CES 2023 may end earlier this month, but the virtual reality impact of some of the products on display should be felt for some time. We saw new devices from all over the world mixed reality spectrum — PlayStation brought a new VR gaming experience, Lumus surprised us with augmented reality glasses, and HTC introduced a mixed reality headset designed to compete with Meta Quest Pro.
Luckily, we were able to get hands-on with a few of these VR and AR devices, and there are a few others that still managed to catch our eye. Here are the five biggest VR and AR announcements from CES 2023 that have us excited about where VR is headed this year and beyond.
CES 2023: PS VR2 hands-on
(Image credit: Future)
We were able to tackle what hasn’t been released yet PlayStation VR2 and we left quite impressed – at least with the presentation of VR gaming headset.
VR2 eliminates the need for a PlayStation Camera than the original PlayStation VR is required and upgrades old PlayStation 3 Move controllers to new PS VR2 controllers that are more compatible with modern VR controllers. Add in the increased processing power, higher resolution, and wider field of view, and there’s a lot to like about this version.
Unfortunately, there are some obvious negatives. To use this processing power, the PS VR2 must be connected to PlayStation 5 and the cable does not detach. You also need to own a PS5 to use the headset, a requirement that will set you back hundreds of dollars on top of the $549 you have to spend on the PS VR2 headset itself.
Ultimately, however, the performance improvements compared to the previous generation and competitors such as Meta mission 2 combined with support for the PlayStation ecosystem give these gaming headsets a real chance to make a splash. If you can get over the expensive barrier to entry, the PS VR2 could be a great way to get into VR.
CES 2023: HTC’s new Vive XR Elite
(Image credit: Future)
The PlayStation wasn’t the only new one VR headset which came to play at CES 2023. HTC announced new Vive headsets in the run-up to CES 2023 and then unveiled it during the trade show. As a mixed-reality headset, enabling augmented reality (AR) transitions, the HTC Vive XR Elite seems to have taken aim at the new Meta Quest Pro that was released last fall.
However, once we got our hands on it, the latest Vive looks like it might be closer to a competitor to the Meta Quest 2, which makes its $1,099 price tag a little worrisome. AR switching has lag due to its high resolution, which really hurts its AR productivity potential for working with it at a desk or walking around a room. Hand tracking also sometimes crashes, affecting the experience when it does.
But there are plenty of positives for the HTC Vive XR Elite. The resolution of 1920 × 1920 pixels per eye is excellent, it is light and comfortable to wear for more than an hour at a time. And while the content so far isn’t impressive, accessing Steam VR via a PC connection allows you to have a portable VR gaming experience that graphically should look better than Meta Quest 2 (we’ve yet to test them directly). The real killer feature for some may be the adjustable IPD sliders that allow the visually impaired to use the headset without glasses – currently my biggest complaint about the Meta Quest 2.
CES 2023: Lumus AR glasses
(Image credit: Future)
Despite the transitions to mixed reality and Apple Tim Cook’s statement that AR is Apple’s ultimate goal, the AR market feels relatively quiet compared to VR and mixed reality.
However, CES 2023 had a notable AR device – Lumus Z-lens. This set of Google Glasses-like AR glasses are a bit bulky, but could probably be mistaken for normal glasses if they weren’t relatively boldly purple. Unfortunately, though, they’re only a prototype because Lumus doesn’t actually sell the glasses — it sells the technology behind them.
This technology, called wavelength guidance (or waveguide) technology, pushes and manipulates the protrusions from the upper corners of the eyeglass frame. The lenses then move the projections so they are centered in your vision and you can see the full projection even with just one eye.
While Lumus isn’t the only company using this wavelength-targeting technology, it promises that its waveguide lenses are brighter — five to 10 times brighter — than the competition. Our own Kate Kozuch agreed: she said she’s never seen AR with such clarity, and that she felt present enough using the glasses to continue to engage with her surroundings as needed.
CES 2023: TCL RayNeo X2 AR glasses
(Image credit: TCL)
Another player in the AR glasses market is TCL, which has been quietly in the market for some time. Back in 2021 we covered Nxtwear G Smart Glasseswhich allows the user to plug into a compatible device and view the content in their glasses as AR projections.
A cable running from your head isn’t exactly fine. This year though TCL (opens in a new tab) introduced the RayNeo X2 AR glasses, and luckily you don’t need a cable to use them. The AR glasses feature full-color microLED waveguides with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits—noticeably four times less brightness than the 4,000 nits Lumus promises with its waveguide technology.
Still, the RayNeo X2 promises to look like conventional glasses (it pretty much does) and serve as a powerful smart assistant with navigation, translation, and music playback capabilities. It also promises to enable the creation of “next-level content” with an integrated hands-free camera that can take photos and videos.
The promise of AR glasses is certainly enticing, and if it weren’t for Glassholes, we might already be there. But between Lumus, TCL and the rumours Apple glasses (which aren’t expected until 2026), that future may finally be back on track.
CES 2023: The Holoride Upgrade Kit
(Image credit: Holoride)
Finally, we get VR car news from CES 2023, which is truly a niche within a niche. Still, Holoride Upgrade Kit (opens in new tab) was definitely one of the most interesting pieces of VR technology announced at CES this year. This kit comes with a Retrofit VR sensor that senses the vehicle’s movement and position to offer synchronized motion VR in your vehicle, a subscription to Holoride’s VR entertainment service, 8BitDo Pro 2 controller and an HTC VIVE Flow VR headset. Oh, and a seatbelt because, let’s not forget, you’re playing VR games in a moving vehicle.
This isn’t the first time Holoride has put VR technology into a car. Last summer, Audi cars started supporting Holoride to let you play VR games in the back of an Audi. This was via the Audi MIB 3 infotainment system, so it works a little differently than the Holoride Retrofit – but not much different.
While we struggle to advocate playing VR games in the back of a moving vehicle for multiple reasons (users do so at their own risk), and we certainly don’t recommend doing so if you’re the driver, of course that is great to see this really unique use case for VR gaming.
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