Xreal has just released what is possibly its best update yet for its smart glasses, as it can now convert any 2D content into 3D. I’ve been trying it and the effect is amazing, although sometimes it’s still a work in progress.
XR glasses can now do this through a technology Xreal calls Real 3D. It first debuted on the Xreal 1S glasses and has since also landed on Xreal’s One and One Pro specs, thanks to an update.
Once turned on, the glasses will create depth in previously flat videos and games. Best of all, it works in any app and with any system, because it’s not handled by your phone, laptop or console – the Xreal specs handle all the 3D rendering for you.
Starting with my phone, before even launching any apps, I was able to see Real 3D in effect, as the background on my phone (a photo I took of my fiancée in Pompeii) had a stereoscopic effect, as did my app icons, which were now floating above the page.
Actually, moving into video, I tried a few animated projects. Eyes of Wakanda and Phineas and Ferb – as well as some live action stuff – rogue one and the latest VoD from a YouTuber streamer.
2D animation is where the technology really shines. The better-defined edges of objects apparently help the software better distinguish elements from each other, while rogue one I occasionally had distortion around the edges of objects and some layers were mixed incorrectly.
Eyes of Wakanda, with its more complex 3D animated style, tilted in the middle. Mostly great, but sometimes there were noticeable errors in the representation of the glasses. Anyway, overall I found Real 3D to be impressive and I will definitely try using it.
You can modify the strength of the stereoscopic effect in the glasses settings. You can reduce errors at the expense of the power of the 3D effect, or make the effect much stronger at the risk of having a little more trouble in more complex scenes.
With my video tests done, I switched to my Asus ROG Xbox Ally X to boot Sekiro and The binding of Isaac. As with shows, isaacIt was easier to get a great 3D effect with the simpler 2D style, while Sekiro I might have difficulties at times.
Sekiro Issues were also plagued by some notable drops in performance, such as a lower frame rate and subtle lag, which made running its most accurate game a little more challenging.
Exactly what XR needs
All of this is to say that Real 3D is a very impressive tool, although it’s still a work in progress, as my colleague Lance Ulanoff discovered when testing the Xreal 1S’s specs. Despite its occasional bugs, I still loved using it and am excited to see how Xreal evolves this technology over time.
I remember chatting with their team at an event a couple of years ago, where we lamented the lack of accessible 3D content for XR hardware. At the time, outside of Disney Plus on the Apple Vision Pro, you couldn’t simply buy or rent a 3D movie.
As another attendee of our conversation pointed out, the bottom line is that if you want 3D content for your glasses, you would have to sail the seven seas.
Obviously, this is not ideal, especially for a medium like XR, which is well positioned to take advantage of stereoscopic content. So I’m very excited that Xreal has taken such an initiative with Real 3D and decided to forcibly drag 3D content onto its platform while content creators delay.
It’s definitely another arrow in the already full quiver of Xreal glasses, and over time I’m sure Real 3D will only get better. The ball is now also in the court of their rivals. Viture has something similar to Real 3D but requires an on-device app, while many other glasses have no equivalent.
How to experience real 3D
If you want to try Real 3D for yourself, you’ll need a pair of Xreal One, Xreal One Pro, or Xreal 1S glasses.
They will also need to be running the latest firmware. The easiest way to fix this issue is to head to the Xreal update page on your PC, connect your glasses to your PC using your USB-C cable, and follow the on-screen instructions to install the update.
Once installed, connect your glasses to a compatible device and open the glasses’ settings menu by double-tapping the red button on their frames. In display settings, select Real 3D and have fun with the new tool.
By returning to settings you can turn off Real 3D, but you can also turn it off by disconnecting your glasses and reconnecting them to your device. Additionally, you can adjust the intensity of the 3D effects.
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