Magic Leap's first AR headset, sold as the Creator Edition from August 2018 for $2,295, paired a head-worn waveguide display with a puck-sized Lightpack computer. Reviewers found it comfortable but limited by a narrow field of view, it sold only about 6,000 units in its first six months, and Magic Leap ended its cloud services on December 31, 2024, after which the device and its apps cease to function.
This entry is written from the 5 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 10% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 6.5 to 0.5 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
Six months in, the headset still worked, but sales had reached only about 6,000 units and reviewers' doubts about its narrow field of view and developer-only appeal held up. Owners who kept it were ultimately left with dead hardware once Magic Leap switched off the cloud services it depends on at the end of 2024.
Device and apps ceased to function after cloud services ended on December 31, 2024. Owners holding fleets of headsets lost the ability to install or update their own apps.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (96 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Device and apps ceased to function after cloud services ended on December 31, 2024. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: AR hardware history collectors; Teardown hobbyists curious about waveguide optics. Think twice if: Anyone wanting a working AR headset; Buyers expecting ongoing app support; Glasses wearers.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 6.5 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 5.2 / 10 |
| One month | 4.3 / 10 |
| Six months | 3.5 / 10 |
| One year | 2.2 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 0.5 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Rounds up early reviews from WSJ, CNET, Wired, The Verge and CNBC: praise for comfort and crisp visuals, but a narrow field of view, a developer focus and a $2,295 price critics found hard to justify.
Reports iFixit's teardown: eye tracking and depth sensing, a Tegra X2 Lightpack, about three hours of battery, and a 3/10 repairability score due to glue and a non-replaceable battery.
Covers Magic Leap's email that cloud services end December 31, 2024 and the device and apps will cease to function; notes the $2,300 launch price and about 6,000 units sold in the first six months.
Official notice: sales ended December 31, 2022, the 14-day return window closed January 13, 2023, and support, OS updates, cloud services and warranties ended by December 31, 2024.
A theatre developer holding about EUR 120,000 of ML1 hardware asks what survives end of life; the reply cites the FAQ that certificates can no longer be renewed, blocking app installs and updates.