Living In My GameSpace is all about cool tech upgrades for the games we play, no matter where we play them. Bigger, faster, better. It’s what we want for our battlestation. But what about when we head out of the house? We have to go smaller, but why? I already have to trade in my gaming pc for a laptop and smartphone, but what if I didn’t have to settle for a smaller monitor? XREAL launched the 1S XR Glasses in January, and they were kind enough to send us a pair for review. I’ve been using them for work and gaming for the last couple of months. They aren’t quite the same as carrying around a 32-inch monitor, but they do fit in your pocket. Let’s talk about whether that is a trade-off we’re willing to make.
Specifications
- Price: $449.99
- Weight: 82g
- display: mini-OLED x2
- Default Resolution: 1920 x 1200
- Default Aspect Ratio: 16:10
- Additional Aspect Ratios: 16:18, 21:9, 32:9
- Virtual Screen Size: Up to 500″
- Frame Rate: Up to 120fps
- Peak Brightness: 700 nits
XREAL 1S XR Glasses – What Is It?
The XREAL 1S is the latest entry in the One Series of XR glasses. A refresh of the original XREAL One, the 1S increases the display resolution from 1080p to 1200p per eye and field of view from 50° to 52°, allowing for an adjustable screen distance of 1-10m and a 31”-500” virtual screen size. Further improving the visuals, the 1S also boosts perceived brightness to 700 nits, matching the premium One Pro glasses.
The 82g frames stay the same, featuring Sound by Bose with Spatial Sound 4.0 as well as three-position adjustable arms and three sizes of nose pads to maximize comfort. Other relevant specs – Sony .68” Micro OLED birdbath lenses with 90-120Hz refresh rate, 108% sRGB color gamut, 3ms M2P latency, and adjustable IPD of 59.5-70.5mm, and 3-stage electrochromic dimming – all stay the same. You’re also getting the same options of a head-following 3DoF or anchored display, as well as 16:18, 21:9, and 32:9 ultrawide modes to complement the 16:10 default aspect ratio.
One feature that sets the XREAL 1S glasses apart from competitors is the Real 3D native 2D-to-3D spatial conversion. Real 3D uses the onboard X1 chip to convert games and video to 3D in real time, with four levels of intensity. The extra computing does impact performance, dropping the frame rate to 30fps. It’s not optimal for games requiring high refresh rates, but it’s perfect for movies and YouTube viewing.
XREAL 1S XR Glasses – Setup
If your device has a USB-C DP Alt connection, then using the XREAL 1S glasses is straightforward. Just plug in the USB-C cord, and your device should automatically recognize the glasses as an extra display. Then, using the OSD, set your screen distance and size.
If you plan on using the 1S with a gaming PC, things are slightly less convenient. Only a couple of dedicated graphics cards have a DP Alt output, so you’ll need to use a powered HDMI/DP to USB-C cable to connect the 1S to your graphics card. Once connected, the powered cable works exactly like the default DP Alt connection, so it’s a one-and-done setup.
The XREAL 1S has a couple of ways to customize the fit of the glasses. The 1S ships with three sets of nose pads to maximize comfort on your face. The frame arms can also be set to three positions – center, +3.5 degrees, and -3.5 degrees – to further control the viewing angle.
Screen control is handled by three buttons on the frame. Along the bottom of the frame is an X button and a +/- button. A quick press of the X button will switch between anchored and follow mode. Anchored mode puts the screen in a fixed position, and turning your head allows you to view any portion of the screen beyond the 1S’s field of view. In follow mode, the screen follows your head motion, always keeping the center of the screen in view. Should you wish to reposition the screen in anchored mode, a long press of the X button will snap the screen back to the center of your view.
Pressing the +/- button handles opens the Quick Menu, which has three functions: screen brightness, electrochromic dimming, and volume control. Pressing the X button switches between the three available functions. From there, you simply adjust the selected setting with the +/- button, and the menu will disappear after a couple of seconds of no input.
A quick double-press of the X button activates the on-screen settings menu. Within this menu is where you can set screen distance, virtual screen size, 3D mode, and UltraWide mode. There are also menu selections to adjust color temperature, sound options, and a few other tweaks.
There’s also a third button on the top of the frame. This button is set to switch between standard and ultrawide modes, but it can be configured in the settings menu to activate other features, such as 3D mode.
XREAL 1S XR Glasses – Productivity And Gaming
Whether using the XREAL 1S for productivity or gaming, you’ll find the display is crisp and vivid. The screens have an exceptional display that is just as clear as an actual monitor. Text is crisp and easily readable, while the images and video are sharp and vivid.
When connected to a laptop, the XREAL 1S XR Glasses are a major improvement over a 15” screen, and they don’t add the bulk that upgrading to a 16” or 17” laptop would. It took a little while to get used to, but I was able to put the 1S in ultrawide mode for maximum screen real estate for my productivity apps, and then use my laptop screen for apps that I rarely needed to look at.
Connecting to a smartphone was an even bigger game-changer. When paired with my Samsung S23+, the 1S gave me a monster screen on the go. And as long as I am willing to carry a mini keyboard and mouse around, I can use Dex Mode on my phone for even the heaviest tasks. So long, laptop. Hello portable gaming with a big screen.
