--- title: "New AR Glasses Translate Conversations in Real Time" description: "Famed budget TV maker TCL has unveiled its latest TCL's X2 AR glasses capable of translating conversations in real time, but they're a little... big." date: "2023-01-06" modified: "2023-01-06" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ar-glasses-translate-conversations-real-time" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "AR glasses" - "augmented reality" - "tcl" - "the digest" --- # New AR Glasses Translate Conversations in Real Time ![Famed budget TV maker TCL has unveiled its latest TCL's X2 AR glasses capable of translating conversations in real time, but they're a little... big.]() *\Image: TCL\* ## Universal Translator TCL — a company best known for its affordable TVs — has been trying to establish a foothold in the VR and AR space. Its latest and likely boldest entry comes in the form of the RayNeo X2, a pair of augmented reality smart glasses that can, among other features, translate conversations in real time. Journalists recently got a hands on — or heads up — look at the RayNeo X2s at the Consumer Electronics Show that kicked off Thursday in Las Vegas. TCL's X2s look like regular glasses frames, but *hilariously* oversized. Still, they're powered by some respectable hardware, running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 platform that's used in the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. The lenses themselves house MicroLED waveguide displays, and if you have bad vision, come equipped with adjustable prescription inserts. By tapping on the right temple, you can navigate through the X2's menus and activate its translation feature, which can not only translate text you're looking at, but translate and transcript someone you're speaking to, live. According to Scott Stein [at *CNET*](), he was able to understand someone speaking to him in Chinese. https://twitter.com/ashabeeeee/status/1611176491194396673 ## Downsize Me The specs might be an impressive stepping stone, but their clunky size indicates that AR glasses still have a way to go before you don't feel ridiculous wearing them. As [*Engadget* note]()s, it's a little worrying that a company like TCL, which specializes in displays, couldn't get its own any smaller. However, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Google's [unnamed]()[ prototype AR glasses]() that also boast a similar live translation feature, which Google [teased]() last summer. Unlike the X2s, Google's glasses are less feature-packed, and can't capture images. Maybe the ideal sweet-spot for AR is not having the glasses do everything, and just having them be good at a few things, if that means they won't need to be absurdly large. TCL expects to start rolling outs its glasses to developers by the end of Q1 and is expected to be available to consumers by July, [according to *Gizmodo*](). **More on VR and AR:** *[Apple VR Headset Will Apparently Have Display Facing Outward to Show the User's Facial Expressions]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()