Meta VR vs. Google XR: Wearable Tech Duel

Two significant players in virtual and augmented reality are vying for consumer attention with newly revealed wearable devices. Journalists recently tested the Meta VR Glasses and the Google XR glasses, a collaboration with Xreal. These devices weigh around 100 grams and aim to overlay digital content onto the physical world.

Xreal has opened pre-orders for its Aura glasses, priced at $1,279 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage configuration, slightly undercutting the Meta VR Glasses. The Aura features transparent lenses, offering a different user experience compared to Meta's glasses, which utilize passthrough vision for greater immersion. Both devices rely on a compute puck housing their processors and batteries, allowing for lighter headsets.

While the Xreal Aura boasts a 70-degree transparent field of view, Meta's glasses offer a larger field of view through their passthrough technology. Meta's offering includes eye-tracking for selection, similar to Apple's Vision Pro, whereas the Aura uses a touchpad on the compute puck and hand-tracking. The Xreal Aura will run Android apps, while Meta's glasses will feature its Horizon OS and Quest games. The Xreal Aura is slated to begin shipping to early adopters in the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea soon, with a wider release expected in 2027, while Meta's VR Glasses are anticipated in spring 2027.