Viture One XR glasses review: Reality redefined

We’ve put the Viture One XR glasses to the test to see if these mixed-reality glasses are the future of gaming or just an impressive virtual novelty.

While VR headsets are starting to be widely used the world over, smart glasses are still relatively more niche. The Viture One XR glasses are one of the more well-known pairs available, originally catching the attention of tech enthusiasts with its Kickstarter campaign back in 2023 which amassed over 3 million dollars in support.

The smart glasses don’t have their own game or app library to speak of, instead, they connect to a device and project the screen straight to your eyes. Meaning if you’ve got an Android phone, Steam Deck, or even your Nintendo Switch, you can beam a display straight onto your face. into a portable micro OLED 1080p display. We’ve been testing one for weeks, and are ready to lay down our verdict.

Key specs

• Screen: 120-inch Micro OLED
• Resolution: 1920×1080 per-eye
• Brightness: 1800 nit
• Contrast ratio: 5000:1
• Field-of-View: 43 degrees
• Refresh rate: 60Hz
• Features: USB-C to magnetic connector

Design

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At first glance, the Viture One XR glasses look like your run-of-the-mill chunky sunglasses. If it wasn’t for the conspicuous thick arms, and visible line where the XR lenses end, it’s likely you wouldn’t expect these were XR glasses at all.

The only branding on the glasses is reserved for the inside of the arms, with them instead being dripped out in a sleek glossy black paint job. With the ‘Viture’ logo not visible to the naked eye, the glasses keep a unified and slick appearance.

However, with the glasses playing host to micro OLED 1080p capabilities, and embedded directional HARMAN AudioEFX speakers, they do have a bit of unsightly bulk. The arms are much thicker than your average pair of glasses, especially the ones I’m used to wearing. On top of the frames, there also sits a short ridge that hosts all the high-tech goodies inside, as well as contains the adjustable rotary knobs that allow you to match the lenses to suit your vision needs.

The Viture One XR glasses don’t come with a pair of lens shade covers, but they can be picked up for an extra $9 at the Viture storefront. For this review, we were provided with ‘The Future Is On View’ covers, which slip easily on and off the frames when needed.

With these lens frames attached, there’s no question that you won’t be able to hide the fact you’re using XR glasses. However, by blocking out natural and environmental light, having them feels like a necessity for focusing on the projected OLED screen in front of you. They also add that extra oomph, being available in a myriad of design types to suit every type of aesthetic.

Mixed comfort

The Viture One XR glasses only come in one available size, so they can be a risk for those who prioritize comfort over anything else. I wear glasses every day, so I’m used to having something sitting on my ears. However, the inward-leaning frames of the Viture One XR glasses do feel fairly tight on my head.

It’s more than likely I could take the smart glasses to my local optician and have them fitted properly, as I would my everyday glasses, but there’s currently no way of adjusting the size on your own. With that in mind, through extended use, you may be subject to pain in your temples, which could cause some unwanted nausea and headaches.

The glasses also tend to get hot after prolonged use. It was never to a degree where I felt like I was going to hurt myself, but it was pretty noticeable after a few hours. As was the hard-to-ignore noise of the fans that were present to cool the smart glasses down.

Features

The Viture One XR glasses aren’t held down by a series of unsightly wires. Instead, the smart glasses connect to any compatible device you see fit via one magnetically connectable USB-C cable on the right side of the frames.

This does mean that your connected tech will deplete its battery faster than usual, which can be annoying if you’re connecting the glasses to the Steam Deck. However, a mobile dock with a 13,000mAh power bank is available in the Viture store to rectify this slightly annoying issue. Though it will cost you extra.

Switching between devices with the glasses, however, was as easy as getting them on. When the USB-C cable was connected to the Steam Deck OLED, it only took a matter of seconds before the screen of the handheld became projected within the 1080p micro OLED display on the Viture One XR glasses.

The 120-inch Viture One XR display is incredibly crisp and vivid. Every bit of text and detail on the SteamOS of the OLED Steam Deck was as clear as day, as were the games I played on it.

Gaming performance

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With the 60Hz refresh rate, no matter what game I tested on the glasses, the playback felt just as smooth. Initially, I tested it on Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and while the game isn’t graphically intensive in the slightest, with Sonic at the helm it does feature a lot of high-adrenaline stages. Yet, despite the gotta-go-fast action of Sonic and friends, there was no screen tearing in sight.

Running through the streets in City Escape with the Viture One XR glasses added a new level of immersion to an incredibly iconic game. With the sweet guitar riffs of Jun Senoue blasting out the built-in spatial sound speakers.

