The Apple Vision Pro has been revealed, and it seems to have given the VR/AR market the mainstream spotlight it's been lacking until now. The iPhone company's AR/VR headset has been heavily speculated for years, and with it being the latest of the brand's devices to be dubbed the "future" of personal computing, it's generating quite a degree of buzz after WWDC 2023.
As suspected, it takes many of the features we know and love from the best VR headsets and blends them seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem. Mind you, this is more of a mixed-reality headset than straight-up VR. So it will be more akin to the likes of the Meta Quest Pro and HTC Vive XR Elite.
Launching in early 2024 in the US first, the Apple Vision Pro will set you back an unheard-of $3.5 grand. While early impressions from hands-on testing sessions have been fairly positive overall, it remains to be seen what kind of market this new headset will land itself in. With the closest rivals being around the $1,000 mark, Apple's offering is certainly setting itself above and beyond out of the gate.
There are plenty of features and other details we know about and can go into more depth on down below, but there are some odd specs and details missing (Apple does like to create an air of mystique). To read up on everything we know about the new headset, let's go for a scroll.
Apple Vision Pro: Key features and specs
Perhaps most notably, Apple Vision Pro will feature two Micro OLED display's that pack a quite stupendous 23 million combined pixels into both displays. These are visible through the device's custom catadioptric lenses. This will result in an ultra-high-resolution display that Apple says will give "more than a 4K TV per eye" in terms of resolution, although we don't have a nailed-down number for that spec.
For glasses wearers, Apple has prepared a ZEISS optical insert that will allow you to use the headset without your bifocals. Annoyingly, we don't have a specific FOV or refresh rate yet either, although from the figures we do have, we can guess that it'll be around 100 degrees horizontally and 90Hz - keep in mind that these are estimates though.
Where other VR headsets have cameras on the front of the headset (PSVR2 has 4 frontal cameras, for example) Apple Vision Pro features laminated glass on its outside which allows the device's 12 cameras and five sensors to track the user's surroundings. This glass outer additionally acts as a display in its own right, and will display the user's eyes if they're using Vision Pro in an AR mode, but will display funky colors if they're fully immersed in VR. This glass is backed up by an aluminium alloy frame, which, from initial hands-on tests, has been reportedly heavy on the face.
Luckily, Vision Pro seems very comfortable thanks to a 3D knitted headband that pairs with a "Light Seal" which is soft and textile, meaning you can presumably wear it for long periods since it'll be a breathable, cushioned fabric. Found on the headband and bottom of the visor are some vent spaces, although it's unclear if these are for dedicated fans, or if they'll be loud. One useful feature is that there's a "digital crown" dial on the side of the headset that you can turn to control the amount of augmentation to your surroundings. This is a neat trick and is mainly confined to a software "passthrough" or "no passthrough" button in rival devices.
Keeping the weight from being too much to bear on anyone's face, is a separate battery pack that is said to be able to power the device for only two hours. This tethers to the side of the headset via a threaded wire, and can fit inside a pocket since it's roughly the same size as a phone. Keeping the battery off of the headset itself means more weight distribution, and presumably a comfier fit. Reportedly, the headset can be plugged in and work via a powered connection to a wall so you don't need to think about battery life. Having said that, it doesn't seem as though you'll be able to tether it to the best gaming PCs.
Also embedded onto the headband are two Spatial Audio speakers which Apple says will be able to create the feeling that sounds are coming from the environment around the user. Two amplified drivers inside each of these audio pods will supposedly work to suit of each user's head and ear geometry. For playing games, this will surely be a great benefit, although, unlike the majority of VR headsets, there are no controls on offer here.
Apple Vision Pro is controlled solely by gestures and pinch controls and operates with eye-tracking and voice commands. For those wondering, yes, this does mean foveated rendering, which means Apple Vision Pro will prioritize what the wearer is looking at and render that thing at a higher resolution to save power. All of this runs via Apple's new M2 and R1 processing chips and operates on a brand new OS called Vision OS. This will let you scroll through apps with your eyes, scroll down with the flick of a wrist, and even search by looking at a search bar and starting to speak.
Apple Vision Pro: Price and launch date
Apple Vision Pro will launch in worldwide markets, but will initially only launch in the US in early 2024. Later markets will see availability "later next year" according to Apple. One Apple Vision Pro will set you back $3,499, which is almost $2.5 grand more than the closest competition in the form of a Meta Quest Pro or HTX Vive XR Elite. The remaining time between now and the headset's release presumably gives time for Apple's partnered developers (who will have attended the keynote at WDC) to develop content for it.
Privacy
If you're like me, your biggest concern with this type of mixed reality device is the potential privacy infringements that come with it. Particularly when I reviewed the Meta Quest Pro, I had a lot of problems with it trying to access more data than I felt it needed to, especially when, for example, I started getting targeted ads on social media for whatever object the headset had been pointed at while I wasn't using it.
Apple, however, don't have as bad a reputation when it comes to user data and privacy, so you'll be glad to know this seems like an issue it's taking seriously with this futuristic device. Apple's press release states "Apple Vision Pro is built on a strong foundation of privacy and security, and keeps users in control of their data.
"Optic ID is a new secure authentication system that analyzes a user’s iris under various invisible LED light exposures, and then compares it to the enrolled Optic ID data that is protected by the Secure Enclave to instantly unlock Apple Vision Pro. A user’s Optic ID data is fully encrypted, is not accessible to apps, and never leaves their device, meaning it is not stored on Apple servers."
Further, user data as to where adopters look, as well as data from their surroundings, will not be stored or transferred to third-party apps and developers, which is a serious plus. These things are processed within the hardware and never need to be stored in the cloud. Supposedly, EyeSight, the headset's outer display panel that shows those weird eyes, will make it clear when spatial video or photos are being recorded.
Games, content, computing, and other uses
During the announcement video, it was revealed that you can connect a Macbook, Bluetooth keyboard, or one of the best PC controllers to Apple Vision Pro. In fact, the DualSense made a brief appearance as an example of a gamepad that would work with it, as someone played an NBA game with the goggles on.
We've seen that Unity's stock has been soaring in the days following the Apple Vision Pro reveal as the company has partnered with Apple, allowing folks to convert projects to, and create new ones for Apple's visor. But other than that, we really aren't sure what games, if many, will be on this device. Certainly, more than the Meta Quest 2, this one looks to be more about broad computing and general use than it does full VR gaming. Knowing Apple's history of being a fairly fenced-off ecosystem when it comes to games, we aren't expecting large numbers of VR games to be ported to it, although this really does remain to be seen.
Below, we've listed some of the example uses Apple has told us about that work with the Vision Pro.
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