Xiaomi unveiled its very first augmented reality headset at MWC: the Wireless AR Smart Glass Discovery Edition. If the brand dwells on its technical characteristics, the use is still very mysterious.
Do we really need augmented reality glasses? For the tech giants, it is. While all eyes have been on Apple for months, Xiaomi is presenting its first terminal dedicated to AR at the MWC: the Wireless AR Smart Glass Discovery Edition.
Behind this extended name hides a helmet, or rather augmented reality glasses. Xiaomi has taken care to make them as light as possible with a magnesium/lithium chassis. They weigh only 126 grams on your nose. Another advantage, they are completely wireless.
A very advanced technology, but a use to be determined
The Wireless AR Smart Glass Discovery Edition features a Qualcomm XR2 Plus Gen 1 SoC, specially designed for mixed reality. They work with the Snapdragon Space platform present on certain smartphones, including the Xiaomi 13. Regarding the screens, the manufacturer claims that its glasses are the first to have a display at the level of the retina for greater comfort and better immersion. . The helmet is equipped a pair of microOLED screens with a maximum brightness of 1200 nits, which can perfectly display virtual elements in front of your eyes even if there is a lot of light around you.
To read – Apple Glass: Siri will help you create applications for the mixed reality headset
Xiaomi also mentions the low power consumption AON camera integrated into the chassis as well as a gesture recognition system capable of recognizing the joints of your fingers. Thus, it would be possible to interact with its environment thanks to your minions. The manufacturer remains a little vague on the operation but gives examples of manipulation:
“The directional is oriented from the second knuckle of the middle finger, with the second knuckle of the index finger representing the upward direction. Combined with the surrounding areas, they form a four-way directional key for basic movement operations. Additionally, the 12 joints work similarly to the Chinese nine-key input method, allowing text input by tapping the thumb in the finger area. The sliding thumb on the index finger is used to enter and exit applications. »
Xiaomi focused a lot on its technology during the presentation and seems to have forgotten the most important: what is it for? For the moment, no concrete use has been shown, we just know that the helmet will be compatible with the Youtube and Tik Tok applications. It remains to be seen what advantages the user will derive from such a terminal. Do we have a game changer or an overpriced and uninteresting technological gadget? The ball is in Xiaomi’s court, we are just waiting to be seduced.
At the moment, the Chinese brand’s AR headset has no price or release date.