January 13, 2025
Didn’t make it to Vegas? We’ve sifted through the TVs, soundbars, and a robotic arm that will pick up your dirty socks to bring you the top enterprise XR-related announcements and products from CES 2025.
As others have noted, there were lots of new smart glasses at CES. Ranging in price from $299 to nearly $4,800, these included some inconspicuous pairs aesthetically closer to real eyeglasses compared to the smart glasses we’re used to seeing at these events. Though not necessarily for enterprise, many of the smart glasses on the expo floor could prove useful for knowledge workers. Let’s dive in:
NEW & UPDATED SMART GLASSES (in no particular order)
Halliday
The China-based startup unveiled a pair of “proactive AI” glasses that project images directly to your eyes for a lens-free experience.
To be clear, the glasses do come with lenses, but you can opt for a lensless display by popping them out. The AR “still works” thanks to a DigiWindow micro-display, “the world’s smallest optical module,” along the frame above the right lens. This is perceived as an 3.5-inch screen in the upper right corner of your field of view.
In this way, the device discreetly delivers information such as notifications and incoming messages in retro green. Though the glasses have no camera, a built-in microphone allows the proactive AI agent to answer direct questions and listen to your conversations for context in order to anticipate your needs and provide proactive assistance. Audio isn’t permanently recorded and the user must manually launch an app to activate “Echo Mode.”
Proactive assistance during a meeting, for example, might include generating summarized meeting notes following the meeting. You can also use the glasses as a teleprompter during presentations and for real-time navigation (leave your phone in your pocket), translation (up to 40 languages), and quick notes (voice-to-text).
More:
–Halliday’s glasses can accommodate prescription lenses and by foregoing waveguide lenses, should work well outdoors
–Input: “Ring control” and voice commands
–Weight: 35 grams
–Battery life: Up to 8 hours of continuous use
–Price: $489
XREAL
XREAL showcased the new XREAL One Pro, equipped with the same X1 chip as the XREAL One (XREAL’s first proprietary chipset), but with better optics and a thinner frame.
A new Sony Micro-OLED display capable of simulating a 171-inch virtual screen with 1080p resolution and flat-prism lens design make for a sleeker pair of glasses (just 11mm thick) and impressive 57-degree FOV (vs. 50 degrees for the XREAL One). One Pro is also brighter (up to 700 nits) and faster (120Hz) than its predecessor.
Reviewers praised the glasses’ flexibility: For one, you can attach a 12MP camera module (XREAL Eye, with “multimodal AI” capabilities supposedly to come) to capture first-person photos and video. XREAL One Pro also features both hardware- and software-based IPD adjustment: Available in two sizes, One Pro supports IPD ranges of 57-66mm and 66-75mm to accommodate a wider range of users.
More:
–Ultra-wide screen mode (virtual desktop)
–Bose sound
–Weight: 87 grams (slightly more than XREAL One)
–Battery life: 3.5 hours
–Input: Gesture and voice
–Price: $599 ($99 for Xreal Eye)
–Availability: Expected in March of this year
Sony
Sony announced the codename for its previously revealed Android XR-powered headset geared towards creatives: XYN (pronounced “zin”).
This new variant of the headset announced with Qualcomm last year is less industrial-focused, instead targeting spatial content creators. It was shown in two colorways: Black for prosumers and grey for enterprise. Moreover, it’s still a prototype - even the name’s not official - with no disclosed release date.
So, what do we know? The device is powered by Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 and features Sony’s 4K OLED microdisplays capable of 90 FPS and 1,000 nits with 96% DCI-P3 color coverage, meaning that 1) it will be pricey and 2) it should be a step up from Vision Pro in terms of resolution and color accuracy. We also know the display flips up.
XYN will support “intuitive and efficient spatial content creation” through 3D production apps like XYN Spatial capture and XYN Motion Studio. The former generates “photorealistic 3D CG assets” from real-world objects and spaces using photos and “proprietary algorithms;’ while the latter (a PC app) supports mocopi, Sony’s proprietary motion capture system, for easier, more precise motion capture. This should make 3D asset creation and animation modeling “more affordable and accessible.”
In other news, Sony and Siemens Digital Industries Software announced a roadmap marrying SRH-S1, Sony’s enterprise-focused mixed reality headset (set to release next month at $4,750), and Siemens’ NX software.
The SRH-S1 features Sony’s 4K OLED Microdisplays and proprietary real-time 3D object rendering technology, as well as passthrough video and a flip-up visor. Siemens’ Immersive engineering tools will let SRH-S1 users (co-)create and interact with high-fidelity 3D models and conduct remote, multiuser design reviews via Siemens’ cloud-based NX X platform.
Those tools include NX Immersive Designer, which allows users to directly manipulate and collaborate around rich 3D product models without any additional preparation or software; and NX Immersive Collaborator, which allows organizations of all sizes to conduct co-located or remote design reviews with multiple participants. Both require Sony’s SRH-S1 headset with its dedicated pointer and ring controllers.
