XREAL AURA Launches as First Wired Android XR Glasses

XREAL AURA, the first wired XR glasses powered by Android XR, has launched with transparent lenses that project spatial content while keeping the real world visible. Orders are open today in the U.S., Canada, and Korea, and starting November 2 in Japan, with launch pricing starting at USD 1,099 through the end of the year.

Design and processing

The glasses weigh under 95 grams and use a portable compute puck connected by a cable to handle heavy processing. The puck holds the battery and the Snapdragon Reality Elite platform from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., which debuts on AURA. The lenses provide a 70-degree field of view, and Gemini on Android XR can understand what the wearer sees and does in the real world and on screen. Android XR also brings Gemini and millions of apps from Google Play, including over 150 apps made for XR.

Work and productivity

Users can open multiple apps at once, arrange them at any size, and pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or use the puck as a trackpad. Wired Mirroring lets a laptop connect with a USB-C cable that supports video output, showing its screen as a resizable window alongside Android XR apps without installing software. Because the display is visible only to the wearer, confidential documents can be opened in public spaces. Gemini works across everything in view, including the laptop window, and can highlight what to focus on or answer questions about what is in front of the user.

Entertainment and memories

For watching content, AURA can open YouTube, Google TV, or other streaming services and place the screen where it is most comfortable. The lenses can dim to fade out surroundings and become transparent again when someone is in view. Immersive content includes 180- and 360-degree videos and 3D movies, while new XR films and performances include "Nevatars," "Galapagos: the Last Eden," and the San Francisco Ballet's "Nutcracker." Spatial view can turn almost any video, photo, or game into 3D, and Google Photos will include a spatial gallery that wraps a library around the user.

Gaming and availability

Gamers can play thousands of mobile and tablet games from Google Play or bring games from a handheld or PC with Wired Mirroring, while keeping other apps beside the game. XR games from studios such as Owlchemy Labs and Resolution Games can be played naturally with hands, and upcoming titles include Fallout Factions and Project Hail Mary: Journey Among the Stars. AURA is available to order today for users 18 and older in the U.S., Canada, and Korea, and starting November 2 in Japan, at xreal.com/aura or BestBuy.com in the U.S., with shipments beginning in mid-November. Shahram Izadi, VP and GM of XR, introduced the device, and businesses can learn about scaled deployment options through the Android Enterprise Blog.

Sources: blog.google