Goodbye Meta, hello XREAL — Asus announces ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses following termination of its Horizon OS headset

Asus Announces ROG XREAL R1 AR Gaming Glasses at CES 2026
These glasses will be compatible with ROG Ally handheld devices, as well as PCs and consoles.
They will land in the first half of 2026, but the price has not yet been announced.

Reports of Asus ending its XR plans were greatly exaggerated, and at CES 2026 the company announced a partnership with XREAL to bring the ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses, giving the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X a run for its money in the naming department.

These smart glasses are something we learned from XREAL, but this time the focus is on Asus computing technology. You can connect them directly to a compatible device (like the ROG Ally) using a USB-C cable to mirror that device's display on a huge virtual screen (171 inches at 4m), or use the included ROG Control Dock.

Sony 0.55 inch microOLED displays with a peak brightness of 700 nits and a viewing angle of 57 degrees. It's identical XREAL One Pro glasses that I really likedSo I'm guessing that the XREAL R1 glasses also use the same optical mechanism, which is sleek and delivers crystal clear images better than other similar smart specs I've tried – I've contacted XREAL to clarify this issue as the press release sent to me doesn't confirm my suspicions.

Xreal One Pro glasses will appear at CES 2025 (Image credit: Future)

The big improvement on these specs, however, is the 240Hz refresh rate, the highest to date for a wearable display of this type. This puts the specs firmly in the “made for gamers” camp, as smooth frame rates are essential for any elite level gamer.

You'll also get the usual Bose-tuned audio and the electrochromic dimming lenses we're used to seeing on XREAL. In my experience, this means that headphones are useful but not essential unless you're traveling, and these specs should be suitable for a wide range of conditions.

Finally, we know that Asus' new ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses will “launch globally in the first half of 2026,” but neither XREAL nor Asus have revealed how much they will cost when that happens. Given their similarity to the XREAL One Pro's specs, I wouldn't expect anything less than $649/£579, but we'll have to wait and see.

And that's not all, we may have to wait and see when it comes to Asus XR plans…

ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses

(Image credit: ASUS)

A sign that there's more to come?

The press release I received ahead of today's Asus XREAL announcement doesn't mention “Android XR” at all – so there's no connection yet between Asus and the “new” kid in the XR space – but the degree of separation between Asus and Android XR is much smaller than it was.

That's because XREAL has announced that Android XR specs are on the way, and given that the Android XR utility looks set to make its way to smart glasses of all types, I wouldn't be surprised if Asus has some Android specs in the works – either through working with XREAL on another ROG-branded pair, or through a more in-house design.

Meta quest Asus ROG — The only Meta Asus XR collab image we have. (Image credit: Meta)

While we can only speculate, it wouldn't be surprising if this particular ROG Xreal R1 product played a role in the Asus-Meta's Horizon OS scam. For Asus, the glasses arguably make more sense as an addition to the ecosystem than an entire VR headset that exists as an upgrade to its ROG handheld devices rather than a headset that somehow replaces them (kind of like how the Steam Frame headset is a kind of wearable Steam Deck).

For Meta, it's possible that the partnership with Asus Xreal – especially due to Xreal's proximity to Android XR – has crossed the line beyond where it was no longer comfortable.

We'll probably never know why Asus and Meta split up. Instead, we can just eagerly await the Asus ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses and patiently hope that this is the first of many smart features from Asus.

KESand will keep you informed of all important announcements as they become available. Visit our CES 2026 News a page with the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets and the latest artificial intelligence technology.