Apple unveiled the Vision Pro today, a new hybrid headset with an eye-watering price tag, following a lengthy bout of rumors and speculation about the company’s entry into the virtual reality space.
There is no doubt that Apple’s Vision Pro is a very exciting product as it is being billed as its “first spatial computer,” and it will go on sale in 2024 with a starting price of $3,499 USD. Unlike other headsets, this one does not require a separate device to be connected in order to work. It is powered by the same M2 chip that is found in many of the company’s other products. In order to track objects, a new chip called the R1 is used to process input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones.
Apple has published a press release outlining what the headset can do, so if you want the full details, you can get them through Apple’s own press release – it doesn’t seem like the company is interested in letting anyone outside its walls test the Vision Pro right now. It is important to note that the headset is being positioned as something of a lifestyle device, with preview videos showing people watching movies, chatting with family, and utilizing familiar computer software in a Minority Report fashion.
As far as gimmicks go, Apple’s EyeSight is one of the most noticeable features the company has to offer. As a result, when someone approaches you while you are wearing the Vision Pro headset, the face of the headset becomes transparent so that your eyes can be seen through the headset. It means that, in theory, you won’t feel as cut off from the outside world as you would if you were wearing a traditional VR headset. Putting this into practice, well, the other half of the internet is making the exact same joke about how this all looks like a bunch of goofy diving gear.
There seems to have been some skepticism from the general public in response to Apple’s announcement, but even VR enthusiasts are finding it difficult to get enthused about what Apple has announced. It seems that unlike the comments on the r/VirtualReality subreddit that are generally favorable, the consensus on the r/VirtualReality subreddit seems to be that the technology is cool, but the price is unfathomable – which is, in fairness, rather typical for Apple products.
As of right now, the price is starting at $3499. Yikes,” squidc states. On the other hand, the demo is really great. It’s something I’d like to have myself.
The price of the item made porcelainfog laugh when she saw it, she says. As one of the guys at Meta commented a couple of days ago, “The Quest 3 can do 90 percent of what this thing can do at a fraction of the cost. The guys at Meta must be popping champagne bottles right now.”
As Pippineddu points out, only Apple could make a glorified TV, without mentioning actual VR experiences, and act as if they had just changed the world.
As much as this is pure speculation, there is a sentiment among some observers that this price indicates the Vision Pro is going to be more of a developer-centric device than a consumer device, and that something more consumer-friendly might follow once this version reaches the hands of developers and high-end enthusiasts. Whether or not that truly is the case, or if the Vision Pro can stand up to some of the best VR headsets out there, will have to be seen in the future.
If I had to guess, it would have to be the Vision Pro, because without dedicated controllers, it is unlikely to be able to support most of the best VR games that are available today.
