The Xreal Beam starts shipping today in the US and Japan. The Beam is an alternative way to connect AR headsets like the Xreal Air to your PC, console or phone. Normally, you need a wired USB C-to-C connection between the headset and your device.
With the Beam, however, you can go
wireless. It still needs a USB connection to the glasses, but it’s a small
device that you can slip in your pocket (doable with a phone, not so much with
a PC or even a Nintendo Switch). The Beam also acts like a power bank and can
run the Air for up to 3.5 hours. Additionally, there are two USB-C ports on
board, so you can plug in external power as well. This second port also allows
for an all-wired connection to keep the latency as low as possible.
In case you were wondering, the Air
glasses don't have any battery inside them to keep them light, that's why they
need a wired connection to something, be it the Beam or otherwise. Apple took a
similar approach with the Vision Pro, by the way. The Xreal Beam is US$ 120 in the
US, the Xreal Air glasses are US$ 380. If you’re just starting your AR journey,
you can get the two as a bundle for US$ 488 (a small US$ 10 discount).
Over in Japan, the Beam is ￥16,980 while the
glasses are ￥45,980. The Beam + Air bundle gets no discount and is ￥62,980.
