Six cool things to try after unboxing your ROG XREAL R1 Gaming AR Glasses

The first time you plug in the ROG XREAL R1 Gaming AR Glasses, it’s hard not to focus on the obvious: you’re looking at a massive virtual display floating in front of your eyes. But there’s more to these glasses than big-screen novelty! Between adjustable screen sizes and distances, extra immersive features, and multiple 3D tools, it’s got loads of features that you can customize right out of the box.

Once you’re done soaking in the novelty of having a virtual mega screen, here are a few of the first items we’d recommend exploring with your R1 glasses.

Dial in your fit for maximum comfort

Before you jump into a marathon gaming session, spend a few minutes getting the fit exactly right. The ROG XREAL R1 is designed to feel like a comfortable, lightweight pair of glasses, so proper setup makes a huge difference — especially when you’re sitting in your virtual theater for hours at a time.

Start by trying out the different included nose pad options. Swapping sizes can dramatically improve how the display lines up with your eyes, which helps sharpen text and maximize eye comfort. Once you’ve got the physical fit sorted out, fine-tune the alignment of the image by dialing in your inter-pupillary distance (IPD), which is the measurement of one eye’s pupil to the other. Double-tap the Menu button, then scroll down the OSD’s Spatial Screen menu and select IPD Adjustment. From there, use the slider to adjust until your eyes are comfy. You can also measure your IPD using these instructions. The right tweak here can make the virtual display feel more natural and immersive.

The goal is simple: you shouldn’t be thinking about the glasses while you’re gaming. You should be comfortable and focused on the screen floating in front of you.

Increase the tint to lose yourself in your game

Gaming glasses naturally create a different kind of immersion than a traditional monitor, and the ROG XREAL R1 leans into that with electrochromic lens tinting technology.

The lenses can darken to reduce distractions from your surroundings and help the virtual display stand out more clearly. It’s especially useful in brighter rooms or while traveling, where ambient lighting can break immersion. If you’re playing a spooky horror title like Resident Evil 9, you don’t want real-world sunlight and imagery encroaching on your dimly lit fright fest.

At the same time, the automatic transparency functionality helps you stay aware of your environment when needed. If you’re playing a laid-back game like Minecraft and need to keep an eye on your household while you play, minimized tinting makes it easy to have eyes everywhere.

You can customize the tint level depending on what you’re doing: fully focused for gaming sessions, light transparency for multitasking, or somewhere in between. Access this feature by tapping the +/- button and navigating to the Tint Level slider. You can also enable Auto Transparency to automatically decrease the tint when you look away from the virtual screen, allowing you to stay one head-tilt away from the world around you.

Push the screen farther away or go ultrawide for instant immersion

You can customize the R1’s virtual display to suit your needs. Changing the perceived screen distance and size may better suit different types of games.

For titles like Civilization where you need to track loads of on-screen info or cinematic titles that deserve the theater-style experience, push the virtual screen farther away from your eyes so you can take it all in. Alternatively, for racing games such as Forza Horizon 6 and sim titles, pull the screen closer for maximum immersion. You can even switch to a 21:9 or 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratio to really give you that wraparound field of view.

To change screen distance and size, tap the +/- button on your glasses to open the truncated OSD, then navigate to the Screen Size and Screen Distance sliders to adjust. You can also modify these settings from the Spatial Screen menu in the full OSD. In the full OSD, under the Spatial Screen menu, you can adjust resolution by selecting Aspect Control. If you do change the aspect ratio, just remember to manually change your game’s resolution in its settings as well — some games may not automatically switch to ultrawide resolutions on their own.

Whether you push the screen away for a theatrical experience or pull it in to be surrounded by your game’s environment, these options can make familiar titles feel brand-new again.

Boost your refresh rate to 240Hz in competitive games

High refresh rates let you see more frames per second and enjoy silky smooth gameplay — perfect for competitive or other easy-to-run titles. Enter: the R1 glasses’ 240Hz mode. These are the world’s first 240Hz Micro-OLED gaming glasses, and competitive players should absolutely take advantage of that refresh rate capability. To enter 240Hz mode, open the OSD, scroll down the Spatial Screen menu, then turn on Frame Rate Boost.

Fast-paced esports titles immediately benefit from the smoother motion clarity and low perceived blur. Games like Rocket League, where rapid camera movement and split-second reactions matter constantly, feel especially responsive. The combination of a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.01ms response time helps motion stay sharp during intense gameplay moments, whether you’re flicking through corners in a racing game or tracking enemies in a fast-paced shooter.

Instantly convert your games or videos into 3D

One of the ROG XREAL R1’s coolest tricks is Instant 3D, which can add spatial depth to games in real time without requiring mods or complicated setup steps.

That means you can revisit games you already own and experience them with a whole new sense of scale. Try out your favorite fighting game, like Dragon Ball FighterZ, and watch the stage sink into the background while characters and attacks pop with in-your-face energy.

Open the OSD and scroll through the Spatial Screen menu until you reach the 3D Mode setting, then select it and choose Instant 3D.

But don't stop there: you can tweak this setting to fit your preferences, too. Once on, you can adjust the perceived depth to fine-tune the effect, whether you want subtle layering or full “objects flying toward your face” intensity. Because the processing happens directly on the hardware level through the dedicated chip inside the glasses, the experience is seamless. Head back to the Spatial Screen menu and scroll down to the 3D Effect Settings option that appears after enabling Instant 3D — this is where you’ll fine-tune that feature.

Watch 3D SBS movies on a giant virtual screen

When you want to take a break from gaming, try out a 3D movie with the R1 glasses. With options for side-by-side 3D videos (including Full SBS and Half SBS), the glasses are compatible with most 3D films out there. So whether you have rips of your favorite 3D Blu-Rays or just want to watch incredible 3D clips on YouTube, you’ll have the technology to witness pure cinema. The glasses’ built-in Sound by Bose is ready to deliver an incredible listening experience while you enjoy your 3D adventures, too.

Start playing your video, then head to the 3D Mode submenu to access the SBS options. Just pick full or half side-by-side depending on what format your 3D media is using. Do not select Instant 3D for this experience.

Unlike traditional at-home 3D setups that require a TV and a carefully arranged seating position, the R1 creates a private theater experience anywhere. Whether you’re on a flight, relaxing on the couch, or winding down after a gaming session, you can kick back with a virtual big-screen movie setup that fits in your backpack. So forget that tiny screen on the back of the plane seat — whip out your R1 glasses and enjoy a premium experience unlike any other, whenever and wherever you want. Designed to pair effortlessly with laptops featuring USB‑C DisplayPort Alt Mode, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, and select smartphones like the latest ROG Phones, the R1 glasses make tapping into cutting-edge augmented reality tech a cinch.