Best AR Glasses for 2023

With the rise of AR continuing, there are going to plenty of hardware options to make it a part of your life. One of the most common, and easiest to use, platforms is AR glasses. There are a few different companies making them and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you’re looking for the best AR glasses for 2023 then this is where you should start. These are some of the most successful brands on the market and they’re going to be well-worth the investment that it takes to get them onto your face.

Google Glass Enterprise 2

The Google Glass has been around for a while and has enjoyed some success. There’s a new version that might just make it a household item. The Google Glass Enterprise 2 takes the original Glass and turns it into a version fit for professional users. Its main goal is to make the glasses perfect for wearing all day long without feeling it. They’re lightweight and have an 8 MP camera for some decent resolution. They can connect to both WiFi and Bluetooth and are currently on sale for about $1,009 per pair of glasses.

Microsoft HoloLens 2

The Microsoft HoloLens 2 isn’t an inexpensive pair of glasses and there’s a reason for that. This is the same technology that Audi uses in its cars. It’s built to work well and that’s exactly what it does. These glasses have two IR cameras to track your eye movements. They can also capture 8MP images as well as 1080p video. These are going to cost you between $3,500 and $5,000. HoloLens is about interacting with mixed reality via holographic projections that the user can manipulate. Without the need for gloves, the device allows for fully articulated hand tracking so users can touch, grasp, and move holograms in ways that feel natural.

Lenovo ThinkReality A3

If the HoloLens is built to be fully immersive and the Google Glass is made to be used in the real world, the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 is right in between the two of them. You have to use it while it’s plugged into a computer, so you can’t really take it outside. That makes it seem like a con, but it makes it perfect for gaming and things of that nature. It also gives it lots and lots of power that you can’t get from the other guys.

Vuzix Blade Upgraded

The Vuzix Blade Upgraded headset is intended for remote access to multimedia content at work, whether that’s distributed field techs or workers on the line. That means that it’s built for the workplace and can be used by employees out in the field. It doesn’t matter what the profession happens to be. If there’s content that field workers need to have, this is how they can get them. It’s also built to be durable, so falling to the ground shouldn’t be an issue at all. It can change the way we work and that’s very exciting.

AR Companies to watch in 2023

There are many different companies around the world taking advantage of AR and using to its fullest current capabilities. The Motley Fool recently released a report on the best stocks to watch that are using AR in their business practices. There’s no telling what’s actually going to happen to these stocks, but they’re more than worth keeping an eye on. Naturally, none of this is stock market advice. It’s simply a look at companies making AR a part of their business. Even if you don’t care about stocks, you can still learn about brand new AR technologies to check out.

Etsy

Etsy is a platform that lets people sell handmade crafts to anyone who wants them. This isn’t a typical marketplace because everything is made by hand and shipped directly by the sellers. They’re also AR to let shoppers view the pieces in their homes. All they have to do is point their camera where they want the piece to go and they’ll be able to see what it will look like. While this is best suited to wall art, they’re working to expand it into other categories for a fully AR experience on the app.

Alphabet

Alphabet is one of the biggest companies on the internet. They not only own YouTube, but also Google, which has dozens of its own holdings as well. Live View on Google Maps allows users to quickly orient themselves to the area around them and know which way to go via directions overlaid on the live screen of their surroundings. Meanwhile, Google Lens allows users to search what they see. They can scan and translate text, search for an item that caught their eye, or identify plants and animals. The company’s AR technology is making it easier for people to discover the world around them.

Apple

Apple is another giant on the internet that owns the biggest sites and apps around. These guys own many different platforms that are using AR on a steadily increasing basis. Some of the most popular are Snapchat, IKEA place, and iScape. They’re also exploring many ways to use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality. For example, they’re developing wearable computing technology. It’s also constantly working on its Apple Glasses to varying degrees of success. There’s no telling if they’ll ever take off, but they’re certainly gaining more traction as time goes on.

Nintendo

Nintendo has been in the AR game for quite some time. In fact, they were one of the early adopters. Pokémon Go brought AR to the masses and it’s still being played to this day. They also allow their 3DS users to play AR games wherever they want. The newest AR game in their stable is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit with more of them always on the way. They’ve partnered with Niantic to develop more titles that can bring them the same success they enjoyed with Go. It’s only a matter of time before they outpace AR apps.

Snap

Snap is the company that developed Snachat and most people don’t realize that. Most believe that Snapchat is its own company, but that’s not the case. Snap has used Snapchat to create lenses, which are AR animations that can change the sound of a person’s voice or their appearance as they move on a screen. More than 170 million people use this feature, so it’s not going to be disappearing any time soon. They’re also developing Spectacles which will be the “first pair of glasses that bring augmented reality to life.” Their technology is set to improve over time.

Nvidia

Nvidia is also working on the technology needed to make AR a reality. For example, Nvidia Cloud RX delivers VR and AR across 5G and Wi-Fi networks. It allows users to stream AR through devices without using wires. Nvidia is also developing technology that incorporates AR into cars. The Nvidia Drive AR processor gathers information and displays it for a driver using AR. The system will show things such as driving stats, points of interest, alerts, and other information. It’s the best chance at having AR streaming seamlessly to anyone who wants to use it for any purpose.

Embrace AR

AR is here to stay and it’s evolving right alongside VR. It can used on any hardware and enhance the entire world around you. It can be used for anything from gaming to learning and you can’t get any better than that. Keep an eye on these stocks if you want to see just how far it can go.