Closer to the ideal form of split AR glasses, hands-on experience with Thunderbird Air 2

文/VR Gyroscope Wanli

Recently, Thunderbird Innovation held a new product launch conference with the theme "The future is as you see it." At the conference, in addition to releasing the real AR glasses Thunderbird X2, it also released the latest generation of split AR glasses product Thunderbird Air 2.

These two products largely represent Thunderbird Innovation’s current two AR product lines: Thunderbird X2 takes the flagship high-end route, using a diffraction light waveguide full-color Micro-LED solution, which can provide AR translation, space Navigation and other cutting-edge innovative gameplay. The Thunderbird Air 2 is currently the mainstream split-type AR glasses, focusing on screen projection and large-screen viewing.

This time Gyro will conduct hands-on experience and evaluation of Thunderbird Air 2.

Equipped with a new generation of Sony Micro-OLED screen, excellent weight and volume control

With the promotion of the market in recent years, I believe everyone is no longer unfamiliar with split AR glasses products such as Thunderbird Air 2.

Screen expansion and near-eye display are the core functional selling points of split AR glasses. Such products do not have built-in processors, batteries and other components. They need to be connected to smartphones, computers and other devices through cables or use a host box for wireless projection. screen use.

Currently, Thunderbird’s innovative split AR glasses products have been iterated into 4 models: Thunderbird Air, Thunderbird Air 1S, Thunderbird Air Plus and the newly released Thunderbird Air 2.

If you compare these products horizontally, you can actually find many interesting details. For example, the cable of Thunderbird Air adopts a non-detachable design; the cable of Thunderbird Air 1S is replaced with a magnetic solution, and a new The volume/brightness adjustment button is added; the Thunderbird Air Plus adjusts the hood to a non-detachable design.

Source: VR Gyro

The latest Thunderbird Air 2 has ushered in a series of improvements:

1. The product is further slimmed down, and the front beam and temple legs of the glasses have become slimmer. The measured weight of the glasses without cables is only 76g, which is 11g lighter than the previous generation. In addition, the glasses adopt a front-light and back-heavy design, and the front face weight accounts for 46.7%, which can effectively reduce the pressure of the glasses on the bridge of the nose, making them more comfortable to wear and less tiring to wear for a long time.

The left is Thunderbird Air Plus, the right is Thunderbird Air 2, source: VR Gyro

2. The front shading lens is changed to an integrated frameless design similar to ski lenses. The glasses become visually more refined and compact. In addition, the lenses will also show different light changing effects in different scenes, making them look smooth. Overflowing with color, compared to the restrained nature of the previous generation, Thunderbird Air 2 adds more fashionable flavor.

Source: VR Gyro

3. The cable interface is changed from magnetic design to Type-C charging interface, making the glasses more compact.

4. There are a set of volume adjustment and brightness adjustment buttons placed on the left and right temples of the glasses (the previous generation used a scroll wheel solution). Press and hold the button to switch between 2D/3D, whisper mode, 60/120Hz refresh rate, etc., button Feedback performance has been significantly improved.

Source: VR Gyro

In fact, it is not difficult to find that each of the detailed adjustments mentioned above reflects the Thunderbird innovation team’s more precise control of the positioning of split AR glasses products: as a wearable device, users There is always a demand for lighter and smaller products. In addition, the products tend to be used in fixed scenarios, and detachable light-shielding lenses and magnetic cable connections are not very necessary for users.

Display effect is the top priority of split glasses products, and Thunderbird Air 2 has also received many updates this time.

Thunderbird Air 2 uses Sony’s new generation 0.55-inch Micro-OLED screen, with a single-eye resolution of 1920×1080 and a PPI of 4032. Since AR/VR is a near-eye display device, the industry is more inclined to use PPD (that is, the average number of pixels filled in every 1° angle in the field of view) to quantify screen clarity. It is generally believed that when PPD=60 , the screen can reach the retina standard, and the PPD of Thunderbird Air 2 is 49, which is higher than the previous generation's 46. If compared with VR products (the PPD is mostly in the 20 range), the picture obviously has better performance.

It is understood that the screen of Thunderbird Air 2 has undergone Gamma2.2 color accuracy correction, and the color performance is better than that of older products. In other aspects, the contrast ratio of the glasses reaches 100000:1 and has a 108% sRGB color gamut. In addition, the product has also obtained triple Rheinland certification for low blue light, no flicker, and eye comfort, ensuring eye health.

In addition to color performance and resolution, the modulation transfer function MTF of XR products has also begun to attract more users’ attention in recent years. This parameter reflects the imaging quality of the equipment’s optical system. In short, the higher the MTF value If it is close to 1, the image rendering effect of the device will be better. Like its predecessor, Thunderbird Air 2 has an MTF of 0.8 in the center of the screen, which ranks first among similar products.

VR gyro finishing

Wearing and heat dissipation have been significantly improved, and screen color adjustment is supported

Just from the appearance, it is not difficult to find that Thunderbird has provided many sincere improvements. When you actually get started using it, Gyro discovered many interesting things.