The speakers sound fairly impressive for what they are, able to project each sound effect and game soundtrack with well-needed clarity. However, with how they’re placed on the glasses, they can sound tinny. Sadly, the boomy bass and volume you expect from the best gaming headphones are not present.

No glasses required

The Viture One XR glasses don’t require you to fork out personalized lenses like the Meta Quest 2 VR headset. Instead, two adjustable knobs sit above either side of the frames allowing you to adjust each lens to your prescription.

As a short-sighted individual who hates finagling their glasses under 3D lenses at the cinema, or through VR headsets, this immediately made the Viture One XRs go down in my good books. Finding the ‘sweet spot’ was incredibly easy, and although there’s always an adjustment period of getting used to the high-clarity micro OLED screen of your Steam Deck now projected in front of your eyes, it made a whole world of a difference.

Mixed motion sickness

Virtue suggests you wear the smart glasses between three to four hours at any given time. However, despite playing in small two-hour increments every other day, the glasses were still prone to bringing on bouts of motion sickness.

With the 5000:1 bright screen very close to the eyes, it can feel a bit dizzying. While I didn’t suffer with the Sonic stages of Sonic Adventure 2, trying out the kart racing segments is where I started to feel the beginnings of motion sickness taking over.

The screen can be dimmed through the touch of two small buttons on the underside of the frames. However, dimming the brightness didn’t do much to shake the nausea. The micro OLED display field of view is also pretty short, so the projected screen feels far too close to your eyes at any given time.

Adjusting the glasses to be further down your nose can help rectify the issue. Virtue even provides a series of four replacement nose pads which help make the glasses feel more comfortable to wear. Equipping a different nose pad did help elevate any comfort issues, but not against any motion sickness.

This is likely because I’m photosensitive and prone to chronic migraines, so it may not be an issue for everyone, but it’s worth considering if you have accessibility requirements when it comes to your vision.

Price

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The Viture One XR glasses cost $549 at MSRP, which is slightly more expensive than some rival brands. At that price, you could argue that picking up a gaming monitor instead could be a better option. Especially if you’re looking to provide a high-quality display to accompany your Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch.

Yet with the travel-friendly glasses containing the technology to provide a 1080p micro OLED display, built-in speakers, and compatibility with a range of devices to be used any any given moment, its price point starts to feel justified.

It’s when you may need to add on accessories that it feels a little out of hand. The Viture One XR glasses come packed with the glasses themselves, four exchangeable nose pads, one USB-C magnetic connector cable, a glasses case, and an anti-clip hair cover. Yet, if you want the separately available mobile dock, you’re looking at an additional $129. 

While the inclusion of a myriad of accessories is great to have, especially as there are even mobile dock mounts for the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch available for an extra $19, it does all add up. Virtue has made bundles available to help lower the costs, but adding a pair of Viture One XR glasses to your gaming setup could end up being an expensive investment.

Should you buy the Viture One XR glasses?

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Being someone who often gets distracted by multiple pieces of tech running at any given time, the XR glasses helped me avoid distractions and feel more immersed in what I was playing. Using the glasses to play horror games like Homebody, or watching music videos from my favorite bands felt instrumental in experiencing my favorite media in the best way possible.

The Viture One XR smart glasses give you the option of utilizing a portable 120-inch micro OLED display for your favorite devices whenever you please. This won’t be a huge draw for everybody, but if you’ve ever wanted to lay back in bed and pick up where you left off in Pikmin 4 but on a bigger display, these smart glasses can get going at a moment’s notice.

If it wasn’t for the expensive $549 price point, they’d be easy to recommend wholeheartedly to anyone. It’s extras like the limited-edition lens shades and mobile dock that make it a hefty investment. Yet, it’s also those very accessories that ultimately make the experience of using the Viture One XR glasses even better.

Not everyone is going to have the budget to spare for adding the Viture One XR glasses to their gaming setup, but that’s okay. Not everyone is going to need a portable micro OLED display on them at all times, especially if the screen of your Steam Deck of Nintendo Switch already does the job.

Verdict: 4/5

At first, the Viture One XR glasses feel like a novelty. If you want to play the Steam Deck in bed with an OLED display, all you have to do is get comfy and pick up your Deck. Yet, the more time you have with the high-powered smart glasses, the more the appeal of them becomes clear.

With the ‘one size fits all’ model and suspected motion sickness some may get with the smart glasses, it feels difficult to recommend them to just about everyone. However, having an incredibly vivid and crisp 120-inch micro OLED display with you at all times never gets tiresome.

Extended reality smart glasses like the Viture One XR still seem like an expensive solution to a niche problem, but once you try them out for yourself, it’s hard to imagine your handheld gaming setup without them. 

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