Recently, I wrote an article about the Xbox Edition Meta Quest 3S VR headset, which comes with a unique Xbox colorway, Xbox controller, and Xbox Cloud Gaming pre-installed.
Technically it's a decent bundle, with the Elite Strap, 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and more, it actually works out cheaper than buying all the constituent components separately. However, it's still a big ask if all you're interested in is playing Xbox Cloud Gaming without a TV or additional monitor.
The Xbox Edition Meta Quest 3S VR headset is a cool experience overall. Playing Xbox Cloud Gaming on a massive virtual cinematic screen is a great concept. However, the downsides of VR remain present, even on the new Meta Quest 3S. Ugly blurring on the periphery of your vision frustrates AR "window"-based experiences. And wearing a bulky computer on your face has never been pleasant — even if the new AR pass-through cameras and hand tracking vastly improves things.
That's when I realized I already had, in my possession, a much better option for getting this very same experience. Perfectly crisp displays, rather than the blurred curved lenses. Lightweight and comfortable, and even something you'd wear in public. Something that can fit into your pocket even, with easy on-board controls that doesn't obscure your actual vision.
The XREAL Air 2 Pro glasses provide the virtual Xbox Cloud Gaming experience far more effectively than Meta's VR headset can today.
A far better Xbox Cloud Gaming experience than Meta VR can offer
The Meta Quest is an impressive feat of engineering well and truly, particularly so when you consider its base price point. The fact the XREAL Air 2 Pro comes in at roughly the same price as the Meta Quest 3S is perhaps the biggest barrier to the point I'm trying to make here. You can do a lot more with the Meta Quest 3S of course, given that it's a fully immersive 3D headset, with hand-tracking, fully untethered with around 2-3 hours of battery life. But, we're not here to discuss VR today necessarily.
The drawbacks of immersive VR headsets are well documented. Even the most advanced VR headsets can induce nauseated feelings, and I'm definitely someone who is on the receiving end of this. But what annoys me even more is the odd peripheral blurring VR headsets introduce. Unless your pupillary distance is perfectly set and your eyes are transfixed forward, it's a bit like trying to look through wet glasses — the edge blurring you get on the Meta Quest 3S completely frustrated the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience on this device, not to mention the discomfort and irritation involved when trying to constantly reposition the headset. There is a better way, though.
The XREAL glasses and other similar products are augmented reality first and are designed to function more in-line with what Meta and Xbox were trying to reproduce with the Meta Quest 3S.
They function essentially like an external monitor and have no issues whatsoever when it comes to edge blurring, or blurriness in general. The fact they're also just like regular sunglasses means you don't have to constantly reposition them on your face to get the best effect — the Xbox Cloud Gaming "window" on Samsung DeX, projected off my phone, is completely crystal-clear sharp. I had some issues with the XREAL previously, which didn't handle text very well, but the latest update added text smoothing features which has been an understated but incredible boost for things like reading subtitles and writing articles like this.
It's hard to really take photographs of exactly what it looks like when using the glasses, but you can see what it's like in the above video. The peripheral blurring isn't always an issue if you're playing a VR game and you're supposed to be looking directly ahead. But, when you're playing a game in a "window" like Xbox Cloud Gaming, obviously you're going to be moving your eyes to look at different UI elements, as you would on a TV. This is why XREAL is just a better experience here.
More partnerships on the way
Sure, the XREAL glasses aren't cheap, but in theory technology like this should become more affordable over time. The miniaturization of the glasses requires some fiddly engineering, but the results speak for themselves. Total comfort, crystal-clarity vision, and universal compatibility makes it a far, far better experience for Xbox Cloud Gaming than the Meta Quest 3S.
But yes, the Quest 3S is definitely more versatile, and it can't be denied that the base model is a bit cheaper than this XREAL Air 2 Pro and a lot cheaper than the XREAL One glasses, but there is an even cheaper base XREAL Air 2, which doesn't include the adjustable electromagnetic dimming on the lenses or onboard menu systems — but more than gets the job done, with far greater clarity.
Either way, I doubt we've seen the end of Microsoft partnerships with external hardware makers. The Meta Quest partnership might have been more prestigious, but an XREAL bundle I think would have been more actually usable and functional for anyone who wants to grab this specifically for Xbox Cloud Gaming, as Microsoft intends. It's particularly true with devices like the Xbox Ally on the horizon.
But hey, why not both? Microsoft should definitely hit up XREAL.
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