In fact, augmented reality glasses (not to be confused with virtual reality helmets from HTC, Oculus and the like) are exotic, but only for the general public. Such devices have existed for a relatively long time, they just reside in narrow niches. Microsoft HoloLens and Epson Moverio are strictly for professional use, MagicLeap One is for geeks, Apple Vision Pro is for especially rich geeks. But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
But under the surface of the media waters, there are all sorts of creatures: various image glasses with cameras (released either under the auspices of Snapchat or under the RayBan brand), which are difficult to talk about as a real product working with augmented reality; and multimedia devices for viewing content from little-known (outside this niche) brands (MAD Gaze, Rokid, etc.). It is into the latter niche that Acer is trying to jump in with its AR Vision G 500 glasses – and, probably, with the help of the brand’s power, to somehow expand it.
Besides the well-known name, however, Acer offers unprecedented ease of use for the brand. Just connect via cable – no settings, no additional software, minimum controls and a complete lack of additional adapters/converters/external batteries. Let’s see how it all works and whether it looks promising.
We got a deeply pre-production version of the Acer G500 glasses for testing, so I can’t call this material a full-fledged review, especially since there is no price or estimated release date yet. The creators have to finish something in the device, stabilize its operation – but you can still get a more or less clear impression of the glasses right now.
⇡#Design and construction
When I spoke about the simplicity of the Acer G500, there was no guile in my words. You don’t expect AR glasses to be so elementary. Outwardly, they are mirrored sunglasses that have recently come back into fashion, with a certain sporty flair. But under the mirror surface, on the back, there are miniature screens hidden – one for each eye – and special lenses that refract the image so that they are visible to the user.
In the corners of the upper frame we see the diopter correction adjustment wheels (that is, you don’t need to wear contact lenses – the correction, by the way, is very serious), on the right temple at the bottom there are two keys, they are responsible for the brightness of the image (and at the same time – for its permeability, but more on that later). A cable with a USB Type-C port is attached to the left temple. The cable is not detachable. There are no other controls or charging ports here – they are simply not required by this device.
The Acer G500 weighs 70 grams – at first glance, this is sensitive for glasses, but you quickly get used to them, they are quite comfortable to wear for a long time. The quality of manufacture and materials are normal – matte and glossy plastic, glass. I would not say that the glasses look and feel somehow premium, but they are quite stylish, do not creak and do not frighten with the quality of execution.
The glasses come with an oval case, a cloth and instructions for connection (in our case, in Chinese).
⇡#In progress
The Acer G500 has two 0.49-inch Si-OLED displays with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a viewing field of approximately 41°, and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This creates the effect of a roughly 120-inch panel that you are viewing from a distance of 4 meters. That is, something like a movie theater – which is what this is all about.
With the help of two keys on the right temple, you can adjust the brightness of this “panel” – and the lower the brightness, the better you can see everything that is in the surrounding world – the screens here are translucent. But in fact, you can’t call the Acer G500 full-fledged augmented reality glasses – they do not imply any interaction with reality, only content playback is provided. There are no cameras, sensors, or anything else of this kind. Yes, you can not only watch videos, but also work with images (for example, in a design program or a conditional “autocad”), but with the help of third-party tools – there are no controls. “Augmented reality” here is only in that very translucency of the picture.
The glasses can work both in standard 2D mode and in stereo pair format. To switch to 3D mode, you need to hold down the brightness reduction button, after which the glasses start working as a single screen with a resolution of 3840 × 1080, where it is convenient to watch videos in Side-by-Side 3D format.
Also, the glasses do not connect to all devices. They connect to smartphones and laptops only if they support the USB Type-C DisplayPort (DP Alt) port – which is not available in all laptops and, especially, smartphones.
It is impossible to find additional information about the Acer G500 on the Internet – except that it is either an exact copy of the Pglass AR Movie Glass IPD model, sold exclusively in China (in Russia, without a VPN, the product page on Alibaba is not even displayed), or a device very close to it in characteristics.
Now, about the user experience obtained after successful connection. The glasses really cope well with the portable cinema function – the eyes need about two to three minutes to get used to the binocular image, after which the picture stops doubling and is transformed into that very “120-inch panel”. At maximum brightness, the image is very rich, full-color, the picture does not twitch. The sound is transmitted through speakers built into the temples (the slots can be seen on their lower parts). The glasses are lightweight, as I already said, the screens have high resolution – the eyes (and head) did not get tired while watching a full-length film.
The sound is quite good, although, of course, there is no point in talking about the home theater effect, and your neighbors will hear you slightly. But the sound “leakage” is insignificant – on the plane, most likely, you will not disturb anyone. At the same time, the sound can be output to both glasses and headphones (both via cable on a laptop and via Bluetooth on any device).
⇡#Conclusion
Acer AR Vision G 500 is a rather specific device and is still “raw”, but these glasses definitely have prospects. First of all, thanks to the free niche of “mass” multimedia glasses – success can be brought by a combination of a well-known brand, sales in electronics chain stores (and not specialized corners of the Internet, as is the case with AR glasses today) and an attractive price. Such devices are now quite expensive, at least 70-80 thousand rubles. The Acer G500 already has amazing ease of use, good image and good sound. But we cannot even say yet whether they will be officially sold in Russia, so there will be no serious conclusions.
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