We learned from Google Glass that cool hardware is not enough to impress consumers. AR headsets need to present a lot of content to keep up with the frankly unrealistic expectations of the mass market.
Nreal, currently the only real AR glasses available to American consumers, just announced a major partnership with streaming media company Cinedigm that should guarantee quality content to users.
Nreal Light’s Time on the Stage
Nreal Light finally became available to US consumers on the Verizon network in November of 2021. Initially, the release was supposed to be through 20 brick-and-mortar retailers around the country.
High demand caused an initial early sell-out of the hardware, pushing orders back online. By the time you read this, shelves should be restocked, according to materials shared with ARPost.
As mentioned in the introduction, early interest is not the same as staying power. Though, Nreal gave users quite a bit more utility than certain other consumer smart glasses of the past with 17 native apps – most of these being AR gaming apps.
While gaming is certainly a compelling consumer use case for AR glasses, the “virtual screen” trend may have gone under-represented. This particular application allows users to view media on their glasses just like they might view media on a television or computer screen from anywhere on a virtual screen that appears larger in the glasses than any phone display.
While there were some virtual screen-based apps in the initial rollout, content is king. Which is what makes the recent announcement so exciting.
Bringing in Cinedigm
Nreal has announced a partnership with independent streaming company Cinedigm. The partnership gives Nreal users free access to three Cinedigm channels: horror channel Bloody Disgusting TV, soccer channel RealMadrid TV, and action/thriller/anime/sci-fi channel CONtv.
“The partnership with Cinedigm comes amid Nreal’s drive to bolster its content ecosystem with a new AR ‘TV’ app, which allows for simple integration with streaming content,” Nreal told ARPost. “Nreal works with more content partners around the world to bring more diverse and appealing content to the AR world and give our users enhanced viewing experiences via Nreal’s AR glasses.”
The AR TV app has a “Theater Mode” that shows content displayed on one larger virtual screen and up to two smaller virtual screens that can all show content from different channels. It also has a “Smart Mode” allowing content on up to five screens of variable size that the user can place throughout their environment.
The partnership also benefits Cinedigm, who potentially gains new viewers through Nreal’s userbase, as well as a foot in the larger door of AR entertainment.
“This partnership provides a direct path for us into the emerging metaverse through the ongoing evolution of AR & MR technology,” Cinedigm Chief Technology and Product Officer, Tony Huidor, said in a release shared with ARPost. “This close relationship with Nreal will allow us to stay at the cutting edge of where we anticipate entertainment technology to be in the very near future.”
Other Elements in the Update
Nreal owners can access the new channels through the update to Nreal’s Nebula 3D user interface available in the Google Play Store. While this article has been focusing on the Cinedigm partnership, the update comes with more than free channels. The update also gives users expanded abilities to screenshot, record, and share their MR experiences.
Nreal also has a new AR cycling app, created in collaboration with BitGym. This app “allows users to enjoy stationary cycling in an immersive scenic setting – from iconic nature scenes around the world to popular city lanes and streets, from North America to Europe, Asia and Australia.”
A Sign of Things to Come?
While many may still not have access to these glasses or app, this kind of partnership signals an important move toward content offerings on AR glasses. Today, this partnership is a rare thing in an early sector but it potentially paves the way for more content as consumer adoption of the hardware gradually increases.
