My dream pair of AR gaming glasses should have these 9 features

I spent months in the lab testing the latest augmented reality glasses from Xreal and Viture. By “lab” I mean resting on my couch every night, playing Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch 2 on a huge virtual screen that I can only see through these glasses.

Using AR glasses as a portable display for your mobile devices (and other USB-C devices, like phones, tablets, and laptops) is nothing new. However, the latest versions have one feature in common: three degrees of freedom, or 3DoF, which lets you mount the screen anywhere you want, instead of having it vibrate disgustingly with every head movement. This won’t make AR glasses worth their $400-plus costs for most gamers. But this makes it even more useful if you travel a lot, or if you want a more convenient portable setup.

I have tested three popular models – Xreal for $449that it $649 One Proand Viture’s $549 monster -And there is no best pair that everyone should buy. Each does some things well and some things not so well, leaving me no other choice but to list the components that would make a perfect pair of AR glasses for gaming.

The comfort, sound quality and ease of use that Xreal glasses provide

All of these AR glasses are heavier and thicker than regular glasses, but the Xreal 1S is the lightest model of the bunch. On my kitchen scale, they weigh 85 grams (for comparison, the One Pro glasses weigh 91 grams, while the Viture Beast glasses weigh 96 grams). The little thing that’s actually a big deal is that they (as well as the One Pro) have great weight distribution and thinner temple arms than Viture’s Beast, which helps me feel less pressure on my ears. It’s great that Xreal’s affordable AR glasses are just as comfortable as their most expensive pairs.

The 1S and One Pro offer better sound through the temple temples than the latest Viture glasses. Xreal Audio is tuned by Bose, and the glasses have a balanced sound with surprisingly good low-end performance. The Viture’s are tuned by Harman, and the Beast’s have much less oomph, with more emphasis on the mids and highs. Listening to music, movies and games is now more enjoyable through Xreal Glasses, even at low volume levels.

The 1S and One Pro glasses have fewer buttons than the Viture glasses, which reduces the learning curve. The Xreal glasses have four buttons in total, all located along the right temple arm. To be fair, all AR glasses button layouts take some time to learn. But the Beast has six in total spread across the temple arms, two of which are rocker buttons dedicated solely to adjusting the opacity of its electrochromic lenses – it’s overkill.

The superior contrast and clarity of Viture’s Beast glasses

All three pairs of AR glasses I tested use similar Sony micro-OLED displays, but the Viture glasses are my favorite when it comes to displaying games with the same rich contrast, deep blacks, and bright lighting as they appear on the OLED TV in my living room. Just as important, image quality looks great no matter where you use these glasses because their optics reduce reflections (however, they’re not “4K-like,” as Viture misleadingly advertises). The Xreal One Pro glasses are also great in terms of image quality and show no reflections due to the presence of high-end optics, but they are usually $100 more – although sometimes only $50 – than Viture’s Beast.

Unfortunately, the Xreal 1S’s biggest weakness is reflections. Bright rooms make their OLED displays appear powdery black, looking more like LCD displays in these scenarios. It can produce a good image in low-light scenarios, although content appears blurrier through it compared to other glasses.

The great fit and finish of Xreal eyewear

Xreal is unparalleled when it comes to build quality, and the $449 1S feels just like the more expensive One Pro. Both pairs have quick metal hinge mechanisms that prevent the temple levers from opening accidentally (the ones on Viture’s Beast swing quickly and feel cheap). What’s more, the Xreal glasses look more like real sunglasses than the Beast glasses (the Viture can’t resist the look that you’ll either love or hate, although the Beast glasses look more sophisticated than the Luma series). Yes, these are indistinguishable on my face, but they are worth considering given their high cost.

The user experience just got more polished across the board with Xreal glasses. My Steam Deck and phone are a few seconds faster to connect to the Xreal 1S and One Pro, and as mentioned before, the learning curve is lower. The Xreal also now has better 3DoF implementation, simply because the screen stays in place when it’s mounted. With Viture Beast glasses, the “fixed” screen moves, slowly sliding out of sight. This is a deal breaker.

Xreal’s Real3D feature, which is better than I expected (in small amounts)

Xreal glasses with the X1 chip (those launched in the last two years or so) now have Real 3D. This mode can convert 2D content to 3D, and there is a multi-step software slider to increase its effect. I’m enjoying using the moderate conversion setting more than I expected.

The 3D effect isn’t as pronounced as the Nintendo 3DS’ 3D effect, but subtle improvements are easy to notice. It works especially well in games that don’t require a lot of fast movement.

Viture’s Switch 2 compatibility

Unfortunately, the AR glasses cannot connect with a single USB-C cable to the Adapter 2 (Blame Nintendo). You need a compatible docking station, one of which isn’t just for Xreal headset owners. The company has canceled its Neo charging dock Announced at CES 2026 Due to reliability concerns (the unit they sent me for testing still worked great with my console). So, people using Xreal headsets and Switch 2 will need a different accessory to play.

It would be easier if you had Viture glasses, but they are not affordable for everyone. Vitor makes $130 Professional Mobile Charging Dock Which works perfectly with Switch 2 for the Beast. This dock doubles as a 13,000 mAh battery so you can charge while you play. If the Switch 2 isn’t your thing, the base features a full HDMI port, allowing you to watch the console’s video feed inside your glasses. Video passthrough works with the Xreal glasses as well, but audio didn’t work well enough for me to recommend it.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner/The Verge