Viture Pro 2 launching at a friendlier price with a thinner shell finally lands AR glasses in the range where they compete with a decent portable monitor. That is the pitch that has been shifting all year: strap on a pair, connect the USB-C cable, and get a virtual screen the size of a living-room TV wherever the laptop opens.
The screen is the easy part. Making it useful for real desktop work depends on the software. These seven apps for AR glasses as a virtual display cover the spectrum from single-window mirroring to full 3-monitor spatial workspaces on Windows, macOS, and Linux. We picked ones that actually run today, not tech demos.
What to look for in an AR glasses virtual display app
- Multiple virtual monitors. One screen is fine for a movie, but productivity work usually needs at least two.
- 3DoF head tracking. The virtual screens should stay in place when you turn your head. Fixed-to-face displays get exhausting.
- Low motion-to-photon latency. Anything above about 40 ms starts to feel like you are typing through a fog.
- Native support for your glasses model. Half-baked driver support is the most common reason people return AR glasses.
- Wired option. Wireless streaming to glasses is fine for media but adds latency for coding or writing.
- HDR passthrough. Modern glasses support 1080p HDR OLED panels and it is a shame to waste them.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid price | Platform support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Desktop | Wireless streaming to Quest and AR-glasses PCVR | No | One-time purchase | Windows |
| Viture SpaceWalker | Native Viture Pro / Pro 2 spatial workspace | Free with Viture glasses | Included | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| XREAL Nebula | Native XREAL One / Air 2 driver | Free with XREAL glasses | Included | Windows, macOS |
| Immersed | Multi-monitor VR/AR workspace with team meetings | Free 1 monitor | Elite from $14.99/mo | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Rokid Station | Native Rokid AR Studio for Max glasses | Free with Rokid glasses | Included | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Link | Free game/desktop streaming from Steam | Free | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Sunshine + Moonlight | Open-source self-hosted streaming to glasses | Free | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux |
The 7 best apps for AR glasses as a virtual display
1. Virtual Desktop, best wireless streaming to a Quest or PCVR-connected glasses
Virtual Desktop by Guy Godin is the reference wireless streaming app for PC VR headsets and, increasingly, AR glasses that pair through a Quest or PCVR bridge. It exposes the full Windows desktop, up to 3 virtual monitors, and gaming-grade streaming quality over Wi-Fi 6/6E.
For AR glasses that use Wi-Fi streaming (via a PC streamer app), Virtual Desktop delivers the lowest-latency wireless option we have tried. Bit rates go up to hundreds of Mbps on a clean 6 GHz network.
Where it falls short: Requires a headset or a Wi-Fi-based receiver. Wired USB-C AR glasses do not benefit here.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase.
- Alternative: Steam Link and Sunshine + Moonlight (below).
Platforms: Windows PC as the sender.
Download: Available on Steam as Virtual Desktop Streamer, plus the Meta Store on Quest and other AR glasses stores.
Bottom line: Buy Virtual Desktop for the smoothest wireless streaming to headsets or bridged AR glasses.
2. Viture SpaceWalker, best native Viture Pro / Pro 2 spatial workspace
Viture SpaceWalker is the official companion app for Viture glasses. It ships free with Viture Pro and Pro 2, delivers 3DoF head tracking, and packs a spatial browser, media player, and multi-window layout that puts three virtual screens in front of you.
The Windows and macOS builds are recent enough to matter, and the mobile SpaceWalker (Android and iOS) turns a phone into a portable video and browsing companion for the glasses.
Where it falls short: Only works with Viture glasses. Third-party glasses do not authenticate.
Pricing:
- Free with any Viture Pro or Pro 2 pair.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Download: Available from viture.com/download.
Bottom line: Install SpaceWalker on day one if you own Viture glasses. It is the reason to buy the glasses in the first place.
3. XREAL Nebula, best native XREAL One / Air 2 driver
XREAL Nebula is the official companion app for XREAL glasses (formerly Nreal). It provides fixed-to-world virtual screens on Windows and macOS, 3DoF head tracking on the newer Beam Pro puck, and full support for XREAL One’s 4K per-eye Sony OLED panels.
Nebula’s biggest strength is stability. The company shipped weekly driver updates through 2025 that fixed the most common gripes (drift, USB-C compatibility with mid-range laptops, HDR handoff).
Where it falls short: Only works with XREAL glasses. Some MacBook models still need a USB-C hub for reliable video signal.
Pricing:
- Free with any XREAL One, Air 2 Pro, or Beam Pro pair.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: Available from xreal.com/nebula.
Bottom line: Install Nebula if you own an XREAL headset. There is no reason to run older third-party drivers.
4. Immersed, best multi-monitor workspace with cross-platform support
Immersed was built for VR headsets and now supports AR glasses through headset-adjacent modes. It spawns up to 5 virtual monitors on a free plan (recent versions raised the ceiling), adds team-meeting rooms, and integrates with Windows, macOS, and Linux hosts.
