Viture Pro AR Glasses Review: Software Makes All The Difference

Consumer grade AR glasses, or XR (extended reality) glasses as they’re also known, have been around for a few years now. Until recently, they were mostly glorified wearable portable monitors that simply mirrored the source device’s screen. Even this basic usage can prove practical. However, this year appears to be a breakthrough for the industry, as these glasses have become more capable of doing actual augmented reality. I recently tested the Rokid AR Lite, an eyewear plus console combo. I was delighted to find that it offers true spatial computing similar to the Vision Pro’s core experience. The visuals are not as hi-res, immersive, or fluid as Apple’s headset, but the Rokid AR Lite is only around 1/5th of the price and 1/10th of the bulk, making it much more practical.

This brings us to the Viture Pro, which, when paired with the company’s exceptional software, offers a virtual multi-screen setup. Viture is also launching a mobile dock and gaming controller in a set called the Viture Pro Collection, but this review will focus mostly on the glasses.

About this review: This review was written after testing the Viture Pro provided by the company. Viture had no input in this article.

Viture Pro Pricing and Availability

The Viture Pro glasses are available now via the company’s online store and Amazon, priced at $459 for the glasses. There’s a bundle package that includes the aforementioned mobile dock and controller for $588.

Viture Pro glasses

AR glasses with software that enhances productivity

Viture Pro features a pair of Sony MicroOLED lenses that can project a screen which looks like a 135-inch screen when viewed from 9.8 feet away. But the best part about these XR glasses is the companion app, SpaceWalker.

Pros

• Comfortable to wear, does not look awkward on the face
• Good screen quality
• Excellent companion app that offers more features than rivals

Cons

• Slightly pricier than rivals
• Proprietary cable
• No SpaceWalker app for Windows

Hardware overview

Typical AR glasses, but the packaging is nice

The Viture Pro is an iterative update over the existing Viture One AR glasses I reviewed last year. The overall look and feel are nearly identical, but the upgraded Sony MicroOLED screens can now project a larger screen that is marketed as experiencing a “135-inch screen when viewed from 9.8 feet away” (their prior pair can produce a 120-inch screen view). Screen refresh rate also doubled to 120Hz from before. For those unfamiliar with this type of product, the displays use a technology known as “bird bath optics” in which the visuals are reflected to your eyes via two mirrors. This allows the screen to appear further away (as opposed to having a display pointing directly at your eyes).

There are two new dials at the top of the glasses to adjust focusing to cater to various degrees of myopia. Viture says the dial offers five degrees of adjustment, but I was unable to test this myself since I have 20/20 vision, so the glasses looked sharp for me out of the box.

The electrochromic film that can darken the lens has also seen improvement, darkening the screen more than before. The tint effect is now strong enough that I don’t need a physical lens cap if I want to view my content in a black space (instead of transparent). However, in case darkness is important to you, the XReal Air 2 Pro can still get darker.

The glass arms are very flexible yet sturdy, thanks to a titanium hinge and a soft plastic temple area that can be stretched. Like the previous Viture One (and many other AR glasses) there are speakers at the bottom of the arm that pump directional audio to the wearer’s ears. There is a clicky button and volume rocker on the left arm for controlling screen brightness and the electrochromic film density. The Viture Pro glasses weigh 78g, with a cushy nosepad (there are three other sizes in the box) that allows for very comfortable wear.

The overall hardware is nice, but it doesn’t really set the Viture Pro apart from other AR glasses I’ve tested recently from XReal, TCL RayNeo, or Rokid. What separates the Viture Pro from the pack is its superior software, which I’ll get to in the next section, and the well-designed retail package, which I’ll briefly go over here.

The Viture Pro comes in a black box with orange accents. It has an outer sleeve with a transparent film that gives a bit of a visual effect as you remove it from the box. The main box has a flap that opens up like a gift box. Inside, the glasses are housed in a quality plastic and fabric carrying case with a textured logo.

I suppose when it comes to esthetics, it is merely my opinion that the Viture packaging looks great. But objectively speaking, the materials used for the retail box and carrying case seem higher quality than rival AR glasses. I usually don’t devote paragraphs to device packaging, but in this case, I think it is warranted.

What I love about these

The best software in consumer grade AR glasses right now

The Viture Pro can be plugged into any device with a USB-C port with display output. Once connected, it will mirror the screen of the source device, whether it be a MacBook, an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, or a Nintendo Switch. The mirrored screen looks sharp, with resolution north of 1080p and a screen size that comfortably fills the majority of my field-of-vision. With speakers that can pump out solid audio tuned by Harmon Kardon, this is a very functional portable screen. Just plug it in and watch YouTube videos or scroll through Instagram on a larger screen than what any laptop or phone could offer.

On most computing devices like an iPad or Windows laptop, I can actually use the Viture as a separate external monitor (instead of simple screen mirroring). Since the glasses are able to display visuals in semi-transparent mode, I essentially can have two screens in my vision.