Limited by optics and size, currently AR glasses mostly use fixed IPD adaptive interpupillary distance design. On the other hand, a major feature of AR glasses using the Birdbath solution is the Eyebox (a small piece of the virtual image that the human eye can see clearly). area) with the highest definition in the middle. In this case, how to adapt a standardized pair of glasses to users with different interpupillary distances and eye shapes is actually a major test in the product development process.

In order to take into account the needs of more users, Thunderbird Air 2 adopts a "rather radical" 9-way adjustment scheme: the temples provide three levels of adjustment up and down, the nose pads provide three levels of forward and backward translation adjustment, and the opening and closing of the nose pads The angle can also be customized. In addition, the expandable design of the spectacle temples is also retained, and the product has a high degree of freedom of wearing.

The temples can be adjusted up and down. Source: VR Gyro

Connecting Thunderbird Air 2 to a computer or Thunderbird Box for watching movies is the most important usage scenario for Gyro. Thanks to the characteristics of the Micro-OLED screen such as high contrast and high color gamut, the screen colors are accurate and the overall look and feel is very good. outstanding. It is worth mentioning that in order to satisfy the professional user group with higher requirements for display, Thunderbird Air 2 has launched a "Color Master" function, which can customize contrast, white balance, saturation, etc. through the APP. This function The launch is a major signal that AR glasses are moving from excellent display equipment to professional display equipment.

In terms of viewing effect, Thunderbird Air 2 FOV reaches 46°, with an equivalent display area of ​​6 meters and 201 inches. The overall experience is far better than some small screen devices. In addition, the product combines the large screen of a TV and the compactness and portability of mobile phones and tablets. It can be extended into a giant screen in small space scenes such as small bedrooms and cars. Of course, this is also an important aspect of split AR glasses products. Advantage. Regarding the brightness issue that many people are concerned about, Thunderbird Air 2 has a maximum brightness of 600 nits and provides 10 levels of brightness adjustment, which is enough to cope with most indoor use scenarios. Even in outdoor scenes, combined with the light shield, you can get good vision. experience.

Picture taken by mobile phone, source: VR Gyro

In other respects, Thunderbird Air 2 supports 60/120Hz refresh rate switching like the previous generation. 120Hz means that the screen refreshes 120 times in one second. Compared with the traditional 60Hz, it can display more picture information. It is shooting It is a very practical function that can provide more refined operations and smoother experience in gaming and other scenarios. Of course, high brushing will cause more power consumption, and users can selectively turn it on.

Recently, Mr. Gyro is accustomed to using Thunderbird Air 2 to catch up on dramas on his way to and from get off work. During long-term use, he found that the heat dissipation problem of Thunderbird Air 2 has been greatly improved compared to Thunderbird Air Plus. The older product The heat is concentrated in the front frame area. Because the heat source is close to the forehead, it is easy for people to feel uncomfortable. The heat dissipation solution of Thunderbird Air 2 has obviously been carefully adjusted. During the operation of the glasses, the heat is all concentrated in the temple area that is not in contact with human skin (that is, near the ears and the middle part of the frame), and there is no heating at all in the frame. , this is worthy of praise.

Not only has the heat dissipation problem been improved, but the overall power consumption performance of the glasses has also been improved. Thunderbird Innovation claims that its overall power consumption has been reduced by 20% compared to the previous generation product in an all-white maximum brightness environment. However, this may It is also related to the adjustment of screen size.

The heat source is concentrated in the star area in the picture. Source: VR Gyro

Finally, let’s talk about its sound performance. The speaker unit of Thunderbird Air 2 has been upgraded to an AAC super-linear speaker, which is smaller in size and is said to achieve better bass and midrange and a more immersive spatial sound field experience.

In terms of privacy protection, Thunderbird Air 2 is as good as ever. In Gyro's actual measurement, when the volume was adjusted to 50% in an office environment, it was difficult for the outside world to hear what the glasses were playing. (That is to say, AR glasses have the potential to become a tool for office fishing.) Not only that, the whisper audio mode of the device is also retained. It can further enhance the privacy of the sound by weakening the treble, and the user can selectively turn it on according to different usage scenarios. .

From Thunderbird Box to Switch screen projection accessory JoyDock, the ecosystem is moving further towards gaming

As mentioned earlier, split AR glasses products such as Thunderbird Air 2 do not have a built-in processing unit and require external equipment to be used. In terms of content ecology, Thunderbird Innovation has brought different solutions for smartphones, computers, portable viewing, gaming and other scenarios.

For smartphones, tablets and other products that support the DP protocol, they can be directly connected to Thunderbird Air 2 to extend the screen to the glasses. For Android phone users within the scope of the agreement, Thunderbird innovatively developed "Thunderbird XR" The mobile APP has built-in rich content experiences such as 3D panoramic videos and WebXR games.

