Form and Fit Issues with Existing AR Glasses
Several users discuss the physical design limitations of current AR glasses, particularly concerning fit and visual clarity.
- Fit and Focus Problems: "The Xreals are the only ones I've tried, so I don't know how they compare, but I have trouble with fit. I have trouble in general, because of my nose bridge being too wide, but even when I put the glasses right against my forehead, I still can't get the entire screen in focus, the edges are blurry." - stavros
- Screen Positioning Preferences: "I really wish the screen were smaller and more to the center, then they'd be perfect. I guess it depends on whether you want them for games (the important stuff is usually in the centrer) or for work (the important stuff is usually at the edges)." - stavros
- Visibility Issues: "With the viture I have the problem that the bottom of the screen is almost always not visible." - blensor
- Shared Experience: "I also have this problem with the Viture glasses." - gavinray
Software Solutions and Customization for AR Glasses
The discussion highlights the need for software solutions to overcome hardware limitations and enhance the usability of AR glasses. A user (blensor) has even developed a project to address some of those issues.
- Need for Virtual Screen Repositioning: "if you want to use it for productivity you want to be able to look at certain parts of your screen vs. straining your eyes to glimpse the edges. That's where this comes in, it allows you to look around the virtual screen" - blensor
- Custom Solutions for Limited Functionality: "I initially used the accessibility feature that let's me zoom into the desktop with mouse follow moving the viewport but that gets old quickly, which is one reason why I started that project." - blensor
- Desire for Advanced Features: "I'm also planning to add other 'display' modes like a curved monitor and in theory we could connect multiple monitors using several hdmi capture devices but that's probably even less useful" - blensor
- Portable phone use problems: "I haven't found a way to do it on the phone unfortunately which is really annoying." - blensor
Use cases and trade-offs of AR glasses
Users discuss the practical applications of AR glasses, considering the trade-offs between immersion, functionality, and portability.
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AR glasses as a monitor replacement: "I’ve wondered if the Xreal Air 2 would be better than a large monitor. My hunch is that having a dedicated smaller monitor not on my face is more comfortable and productive than a large virtual one." - mentos
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Preferences over traditional monitors: "Hm, no, I much prefer the Xreal to the laptop's screen (except for the blurry edges). I don't care about the monitor size, only the resolution, but I'd rather have the monitor always be straight ahead in my vision (no matter how my head is tilted), and I really like the Xreal for that." - stavros
- Mobility vs. Fidelity: "AR solutions value mobility over fidelity. This has numerous repercussions, leading to those displays." - spookie
Technical Limitations of AR Glass Displays
The discussion delves into the technological reasons behind the limitations of AR glass displays, such as resolution.
- Optical Resolution Limits: "One of the reason is IMHO that the optical resolution with those lense designs does not get better than 1080p. It seems even that resolution is blurry at the edges. So anything beyond probably would be a waste without totally different optics." - riedel
- Display Port Interface limits: "Not disagreeing with the resolution but I assume for most last-gen use cases it didn't make much sense because you also need to be able to drive that somehow and you can be happy that you get a 2 Lane display port interface up until the more recent phones." - blensor
- Specific screen technologies used limited by size concerns: "The current Sony micro-OLED screens being used by product manufacturers for AR glasses require out-of-plane reprojection versus VR headset screens which require focal lenses. The top-of-the-line solutions by Sony used in current products only go up to 1080p120." - andrewmcwatters
- The problem is packaging: "It's a packaging problem. They don't have the luxury of placing relatively large screens in front of the eyes." - kevin_thibedeau
- Form factor trumps display quality: "Apples to oranges, since VR glasses are a much bigger form factor." - stronglikedan
- Lower resolution may be acceptable because of FOV: "AR glasses have smaller FOV which means that a lower resolution can still achieve a higher peak pixels per degree compared to a VR headset." - charcircuit
- Specialized production leading to slow iteration: "What that means is, these glasses are made by someone paying $$$ once to Asian engineering companies to have it figured out, and everyone reuse that exact setup for years on."
- Engineering challenges and costs: "Startups and even mid-sized consumer electronics companies don't have that kind of time or financial backings or margins to do the same. They barely manage to pay for assembly and ship it. And so the spec of the final product is whatever spec of parts that they could buy off the shelf." - numpad0
Positional Tracking Capabilities
- 3DoF vs. 6DoF preference: "After using both 3DoF and 6DoF for years, I just can't imagine using a 3DoF headset for more than watching videos or simple writing tasks." - k__
- Clarification of Xreal Air 2 Ultra: "Just so it is clear, the 'Xreal Air 2 Ultra' appear to have 6DoF tracking" - sitkack
- Exploring 6DoF Implementation: "I've been thinking about combining it with our work on the reverse engineered HTC Vive Ultimate Tracker stuff here https://youtube.com/shorts/U4vhEPQw-Uo to get 6DOF" - blensor. But also acknowledging the impracticality: "But realistically I ( and nobody else ) won't strap the tracker to my head all the time' - blensor