going to keep trying until end of January - to see if this is a good to take anywhere to code/dev/mosh. For a V1 of this experience it exceeds expectations (and is much better than quest2 for me)
  - coder543 4y ago
    > it doesn't support AR monitors At the top of this thread, the youtube video linked by that comment shows AR monitors on a Mac at 7:24 in the video. The software support for that isn't there on iOS or iPadOS, but it is supported on Mac, apparently. (And Android, as you noted.)
    - anotherjesse 4y ago
      the Macos software is pre-release - and jittery/high latency is an understatement. Supposedly a new version is being released mid-nov. Hopefully that will address the issues.
  - shiftpgdn 4y ago
    I would highly recommend buying a Samsung S10E second hand off of ebay or something for $100 and using that. Once you've used Dex and Nebula with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard it will all click. It's incredible.
    - purplerabbit 4y ago
      What are Dex and Nebula? (I’m considering trying this setup)
      - coder543 4y ago
        Nebula is Nreal's proprietary virtual workspace. DeX is a feature offered on many mid-to-high-end Samsung phones where you can plug it into an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard and get an Android-based desktop-style experience with draggable, resizable windows.
- SkyPuncher 4y ago
  I have the Airs. For the purposes of working, 46 FOV is more than sufficient. I find myself straining my eye to read the corners. On the Nreals, the small FOV means the pixel density is much better than the alternatives.
  - Xevi 4y ago
    Does it affect your vision when using them for many hours? Whenever I use VR headsets for more than 1 hour I tend to get blurry vision once I take them off, since my eyes have adjusted to having the screen so close to them. I am super interested in getting the nreal glasses for work. But I'm also a bit hesitant due to this.
    - SkyPuncher 4y ago
      I think everyone experiences them differently. I can tell my eyes have a bit of "lock-in", but the level of lock in is tiny compared to staring at a laptop screen or phone for the same amount of time. It's definitely not in the realm of other VR products I've used.
chaostheory 4y ago
The HP G2 is much better than any AR product for reading text. It comes close to desktop monitors. It’s also under $300 on eBay and frequently on sale
- carl_dr 4y ago
  That’s interesting. As a HP G2 owner, it really doesn’t come close to reading text on a desktop monitor for me. The combination of FoV and the resolution really isn’t there, I struggle reading text through it vs a 27” 1440p desktop monitor I have on the same PC. I really couldn’t imagine reading text for any length of time in VR. (Edit: I just realised you were comparing to AR, not desktop, sorry.)

georgewsinger 4y ago

The Nreal Air looks cool, but it only offers a 46 degree FoV[1]. That's less than half the FOV of the Quest 2, which makes it hard to see all of your windows/workspace. (To be fair: the tradeoff is excellent PPD within its narrow FOV). [1] https://www.nreal.ai/specs/ https://www.nreal.ai/specs/

anotherjesse 4y ago
(I'm trying a pair out. They are on Amazon for $379 and extended returns during Christmas...) It feels like a wall height screen about 8-10 feet in front of you. Perhaps a little bigger would be good, but it isn't that too small. The resolution of 1920x1080 is ok. I wish it was higher. And it doesn't support AR monitors (the 1920x1080 in the glasses a mirror of the iPad - except for blink .. - the demos for android are much nicer with AR windows places in physical space) The setup I'm testing: - nreal 1920x1080 nreal air - usb-c plugged into an ipad mini + cellular - tailscale allows me to remote into my desktop computer - with bluetooth keyboard and mouse - and then blink app to tmux (or perhaps vscode - I haven't tried it yet) I've only been testing a couple days. It feels much better than my experiments with Quest2 VR desktop. And when I am able to just work within a single app (blink, safari, ...) it is a good experience. My biggest struggle is iPad os - inconsistent keyboard shortcuts even in apple applications. I'd like to try a tiny raspberry pi like device that allows remote-ssh vscode + remote tmux + streaming chrome (vnc or perhaps https://www.mightyapp.com https://www.mightyapp.com) - but the hardware needs to support USB-C Display Port. Perhaps a DIY powered by Framework mainboard... https://twitter.com/FrameworkPuter/status/1569120813806424064 https://twitter.com/FrameworkPuter/status/156912081380642406... Overall, it is still promising and I'm going to keep trying until end of January - to see if this is a good to take anywhere to code/dev/mosh. For a V1 of this experience it exceeds expectations (and is much better than quest2 for me)
- coder543 4y ago
  > it doesn't support AR monitors At the top of this thread, the youtube video linked by that comment shows AR monitors on a Mac at 7:24 in the video. The software support for that isn't there on iOS or iPadOS, but it is supported on Mac, apparently. (And Android, as you noted.)
  - anotherjesse 4y ago
    the Macos software is pre-release - and jittery/high latency is an understatement. Supposedly a new version is being released mid-nov. Hopefully that will address the issues.
- shiftpgdn 4y ago
  I would highly recommend buying a Samsung S10E second hand off of ebay or something for $100 and using that. Once you've used Dex and Nebula with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard it will all click. It's incredible.
  - purplerabbit 4y ago
    What are Dex and Nebula? (I’m considering trying this setup)
    - coder543 4y ago
      Nebula is Nreal's proprietary virtual workspace. DeX is a feature offered on many mid-to-high-end Samsung phones where you can plug it into an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard and get an Android-based desktop-style experience with draggable, resizable windows.
SkyPuncher 4y ago
I have the Airs. For the purposes of working, 46 FOV is more than sufficient. I find myself straining my eye to read the corners. On the Nreals, the small FOV means the pixel density is much better than the alternatives.
- Xevi 4y ago
  Does it affect your vision when using them for many hours? Whenever I use VR headsets for more than 1 hour I tend to get blurry vision once I take them off, since my eyes have adjusted to having the screen so close to them. I am super interested in getting the nreal glasses for work. But I'm also a bit hesitant due to this.
  - SkyPuncher 4y ago
    I think everyone experiences them differently. I can tell my eyes have a bit of "lock-in", but the level of lock in is tiny compared to staring at a laptop screen or phone for the same amount of time. It's definitely not in the realm of other VR products I've used.

chaostheory 4y ago

The HP G2 is much better than any AR product for reading text. It comes close to desktop monitors. It’s also under $300 on eBay and frequently on sale

carl_dr 4y ago
That’s interesting. As a HP G2 owner, it really doesn’t come close to reading text on a desktop monitor for me. The combination of FoV and the resolution really isn’t there, I struggle reading text through it vs a 27” 1440p desktop monitor I have on the same PC. I really couldn’t imagine reading text for any length of time in VR. (Edit: I just realised you were comparing to AR, not desktop, sorry.)