It is worth mentioning that in the past, iPhone users could only use adapters or AirPlay solutions to cast screens on glasses. However, the recently released iPhone 15 series products now support the DP protocol, which means that they can be directly connected to Thunder It is used on Bird Air 2. I believe Thunderbird will also develop corresponding mobile APP for iPhone users in the future.

"Thunderbird XR" user interface, source: VR Gyro

For computer users, Thunderbird Innovation has created an application called "Mirror Studio". This application is currently adapted to the Windows version and provides multi-screen office gameplay, similar to Vision Pro. Users can Multiple virtual screens are placed in the real world. The screen size can be customized and a stable hovering effect can be achieved.

Source: Thunderbird Innovation

In order to make the device not limited to mobile phones and computers, Thunderbird Innovation also released a product called Thunderbird Magic Box in May this year. It is a host device that can be directly connected to glasses.

As you can see from the picture below, Tmall Magic Box provides rich audio and video application resources such as Best TV, Mango TV, Cloud Audiovisual Aurora, QQ Music, etc. In addition, there are also a series of small games available for download and experience. The Thunderbird Magic Box is equipped with 32GB of memory and can be used with external TF cards and mobile hard drives up to 512GB.

Thunderbird Box interface, source: VR Gyro

In other aspects, Thunderbird Magic Box supports common wireless screen projection protocols such as DLNA, AirPlay, Miracast, etc. It has a built-in 4900mAh battery, which can provide about 4 hours of movie viewing time, and can be used as a power bank. Mr. Gyro once reviewed "Thunderbird Air Plus" first, and this upgrade is very Plus! "The article has a detailed evaluation of the Thunderbird Magic Box product. If you are interested, you can jump to learn more.

In addition to glasses products, a Switch-exclusive AR glasses screen projection accessory product, JoyDock, was also announced during the Thunderbird conference. The launch of this product enables Thunderbird Air 2 to cover more game scenes.

Since Switch uses the unpopular Mobility DP protocol, the process of connecting it to glasses is quite cumbersome. If you use SwitchDock, the connection process of the glasses is: base - external power supply - connect to HDMI-USB-C adapter - connect AR glasses. Of course, there are some other solutions on the market, such as USB-C one-to-two accessories, but they still require external power supply and the usage scenarios are relatively limited.

In contrast, JoyDock is obviously a better solution for Switch external AR glasses. When using it, you only need to connect the Switch and JoyDock with a cable, and then connect the AR glasses to play games. JoyDock comes with a 10000mAh battery, which requires no external power supply. The battery capacity is currently the largest among similar products.

Although JoyDock is just an accessory product, it has been carefully polished in many aspects. For example, it is equipped with an exclusive back clip, through which the JoyDock can be firmly fixed on the back of the Switch. The product is very integrated and there will be no complicated cables.

Not only that, the JoyDock can not only recharge the Switch during the game, but can also further power the JoyDock and the Switch through an additional power interface. When idle, JoyDock can also be used as an ordinary power bank. It has been measured that when JoyDock and Switch are fully charged at the same time, connecting to AR glasses for 1.5 hours consumes 1 JoyDock battery. Thunderbird officials say that JoyDock can provide 50% more gaming time for the device.

Source: VR Gyro

Based on the experience of using it in the past few days, Gyro found that AR glasses are actually a product that is very suitable for the Switch. The screen of the Switch is only 7 inches and the image quality is only 720P, while the Thunderbird Air 2 can be easily expanded to include a The 201-inch large screen makes up for the shortcomings of the Switch’s small screen. In addition, AR glasses are portable and will not conflict with the Switch's product positioning. All in all, Thunderbird Air 2 JoyDock will be a very good solution for Switch players who have both portability and large-screen needs.

Currently, Thunderbird Air 2 and JoyDock have officially started pre-sale on JD.com and Tmall platforms. Thunderbird Air2 has a recommended retail price of 2,499 yuan and an initial delivery price of 2,299 yuan, saving 200 yuan;

The suggested retail price of JoyDock is 599 yuan, and the first delivery price of the Leiyu Air2 JoyDock combo set is only 2,699 yuan, which is a saving of 399 yuan compared with the recommended retail price;

Thunder Air2 Thunder Magic Box Combination Set is priced at RMB 2,799, saving RMB 499 from the recommended retail price. Interested users can go to relevant platforms to learn more.

Conclusion

From the product Thunderbird Air 2, we can see Thunderbird Innovation’s understanding and layout of the AR market: the true AR experience is left to products with stronger computing power such as Thunderbird X2, while Thunderbird Air 2 The current focus is not on "AR" but on better functioning as a "portable large screen".

After the product logic behind it was opened up, its split AR glasses products have ushered in many changes and improvements that are welcomed by consumers, such as reduced weight and volume of the glasses, more reasonable heat dissipation design, and better screen performance. In addition, Thunderbird Innovation also brings us JoyDock, a better solution for game screen casting scenarios such as Switch.

AR may still have a long way to go, but "displays worn on the eyes" have matured and are visible to the naked eye.

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