The world is wide and there are many things to enjoy. Among them, we agreed to call a series of activities that we see, hear, and enjoy as culture. However, there are too many obstacles in the way of cultural activities. In the past three years, all exchanges have been cut off at once due to an infectious disease. Thanks to this, people locked themselves in their homes and pursued their own fun, but AR and VR just in time rose to the mainstream.
The problem is that the corona virus, which is expected to bring about a disaster for mankind, has lowered its tail unlike expected, and now it is returning to its previous appearance as if it had never happened. Unintentionally, AR and VR, which had been on the rise for a long time, were treated coldly, and the prestige that went well was also broken.
Nevertheless, many experts are positively predicting the possibility of sustainable development, proudly citing AR/VR as a representative technology that will change the world in the near future. Of course, that means it will take a little more time. In the meantime, I heard a word that the speed of development will be further accelerated by forming a partnership with the Japanese AV industry.
Just in time, X-Real released the Beam series and insisted on the ‘trend’ theory.
It is a product composed of a glasses-shaped screen that projects the screen and a terminal that acts as a controller. Even though the terminal exists, there is nothing that the product itself can do. The manufacturer also promises the future in that it is a terminal that helps users experience AR/VR to the end.
If necessary, Luang Shida will try to make a partnership with the OTT industry.
Therefore, it is very ambiguous to discuss the competitiveness of the product itself at this stage. It is definitely an item that will soon become a trend, but the limitation that there is nothing that can be done with only the device has left a strange aftertaste. Ex-real itself shouts. It is an AR device that has advanced to the point where it has no opponent even if it is aimed at in the global market.
Just in time, Apple also released a similar device, and the fact that it is the next food that various companies including Facebook are clinging to is a signal that this market will rise. Since this is a transitional point, I feel that the evaluation of X-real products is premature, so I will leave it to the market and introduce the product in this paper.
# Glasses wearers are somewhat (X) very (O) uncomfortable
The product is simpler than expected. Contrary to the expectation that it would be cumbersome to use in a complex configuration due to the expectation of implementing a future-oriented function called AR, the product was only a screen in the form of sunglasses and a terminal that served as a controller. The connection can be linked in a wired or wireless way, and details will be described later, but the wireless connection was not smooth in the (beta) product I tried as a test.
Of course, the X-Real Beam Air product itself opens up the possibility of software upgrade, and you can see the actual initial setting and upgrade in the middle when using it. It makes me expect that a significant part of it will be modified by the time I enter the .
In fact, I’ve used many heads-up display products in a similar way.
And the common problem is that the terminal gets hot and dizziness similar to dizziness when used for a long time. If you use it often, you will be familiar with such a phenomenon, but in the beginning, or for quite a long time, you suffer from similar symptoms.
X-Real did not deviate much from that category. In terms of fit, it is a product that gives the feeling that you are wearing thick-rimmed glasses. It weighs only 79g, but it also bears weight throughout the wear, so on a hot day like these days, you can feel the magic of sweating naturally. Simply put, it is somewhat uncomfortable to wear for a long time.
The biggest problem is the fact that the experiencer wears glasses. Since it is a high degree of astigmatism, it is a pair of glasses that use a lens with a high compression ratio, but if you wear X-Real on top of it, the focus will not be accurate. Of course, it is true that the head-up display used in the past was able to solve itself by inputting the frequency artificially, so it is true that it was regrettable that it would be corrected in such a way.
This is why X-Real recommends that if you wear prescription glasses, you should input the prescription into the lens.
# The world unfolds before your eyes as if you were seeing the real thing
There are various modes, but the experience of wearing it in the basic mode was quite interesting. Above all, the realistic feeling was well implemented as much as possible in that the screen remains fixed even when the head is turned around. There was no great difficulty in watching content such as Netflix while connected to a smartphone, and the sound was not dramatic, but at least it did not feel lacking.
Even so, the whole time I used it, there was a lot of regret. There are two types of connection: wired and wireless. The problem is that X-Real Beam Air hardens the terminal quite a bit. If your smartphone is new, you should upgrade the software. Of course, there is no problem with compatibility after the upgrade, but if the terminal does not support it, that is also a problem.
The biggest disappointment is the lack of content. To give one example, at the time of COVID-19, Facebook ran an experiential meeting for reporters under the guise of promoting Oculus, its VR headset, in order to publicize the metaverse, which is on the rise for a long time. It is a method of accessing the metaverse while wearing an Oculus and delivering the contents, but this also did not become an issue after the experience event. The lack of content is crucial.
X-Real also faced the same situation. From the user’s point of view, AR or VR is not the important issue. The key is what to do if the equipment you paid for and purchased has no space to use due to lack of content. The argument at the beginning that it is only a matter of time to activate if you cooperate with the Japanese AV industry is due to such a background. Moreover, it is difficult to argue that the answer to this question should be found by X-Real.
Of course, being able to use it in connection with a game machine would be one way to use it, but the experience is. I was left with a doubt, “Is it really necessary?” It was because there was a focus problem and it was not very satisfactory than I thought to enjoy it while wearing something with a large TV. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that AR is a technology that will become mainstream. In that respect, the final evaluation of the product is left to the user.
By Hyundong Kim Editor [email protected]
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