When using the 1S with my desktop PC, it works fine for productivity. Just like when using it with a laptop, I can use the 1S as a second monitor, giving me more screen space than I know what to do with. It takes a little time to get used to using the glasses with a second monitor, but dimming the electrochromatic effect lets you see both displays at once.
When it’s time to leave work behind and switch to gaming, the 1S feels like a downgrade from my regular setup. Sure, gaming on the 1S in 16:10 mode looks great, and anyone used to playing at 1080p could see the pair of glasses as an upgrade, but I haven’t played on a 16:9 monitor for years.
Even though widescreen viewing is supported by the 1S, it just can’t compete with my 34” 21:9 ultrawide monitor. The field of view on the 1S limits how much of the screen you can see in ultrawide mode (or you have to make it so small that you lose any benefit from the larger virtual screen), while I can take in the whole panoramic view of my desktop monitor without turning my head. The field of view of the 1S just makes it to inconvenient to use in place of an ultrawide or 4K monitor.
So let’s face it, the 1S really isn’t meant to compete with a desktop setup with a large screen. Where it really excels is in size and portability. It’s not feasible to carry around a large monitor while on the go, but the 1S XR glasses really can fit in your pocket. They are also great for watching a movie or scrolling through videos on YouTube, or playing a game on your smartphone or other handheld gaming device.
XREAL 1S XR Glasses – Is Bigger Really Better?
XREAL claims that the 1S display can virtually scale up to 500 inches, and I found that to be true…sort of. You can set the display’s “distance” from 1 to 10 meters, in one-meter increments. The farther you set the display, the larger the maximum screen size. At 1m, the maximum display size is 50”, and only at 10m can you hit the 500” maximum. This led me to one question: Is a 500” screen 10m away really any “bigger” than a 100” screen that’s only 1m away?
For me, the answer is no. Regardless of the distance, when the display is set to the largest size, it is slightly larger than the actual display. So ultimately, a 50” screen at 1m gives you the exact same display as a 500” screen at 10m. And let’s not forget that when the screen is bigger than the actual display, you can’t see the entire screen in Follow Mode.
If you’re willing to use the glasses in anchor mode all the time, there is a slight workaround to the maximum screen size defaults. Although the maximum screen size is limited by the viewing distance, you can set up one of the larger screens, then go into the settings and reduce the viewing distance. When you do this, the screen size will remain at the larger size, truly giving you a screen much larger than the actual display. That means you can have up to a neck-breaking 500” screen at 1m, just don’t make any other changes or the default values will kick in and put your screen back to a normal size for the viewing distance.
A 500” screen is quite impressive at one meter, even if it’s utterly unusable – stand one meter away from the side of your house and try to look at the entire wall, and you’ll get the idea. There’s also quite a bit of screen curvature when you move outside of the presets, which is probably why XREAL has them there in the first place.
XREAL 1S XR Glasses – 3D Or Not To 3D, That Is The Question
One of the newest features across XREAL’s lineup is real-time 2D-to-3D conversion. Enabled by a recent firmware update on the 1S, Real 3D harnesses the power of the X1 Spatial Chip to convert still images, videos, and games to 3D without any external hardware or software. 3D conversion comes in four intensities: Soft, which gives a slight 3D effect, Natural, Enhanced, and, finally, in-your-face Furious. And since all of the 3D processing is handled by the chip in the glasses, Real 3D will work with any attached device.
The one major caveat to Real 3D is a reduced frame rate. Although the 1S is capable of 120 fps, turning on Real 3D drops that down to just 30fps. For converting pictures or movies to 3D, 30fps is perfectly fine. Gaming, though, is another story. 30fps is okay for slower-moving games, such as playing Balatro on my smartphone. However, shooters, racers, or any other game that requires a high frame rate will look choppy at best or like a slideshow at worst.
Final Thoughts
XREAL’s 1S glasses are very nice. They are comfortable to wear even during long sessions. Durability doesn’t seem to be an issue – I’ve dropped my pair multiple times without any issues. The glasses pair perfectly with my laptop and smartphone through USB-C DP Alt Mode, and I was lucky enough to have an HDMI to USB-C powered cable from a previous review to hook the glasses up to my desktop PC.
The displays also don’t disappoint. Images were crisp and sharp, and plenty bright, especially when the electrochromatic dimming is maxed out. I was able to use the glasses in practically any environment, and the on-board speakers allowed me to hear my surroundings without others being able to hear what I was listening to; you can connect earbuds or headphones to your primary device if you want total immersion and privacy.
Although it isn’t a compelling feature for me, the X1 chip delivers solid performance in 2D-to-3D real-time conversion. Not relying on extra software or hardware for Real 3D is very convenient, allowing you to seamlessly switch between devices without any issues. The only real letdown is that Real 3D is capped at 30fps.
The only real downsides to the XREAL 1S glasses are the same issues you will find with any XR glasses: screen resolution and field of view. 1200p resolution at 120fps looks amazing on these itty bitty screens, but it’s still a limitation that current XR tech can’t overcome. The same goes for the restricted field of view. Again, this isn’t the fault of XREAL – all top-tier XR glasses will have similar specs – but it is something you have to come to terms with if you want to use the 1S for gaming.
And finally, we come down to the same question we always do – are the XREAL 1S XR Glasses worth the price? If you were looking at the XREAL One glasses last year and were held off by the price, you have something to think about. The 1S refresh gives you slightly better tech specs at a lower price, so maybe it’s time to hit the buy button.