Immersed is the most cross-platform option here. Linux users get a first-class client, which is rare in the AR-glasses space. The paid Elite tier unlocks higher resolution, 4K per monitor, and priority streaming.
Where it falls short: Needs a supported headset or headset-adjacent AR pipeline (Quest 3 is the primary target). Straight USB-C AR glasses like Viture and XREAL are better served by the vendor app.
Pricing:
- Free: 1 virtual monitor plus basic features.
- Paid: Elite starts at a modest monthly fee.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Available from immersed.com.
Bottom line: Install Immersed if you already run a Quest or a compatible AR pipeline and want multiple virtual monitors across every OS.
5. Rokid Station, best native driver for Rokid Max and AR Studio
Rokid Station and the paired Rokid AR Studio provide the official spatial workspace for Rokid Max and Rokid Air. Windows and macOS builds handle the video signal, 3DoF tracking, and a small library of spatial apps.
Rokid’s stack is less polished than Viture’s SpaceWalker or XREAL’s Nebula but has closed the gap over 2025. The Station puck also plays back Android apps, which is handy on the go.
Where it falls short: Only works with Rokid glasses. macOS drift is a known issue on Apple Silicon; recent updates helped but did not eliminate it.
Pricing:
- Free with any Rokid Max or Air pair.
- Paid: Optional Studio Pro subscription for extra spatial widgets.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: Available from rokid.com/pages/download.
Bottom line: Install Rokid AR Studio if you already own a Rokid pair. Skip if you own Viture or XREAL.
6. Steam Link, best free game-and-desktop streaming from Steam to glasses
Steam Link is Valve’s free streaming client. It ships as a desktop app, a phone app, a Steam Deck feature, and a headset app. Paired with USB-C AR glasses that appear as an external monitor, Steam Link streams the full desktop to a Big Picture surface that looks massive through the lenses.
Because it is free and comes as part of Steam, there is no reason not to try it. Latency is good on a wired local network and workable on 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Where it falls short: Requires Steam running on the host. Not a real multi-monitor workspace.
Pricing:
- Free.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Available in Steam and every glasses store.
Bottom line: Install Steam Link as the free first-try before buying a paid streaming app.
7. Sunshine + Moonlight, best open-source self-hosted streaming to glasses
Sunshine is a self-hosted, open-source game-streaming server; Moonlight is the matching client. Together they replace GeForce Experience’s now-defunct Shield streaming and cover the same use case as Steam Link with more control over bitrate, HDR, and resolution.
For AR glasses attached to a smaller portable host (a Steam Deck, a work laptop) that streams from a bigger home PC, Sunshine + Moonlight is the leanest option. Both are free.
Where it falls short: Setup takes 15 minutes and a few port-forwarding decisions. Not friendly to non-technical users.
Pricing:
- Free.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux for Sunshine. Moonlight runs on every consumer OS and most glasses.
Download: Available on GitHub (Sunshine) and Moonlight.
Bottom line: Install Sunshine + Moonlight if you already self-host and want an ad-free, open-source game and desktop streaming pipeline into your glasses.
How to pick the right one
- If you own Viture glasses: install SpaceWalker first.
- If you own XREAL glasses: install Nebula first.
- If you own Rokid glasses: install Rokid AR Studio first.
- If you want a multi-monitor VR-style workspace across Windows, macOS, and Linux with a proper headset: install Immersed.
- If you want wireless streaming to a Quest or PCVR-bridged pair with the least latency: buy Virtual Desktop.
- If you just want a free desktop mirror to try the workflow: install Steam Link first, then Sunshine + Moonlight if you need more control.
FAQ
What is the best software for using Viture Pro 2 as a PC monitor? Viture’s own SpaceWalker on Windows or macOS. It handles head tracking, multi-window layout, and HDR handoff for Viture Pro and Pro 2.
Can I use AR glasses as a second monitor for MacBook Pro? Yes with SpaceWalker (Viture), Nebula (XREAL), or Immersed (with a supported headset). Native macOS support has improved a lot in 2025 and 2026 for all three.
Which AR glasses have the best software support? Viture and XREAL both ship credible spatial workspace apps for Windows and macOS. Rokid has closed the gap. All three ship a free first-party companion app with the glasses.
Is there a free way to try AR glasses as a virtual display? Yes, install Steam Link on the host PC and let the glasses show the extended desktop. It costs nothing and demonstrates whether the workflow suits you before buying a paid app.
Do AR glasses work on Linux for desktop use? Immersed has a Linux client. XREAL and Viture depend on the glasses’s USB-C DisplayPort mode, which works on most modern Linux kernels. Head-tracking driver support is thinner on Linux than on Windows or macOS.
