Viture has solved one of the biggest problems with smart glasses — a lack of shareability. I’ve written about the Viture One in my roundup of the best smart glasses on the market. Besides being the best solution for iPhone owners, some Viture models have electrochromic dimming to reduce ambient light while watching videos, as well as sharpness adjustments for myopia.
While that’s great for individuals, it’s difficult to watch a movie or play a game together when wearing smart glasses. Even the best VR headsets suffer from this issue. What if my wife and I want to watch a movie or play a game together on a big virtual screen?
An ongoing challenge for manufacturers is to advance technology without forgetting the human element. We’re social creatures that want shared experiences.
Sharing smart glasses
The urge to watch videos or play games with others is strong. As much as I like the Viture One, the new Viture Pro model is even brighter and better. But it feels rude to bask in the luxury of a big, vibrant screen by myself. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to work around this problem.
The easiest solution is taking turns with a pair of smart glasses. That’s fairly common with new and expensive technology, but it isn’t ideal and gets tiresome when I want to watch videos with friends and family or enjoy multiplayer console games.
Movies and video series are better with at least one other person. Whether it’s a hilarious gag or a tense scene in an action movie, I want to share that moment. It’s not as much fun to watch in isolation.
I’ve tried synchronizing playback with two pairs of Viture glasses, but that soon causes timing problems. After pausing for a snack or a bathroom break, we need to resync videos or suffer the effects of a mismatch.
Imagine watching a reality show and one person reacts before you see a big reveal or chuckles at a seemingly serious moment. The disconnection feels weird, so we need a way to share one video stream when wearing smart glasses.
Viture Mobile Dock
Viture’s Mobile Dock supports two pairs of Viture smart glasses, making it a nice solution for sharing a virtual screen with others. The Pro Mobile Dock works with any USB-C display device, so you can use any smart glasses or a portable monitor with USB-C input.
The dock unlocks new possibilities. For example, my wife and I have been watching videos comfortably outside on the deck while enjoying the lovely weather. With Viture’s One and Pro models, one tap switches on electrochromic dimming to block ambient light well enough to watch a movie outside on a sunny day.
It’s a remarkably portable system. I only need two pairs of pocketable Viture glasses, a phone, and the Pro Mobile Dock. I connect my phone to the dock, plug in the glasses, cue up a video, and control playback with the touchscreen.
The Viture Mobile Dock includes a battery, so it doesn’t drain the phone either. With a 13,000 mAh capacity, it lasts for hours. I can even use the dock to charge my phone.
Each person can adjust volume, brightness, and ambient dimming separately with the three buttons on the left earpiece of the Viture glasses. I can connect a phone or any device that supports DisplayPort over USB-C or HDMI.
I found Viture Pro smart glasses to be great for entertainment and Viture’s SpaceWalker app makes an iPhone into a workable spatial computer for productivity on the go. With the dock, I can level up performance by connecting an HDMI cable from my desktop PC.
I don’t have to set up a home theater to play a multiplayer game with a friend. Big-screen gaming is available in any room at a moment’s notice. Plus, there’s no glare from windows or reflected lights.
Sharing limits
Viture’s Mobile Dock lets me share a large virtual display, helping solve one of the most frustrating restrictions of smart glasses. When everyone is connected to the same device, synchronization is no longer a problem.
However, there’s plenty of room for improvement. The dock has two USB-C outputs, so I can only share with one other person. A software solution would be great, something like Apple’s SharePlay, but for smart glasses.
In the meantime, you can chain multiple Viture Pro Mobile Docks together, adding another for each additional person. The idea is to connect one of the two smart glasses outputs to the USB-C input of each dock, using it like a splitter.
Viture confirmed this method works with up to four Pro Mobile Docks and four pairs of smart glasses. The Pro Mobile Dock also supports the latest smart glasses from Xreal, RayNeo, and Rokid.
Should you buy a Viture Pro Mobile Dock?
If you own Viture Pro, One, or One Lite smart glasses, the dock makes sharing simple and takes the burden off your phone’s battery. The Pro Mobile Dock expands compatibility with other brands and is more energy efficient.
Viture estimates up to four hours of use with a Steam Deck, eight hours with a Nintendo Switch, and 20 hours with HDMI devices. You can recharge the dock in 2.4 hours with a 20-watt adapter, so it’s ready to go again without a long delay.
The Viture Pro Mobile Dock costs $130, the same price as the standard dock. That’s a good bargain for a versatile device that can unlock smart glasses sharing, accept HDMI input, and double as a 20W phone charger.
The Viture Pro Mobile Dock is a worthwhile accessory and a good gift idea for anyone with Viture smart glasses.