A 7-inch screen is all that Steam Deck has. On a virtual 130-inch screen, one may play Steam Deck games with the Nreal Air display headset.
In September of last year, the 80-gram Nreal Air was introduced in America. Additionally, it is accessible in China, Japan, and the UK. The wearable sells for $379 on Amazon in the US. It connects through a USB-C cable to handheld devices, Xbox Series S/X, Playstation 4 Slim, and iOS and Android smartphones (Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck).
The integrated OLED displays in the virtual screen headgear project an image with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels onto each eye. Although the 49 PPD pixel density is twice as high as the Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro, the 46-degree field of view is still somewhat small compared to typical VR headsets.
This should produce an incredibly sharp picture. Nreal claims that the simulated screen is four meters distant and is the size of a 130-inch TV.
It’s easy to set up: The Steam Deck automatically detects the display glasses as an output device once they are attached via cable and modifies the resolution as necessary.
The wearable uses the Steam Deck’s battery because the Nreal Air lacks a battery, which shortens its life. The display headset won’t receive any signal if the battery level falls below 50%. You can play with the Nreal Air for around an hour or power it simultaneously with an adaptor.
The constant alignment of the virtual screen is what annoys Chan the most. The screen mirroring option disables 3-DoF tracking, which eventually results in an unsettling viewing experience as the image moves with every head movement.
Chan also takes issue with the need to acquire an additional cumbersome adaptor for other devices like the iPhone. Those that require a second screen will have to spend a significant amount of money on it. He anticipates that the Nreal Air will be improved and more comfortable in its following version.
