We’ve been excited about Nreal for a while now. In May, the XR technology company announced the release of its super lightweight MR glasses for the super affordable $500. However, their utility was limited by limited compatible applications.
A few months later, the XR technology company launched a beta version of a software developers kit. And that was definitely exciting. However, the closed, invitation-only beta did tantalizingly little to expand the Nreal market.
But, it’s time to get excited again. And that’s because yesterday, Nreal announced open pre-order of the full Nreal Light Developer Kit.
Everything We Know about the SDK
“We’re excited to announce the pre-order program and make Nreal Light Developer Kit available for the first batch of developers,” Nreal CEO and founder Chi Xu said in a press release shared with ARPost. “This early access will allow developers to migrate existing apps onto Nreal Light’s platform or build new, innovative Mixed Reality applications.”
The SDK includes a set of Nreal Light glasses, the Nreal proprietary computing pack, and the touch-sensitive 3-degree-of-freedom controller with haptic feedback. That’s compared to the consumer package that only includes the glasses.
The SDK is available for $1,199. The consumer package is expected to become available early next year.
The LG Uplus Partnership
The XR technology company announced in the same release that they have formed a partnership with LG Uplus. The Korean electronics and telecommunications company is a major provider in the Pacific and a pioneer of 5G internet.
“Although AR devices/ products have high market prospects, the barriers to entry are still high due to the high price,” LG Uplus Future Device Unit managing director, Song Dae-won, said in the release. “We will popularize AR glasses so that customers can experience rich content powered by 5G more realistically through an alliance with Nreal.”
Nreal has already been working with 5G for its XR technology and was eager for a partnership.
“We’re excited to partner with LGUplus to finally bridge consumers with AR glasses,” said Xu. “We look forward to bringing app developers and content creators together for the commercialization of 5G.”
The release of the XR technology SDK might be the more immediately exciting subject for most readers. That’s not to say that the LG Uplus partnership shouldn’t be of interest.
The partnership gives Nreal further resources and incentives to pursue 5G. It also signifies in-roads for a more immediate and immersive use of that technology in the future.
