Nreal Light Mixed Reality GlassesSource: Android Central / Russell Holly

What you need to know

  • The Nreal Light mixed-reality glasses development kit is now up for pre-order.
  • Dev kits are $1200 and come with everything you need to create amazing mixed-reality experiences.
  • Nreal Light plugs into your phone's USB-C port and can run any app from your phone, all in a personalized virtual space right in front of you.

Nreal has been working hard to get their first consumer-ready mixed-reality glasses ready for a while now, and the time to get your hands on one is finally here. Nreal Light development kits have now gone up for pre-order at Nreal's developer site for $1200 apiece. That development kit, of course, includes everything developers will need to get started on making incredible mixed-reality experiences, including the Nreal Light Glasses, Nreal Light Computing Unit, controller, corrective lens frames, clip, three nose pads, a USB-C cable, charger, cleaning cloth, and a user guide.

But there's been a thousand other AR or mixed-reality glasses on the market before, so what makes Nreal Light so different? Surprisingly, it's all down to the fact that the Nreal Light glasses plug into the USB Type-C port on your phone. While tethering your glasses to the phone in your pocket sounds like a less-than-ideal situation, the immersive experience outweighs any inconvenience that a cable might add. Why's that, you ask? Simply put, dropping a pair of Nreal Light glasses on your face creates a virtual workspace (called Nebula) right in front of you, allowing you to open multiple apps and move their floating windows around anywhere in front of your person.

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Nreal Nebula PromoSource: Nreal

Think of it like the Iron Man movies, where Tony Stark has an entire virtual user interface in front of him that he can look around and see. That means less looking down at your tiny phone screen and more looking forward to the world in front of you, both real and virtual. Nreal is also selling a pack of prescription lenses to help make Nreal a perfect replacement for those boring old regular glasses and add some serious connectivity to your day.

Once the consumer model launches, it'll be a significantly reduced $499 price. For now, though, developers can look forward to creating out all sorts of new mixed-reality content that is sure to be amazing on the final kit. Check out our hands-on to understand exactly why Nreal Light is the first pair of mixed-reality glasses that people would actually want to buy!

Nreal Light is the first set of Mixed Reality glasses actually worth buying

The first MR glasses worth buying

Nreal Light development kit

Develop for the future

You've seen it in the movies, and now it's a reality. Nreal Light mixed-reality glasses brings your personal space right to your face.