Briggs Automotive Company has reportedly already used the combined solution to help designers and engineers see and edit parts, customers to experience their car at human scale before it’s built, and stakeholders to easily collaborate with designers/engineers to validate parts before manufacturing.
Rokid
Rokid’s latest AR Spatial glasses can project up to a 300-inch 1080p screen and support up to 3 spatial browsers for multitasking (virtual desktop). The sleek glasses run on Rokid’s proprietary operating system which can run Android-based apps, connect to laptops, smartphones, and other hubs, and support iPhone’s spatial media; and are the first AR glasses to feature intelligent myopia and pupillary adjustment. That means even nearsighted users can experience AR without purchasing prescription lenses.
More:
–Visual specs: 50-degree FOV, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 90-120Hz refresh rate, and 600 nits of brightness
–Bluetooth connectivity
–Nose pad and flex temples
–Certified for eye comfort
–Weight: 75 grams
–Price: Available now at a discount for $648
RayNeo
The Chinese company unveiled a new lineup of AR products, including the X3 Pro, a pair of “binocular, full-color microLED optical waveguide” AR glasses.* Impressively lightweight at under 3 ounces, X3 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset and comes with dual built-in cameras (in the center of the frames) and a ChatGPT AI assistant.
The glasses look pretty “normal” and despite a narrow FOV of just 25 degrees, the display is really bright, delivering an impressive 2,500 nits of brightness according to RayNeo. The company also boasts of “rainbow-free visuals and superior color uniformity.”
The X3 Pro utilizes waveguide tech from Applied Materials and RayNeo’s proprietary full-color microLED optical engine. One of its cameras is designed for high-def photos and AI apps, while the other focuses on perception (SLAM, hand tracking, etc.)
More:
–Battery life: “Around 30 minutes with heavy use”
–Availability: No launch date yet but potentially later this year
–Price: Around $1,500
–Support Wearable Devices’ Mudra neural input wristban
RayNeo also showcased the RayNeo Air 3 and RayNeo V3. With an array of glasses, Rokid is dedicated to making AR a part of daily work and play. The company provides devs with a “robust suite of tools,” including the RayNeo Developer Platform, AR SDK, and AI Studio.
Play For Dream Technology
Play For Dream MR headset powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform is being hailed as the Android version of the Apple Vision Pro. Launched last year in Asia, the device features an 8K microLED screen and is capable of 3D spatial video capture. Additional features/highlights include spatial sound, high-resolution color passthrough, low latency, automatic IPD adjustment and real-time foveated rendering, a rear-mounted battery, and support for PC wireless streaming.
More:
–Multimodal input (gesture, eye, voice, and controller)
–90Hz refresh rate
–Pancake lenses
–Claimed FOV of 103 degrees
–Battery life: Just over 1 hour (tethered external battery adds 2.5 hours)
–Weight: Around the same as Vision Pro but reportedly more comfortable
–Price/availability: No release date yet; company says it will cost under $2,000
Other XR developments that caught our eye
Innoactive: The company announced a partnership with Apple and Nvidia to enable streaming between Omniverse and Apple Vision Pro. This means Omniverse devs can stream their OpenUSD workflows to the Vision Pro.
Nvidia: Interestingly, the tech company was granted a patent for AR glasses ahead of CES. In addition to its GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs, Nvidia also unveiled GR00T Blueprint, a new “modality” for teaching humanoid robots through imitation.
Paired with Apple Vision Pro, Blueprint allows users to create digital twins of their actions (task digital twins, if you will) for robots to replicate. Teleoperation is also possible, enabling remote imitation learning for repetitive tasks in warehouses and factories.
Sightful: The Israeli startup relaunched its Spacetop AR laptop as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product that expands your Windows laptop screen experience. A one-year subscription starts at $950 and comes with a pair of XREAL Air Ultra 2 glasses.
Dassault Systèmes: The company’s booth featured an interactive exhibit that reimagined the human body as a “vibrant, fully functioning city” to highlight the possibilities of virtual twins in predicting disease, tailoring treatment, and guiding public health strategy.
Swave Photonics: Swave’s Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) technology received a CES Innovation Award this year. HXR “achieves true holography,” using the world’s smallest pixel to sculpt lightwaves into natural, high-res holographic images that blend seamlessly with the user’s reality.
The chipset is designed for AI-powered AR glasses, and will solve AR hardware challenges like size and power consumption and eliminate the need for costly components like waveguides.
Proto: The company announced the Proto M2, its newest desktop hologram and “spatial compute device.” The M2 brings “greater processing power, enhanced audio, increased durability, and new connectivity” options, plus a newly redesigned exterior.
HP: The HP Z Captis is a digital material scanner system “integrated with Adobe Substance 3D Sampler.” The device uses photometry to capture and digitally render virtually any material, allowing users in architecture, automotive, fashion, and beyond to create digital twins with realistic textures for use in design, virtual try-on, etc.
Aledia: The French company unveiled a thinner, more efficient, and easier-to-produce microLED-based display powered by 3D GaN nanowire technology for the next generation of AR glasses.
Ocutrx: Debuted the DigiLoupes headset for surgery.
Did we miss anything? Let us know!
