Inside CES 2025

CES 2025, held January 7-10 in Las Vegas, once again delivered a showcase of groundbreaking technology. The event highlighted innovations in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR), and artificial intelligence (AI), among a wide field encompassing every facet of technology. Let’s take a look at the most exciting VR-related news from CES 2025.

The Latest Headwear

Leading tech firms presented their latest VR and AR headsets, pushing the boundaries of immersive experiences. There were also some new faces.

The Play For Dream headset, funded through Kickstarter, gained significant attention at CES. As a budget-friendly alternative to the Apple Vision Pro, it offers an 8K display, Snapdragon XR2 chip, hand-eye-voice interaction, and MR capabilities, all within an Android-based spatial computing headset.

Shiftall introduced its MeganeX Superlight 8K headset, boasting an ultra-lightweight design at under 185g and a focus on comfort for extended wear. Equipped with pancake lenses, dual 1.35-inch Micro OLED displays, and an impressive 3552×3840 resolution per eye, it delivers exceptional visuals. The headset also features HDR, electronically adjustable IPD, built-in microphones, and USB-C connectivity, requiring a compatible PC and Steam VR setup for use.

Alongside its wireless wireless streaming device, 60G Airlink, Pimax showed off Crystal Super, an addition to its Crystal line of headsets. Crystal Super features a customizable optical system and a wide 120-135° horizontal field of view. With 50-57 PPD QLED for 3840×3840 resolution per eye and a 90-100 Hz refresh rate, it promises high-quality visuals and smooth performance.

AR Glasses: Merging Realities

Xreal’s One and One Pro AR glasses, powered by a custom chip, received recognition as a CES 2025 Honoree having clearly made a strong impression on that sector of the industry. It’s not only Xreal pushing wearable AR and XR forward, of course.

Rokid showcased its upcoming Max 2 AR glasses, an enhanced version of the Rokid Max. With a ~50° field of view, 1080p/1200p per-eye resolution, 600 nits of brightness, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and myopia adjustment, it’s primarily designed for gaming but holds potential for all kinds of content consumption. 

Tangentially related tech fields like robotics, AI, and networking were, of course, heavy presences at CES 2025. It was the above products, however, that will undoubtedly shape VR and AR in the coming few years.