Nreal is bringing Steam to AR, and hosting a hackathon

Nreal will be advancing its native AR cloud gaming experiences with the beta release of “Steam on Nreal.” Nreal is one of the leading AR glasses companies in the world, and currently is the only company to have launched a consumer-ready product. In addition to Steam on Nreal, the hardware maker is running its first public hackathon event, called the AR Jam.

The two currently available products, the Nreal Light and Nreal Air, use a proprietary 3D display system called Nebula. Owners can already access Xbox Cloud Gaming through browser access on either device using Nebula.

Part of the problem with triple-A titles is that, for the most part, you need a huge screen. Nreal wants to bring the triple-A gaming experience to a more mobile setting. Now, with Steam on Nreal, users will have even greater access to games.

The beta requires a bit of work during the setup process. And Nreal is very clear that every Steam game out there might not work. But Dirt Rally and the entire Halo series work just fine. Owners of the AR glasses will be able to stream those, and other games, directly from a PC to a set of glasses.

“We are excited to be the first to bring Steam into AR,” said Nreal co-founder Peng Jin, in a statement to GamesBeat. “The beta release is meant to give people a glimpse into what is possible. After all, AAA games should be played on a 200″ HD screen and they should be played free of location restrictions.”

That’s the beta. What’s the hackathon?

The AR Jam is an online international contest hoping to attract creative and passionate AR developers into its growing community. The hackathon is offering $100,000 in cash prizes. In addition to that, Nreal is in the process of setting up a dedicated content fund to aid AR content development.

“We’ve always been focused on creating consumer-ready AR experiences with groundbreaking tech, to redefine the way we interact with information and content in our everyday lives,” said Peng Jin. “With the AR Jam and content fund, Nreal is demonstrating its commitment to supporting pioneering developers and their AR passion projects.”

Developer teams can compete in one of a handful of categories, including: At-home Fitness, Art, Games, Video (focused on Nebula’s multi-screen functionality), and Port (converting existing apps into the AR environment). A few bonus categories also include NFT Galleries, Students, and Multiplayer/Social/Networks.

The winners of each category land a crisp $10,000 prize. Prizes will also go to the second and third place finishers. Anyone who earns an honorable mention gets an Nreal Light dev kit for free. If all that wasn’t enough, event judges will award additional cash prizes for creative flair.