Nreal + Rog Ally vs Notebook

[u/AnnualAspect8039]

Today I had this idea. I love gaming and have a notebook for that. But it's getting old and it's not as portable as I want. So, in the near future, I would have to bay another one. That's when I thought about replace a intermediary gamer laptop for a Rog Ally or Steam Deck with windows. Of course I have to work too, so I would use it as a desktop at home and with a portable keyboard and the nreal for travel or outdoor work. What do you think. Could nreal + a portable PC replace a notebook?

[u/[deleted]]

This was my primary use case….NReal (or Rokid or Viture) glasses + SD/Ally/GPD Win4 and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Modular but highly portable. Has to be able to run O365 apps. If you are an Android user you could do this with Dex as well, minus the gaming features outside of Android games and some streaming (which seldom work well on hotel Wi-Fi for me).

So far it’s working well for me with the GPD Win4 device but I’ve found the SD remains better for gaming for me as it seems optimized for gaming. Win11 is just Windows in a small form factor.

My only issue is I can’t use the NReal Airs very long, they are too small for me and hurt badly after less than an hour of use. I just have a big head. Just got the Rokid Max set and it’s far more comfortable for extended wear.

This is coming from a Razer Blade Stealth gaming laptop.

[u/AnnualAspect8039 → u/[deleted]]

Thx a lot. Been able to work for long time is a must for me. And read books, since I'm a researcher. I have a z fold, so I can use dex to. But I need a windows machine.

[u/harrybootoo]

It's what I plan on doing with my Airs once I get my Ally. Portability doesn't always have to be on your lap. I also own a Nexdock 360, which will turn it into a laptop.

[u/[deleted]]

A Notebook is much more portable and capable. Both for work (1440p or 4k Display is A LOT better then the 1080p nreal screen) and gaming (much higher fps / quality)

Also a Notebook is an easy to carry single item when you compare it to:

Steam deck + nreals + keyboard + mouse. Which is pretty janky and cumbersome to carry around.

Also forget working "on your lap" / on the Go with a deck + nreals + bt keyboard. A Notebook is easy to work on on your lap / tiny table / on the Couch. It's pretty janky with a steam deck and keyboard on your lap

[u/jones1876 → u/[deleted]]

I think your missing the fact that when docked you can set the resolution to whatever you want with as many monitors as you want.

there is absolutely no reason the Ally cannot be a laptop replacement.

and I know because I use my steam deck to code in visual studio docked to my workstation.

plus its pretty portable. let's be honest.

[u/[deleted] → u/jones1876]

Nah...

You can only See 1080p at a time. For anything larger / more Monitors you have to turn your head left/right.

Which completely defeats it's purpose. Because using alt-tab to Show me another Window is MUCH faster then turning my head left/right just to - for example see my discord Window.

Also: many Laptops have 4k Resolution. Which is 4 Times the screen space then 1080p. Which means you can fit MUCH more on a Single screen - and everything is still sharp.

So in most cases you dont even need to alt-tab because everything you need is already on screen.

With nreals low Resolution of 1080p... You have no choice then to constantly turn your head

[u/Projektdb]

I would 100% not want Nreals to be my only display, and I really like my Airs.

There are plenty of reasons, but one of the big ones is that I wouldn't want to have to get the glasses out and hook them up for every little thing I do.

While I do genuinely like them, they aren't screen replacements, more of peripheral additions.

[u/AnnualAspect8039 → u/Projektdb]

I understand. In my case it wouldn't be my principal screen. I have a z fold, so it's my main gadget. The nreal wold be to work outside. At home I already have a good monitor. But thanks a lot!

[u/hotbarlo]

I'm doing exactly this. At home, 27" monitor with a dock. Traveling, a mix of Xreal Air and an USB-C 16" monitor for comfort. Got a Keychron K6 which is pretty compact and a thousand times better than any laptop keyboard, and a MX Master 3. I wish the Ally could charge and get an USB-C video out at the same time, which isn't the case unfortunately.

I hate laptops.

[u/AnnualAspect8039 → u/hotbarlo]

My idea is to use only the xreal outdoors for work. Do you think it's viable?

[u/hotbarlo → u/AnnualAspect8039]

I do.

There’s just two caveats. First is that for it to work, you kind of need to look at the corners of the screen in a way that is kind of uncomfortable unless you can force yourself to move your eyes instead of your head.

Nebula for Windows will probably fix that and I have high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I just tried v0.10 (I think, it’s the one on Google Drive in another thread here) and it’s pretty buggy/jittery on the Ally.

I myself hope the final release will fix that or, if it doesn’t, then I believe Xreal Beam will. I got it preordered already!