Apple goes into combined truth with $3,500 Vision Pro headset

Apple unveiled the Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The $3,500 headset, which was rumoured to exist at the beginning of the year but has been in development for quite some time, represents Apple’s first foray into the augmented reality market.

When describing it, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “the very first Apple item you look throughand not at.” It’s essentially the tech company’s answer to Meta’s Quest VR headsets, which Meta has been manufacturing as part of its business for a long time.

Switching between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is as easy as turning a dial on the Vision Pro. The controller-less device runs on an OS developed specifically for it (named visionOS), and in contrast to competing mixed-reality goggles, it displays the user’s eyes using a mechanism called Eyesight.

Like VisionOS, digital elements will be superimposed on the physical world. Apple has announced that the Vision Pro will contain features that make it a home entertainment device, despite the fact that it is primarily designed for use in performance settings. (Disney CEO Bob Iger implied that the company was creating material specifically for the headgear but gave no details.)

At launch, Apple’s Vision Pro will be compatible with controllers (like the DualSense seen on the PlayStation 5) and will play Apple Arcade games. Video games don’t appear to be Apple’s primary priority with this headset, unlike the Quest product line or other VR gadgets like the PlayStation VR 2.

It’s intriguing that Apple’s newest device prioritises performance over aesthetics, given the importance that mixed reality is expected to play in the future of computer games. The number of opportunities given to developers to create games for the Vision Pro will determine whether or not this trend shifts. Early 2024 is expected to be the launch window for the device.

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