But this feature isn’t new, and the half dozen of other AR glasses on the market can already do this. What sets Viture glasses apart from the others is Viture’s excellent companion software, SpaceWalker. Available for macOS, iOS, and Android, it offers a very well-designed UI and superior features.

On the mobile app (Android and iOS), Viture displays a virtual homescreen with several floating windows. On the iOS version, there’s even a live U.S. television news feed that plays in the center screen every time I open SpaceWalker with the glasses plugged in. This can be turned off, but I really like having a random news channel playing as soon as I put on the glasses. It reminds me of the old days when most of us would turn on the TV as soon as we got home (some people probably still do this, but I have not done it in about 15 years). On the Android version there is no live news broadcast, instead the screen displays an ad for Viture products.

SpaceWalker app for iOS with a real time US news feed

The other windows in the mobile app include a web browser that can access websites and video streaming services like YouTube or Netflix. The browser is a bit laggy, but viewing media is still fine. Essentially, with the mobile app, I can have something like a video playing in one window and an article open in the other. I can navigate through the multiple windows by either moving my head or using the phone as a laser pointer or trackpad. The experience isn’t flawless, but it’s surprisingly usable and bug-free.

SpaceWalker for macOS, meanwhile, does not project that Viture homescreen. Instead, it can project a virtual screen for the Mac with several types of display options. You can, for example, have a virtual triple-monitor setup, with three virtual screens stacked side-by-side. In this setup, I actually have to move my head left and right to see the left and right screens, and I can drag windows across them like on a real triple-screen setup. In the image below, you can see the seam between the two virtual screens. The right screen is even angled towards me to resemble a typical triple-monitor setup.

You can see the seams between the edges of the two virtual screens

I can also stack the triple screens vertically, or set one of the screens in portrait orientation, or even project a single ultrawide curved screen monitor. The latter is particularly fun for Final Cut Pro, as I can have a timeline stretch across a wide virtual space. However, the refresh rate for the macOS screen projection can be a bit choppy, which I’ll talk about more in the next section.

I own multiple pairs of AR glasses, and for basic screen mirroring, they’re all interchangeable. But SpaceWalker offers enough unique features that I will opt for the Viture Pro at this point.

What I don’t like

Some minor hardware gripes

The Viture Pro’s right arm, near the temple area (where the cable is connected) can get quite warm when running SpaceWalker. Fortunately, it’s mostly the part facing away from the face that becomes warm, so I actually don’t notice it much while wearing the glasses. But when taking them off, my hand grabs onto the right arm and I can feel the heat.

Speaking of the right arm, the cable that connects to the glasses uses proprietary magnetic pogo pins instead of USB-C like other glasses do. This means that if I were to lose the cable, I would have to buy another from Viture. With other glasses like the XReal Air, I can use any USB-C to USB-C cable.

The lenses are quite large, which can be good and bad. When combined with the slightly choppy refresh rates mentioned earlier while projecting macOS, my mouse arrow would sometimes get lost within the virtual screen(s) because there’s so much real estate for me to look through. More than once, I had to unplug the glasses and go back to using the physical Mac screen because I could not locate the mouse arrow within the virtual screens.

Should you buy the Viture Pro?

You should buy the Viture Pro if:

• You want a pair of AR glasses that can do more than just screen mirroring
• You work on-the-go and want more screen real estate without physically bringing an external screen

You should not buy the Viture Pro if:

• You are just using the glasses to mirror your source device’s screen, since there are cheaper alternatives that can do the same thing
• You lose cables often
• You use a Windows laptop

The Viture Pro is my current favorite pair of AR glasses, and it’s almost entirely because of their superior software. It’s been incredibly useful that SpaceWalker allows me to run multiple windows off an iPad or a phone, since I am a digital nomad who jumps from city to city every couple of weeks. I have been doing a lot of writing work lately with the 11-inch iPad Air and the Viture Pro, since it is a setup light enough to carry in my backpack all day.

However, if you are not always working off of phones or Apple devices like me, your usage may be more confined to home use, in which case you may not have as much need for SpaceWalker. If you use Windows, then SpaceWalker is not available for you at all currently. If you’r e using the glasses to mostly mirror your Nintendo Switch screen, or to watch Netflix off an iPad, the older Viture One or any of the other AR glasses can provide the same service at a lower cost.

Competitors from Rokid and TCL RayNeo are also more affordable, but the Viture Pro’s superior software and packaging makes it worth the extra cost to me.

Viture Pro glasses

AR glasses with software that enhances productivity

$459 $549 Save $90

Viture Pro features a pair of Sony MicroOLED screen that can project a screen about equivalent to a 135-inch screen when viewed from 9.8 feet away. But the best part about the glasses is the companion app, SpaceWalker.

Pros

• Comfortable to wear, does not look awkward on the face
• Good screen quality
• Excellent companion app that offers more features than rivals

Cons

• Slightly pricier than rivals
• Proprietary cable
• No SpaceWalker app for Windows