The Apple Vision Pro will finally arrive outside of US markets this summer, the brand confirmed at WWDC 2024. While that’s huge news for any Apple fan who’s been waiting all this time to get their hands on the luxury headset, it will competitive for several months for any manufacturer in this market.
The best VR headsets currently available have exciting things to look forward to at the moment. PSVR 2 is getting its long-awaited PC support on August 7th, once again igniting many PC VR gamers who want the highest visual fidelity they can get for their gaming rig. Amidst plenty of firmware updates and constant quality of life additions, Meta Quest 3 is rumored to get a more affordable sibling sometime in 2024. This headset already has Apple cornered in the US, so I can’t imagine a more affordable option will do.
Then we have the Apple Vision Pro, which launches in the UK on July 12, as well as Germany, France, Australia and Canada. It will launch even earlier in China, Japan and Singapore on June 28.
The device set off a storm of hype when it was revealed this time last year and was launched in the US in early 2024 to much excitement. Said excitement has died down in the meantime, and his lack of game support coupled with his monumental offense is certainly a price tag.
In an effort to rekindle the passions of international customers, Apple updates its VisionOS2 ski goggles. Among the new spatial features and some interface changes, Apple says it will provide higher resolutions and display sizes for the Mac’s virtual display and add a train setting to its travel mode. VisionOS2 is also said to make it easier for developers to create apps for the device and that new content is already being created specifically for it.
Over the past month or so, we’ve seen a greater focus on gaming on Vision Pro. Demeo, Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator and Marvel’s What If…? have all running on the device. These won’t be enough to entice players who may opt for a cheaper option with more available titles, but it’s a start.
Questions have been raised as to whether the Vision Pro will even see an international launch after reports claimed it wasn’t selling in line with Apple’s expectations.
“With all the love in my heart, I say the following: Uh-oh!”
I’ve said many times that more competition breeds innovation in hardware markets. In the VR and XR sectors in particular, close competition has been one of the few elements that has been missing so far. I want Apple to be supportive, I want hardware innovations like the Vision Pro to thrive, but you have to admit it’s not making life easy for yourself.
Pre-orders for the Apple Vision Pro in the UK will go live on June 28, and anyone interested in picking up the headphones who don’t already own one will have a tough decision to make.
Are you spending? £459 on Meta Quest 3, which is a more affordable version of an Apple device that can access a lot of content? Are you waiting for the rumored “Quest 3S” which is said to be an even more affordable version of the same product? Have you decided on a PSVR 2 gaming device that’s only months away from accessing all the famous SteamVR titles?
Or will you opt for Apple’s £3,499 experiment, which fights its own reputation as a premium device that you can’t do much with? It’s an uphill battle for Apple this summer, and a piece of inconsequential technology that’s so expensive needs all the help it can get.
Making matters worse are rumors that Apple plans to release a more affordable headset in the next few years. The same reports stated that the Vision Pro will be discontinued before its international launch, so we’re not sure how credible they are, but you have to think that Apple must have a more mainstream headset in mind for the future.
It’s great that so many viable VR headsets are getting better this summer, and they probably all have different tastes for different buyers. Regardless of which starter Pokemon you’re rooting for this time around, it’s going to be an exciting season for the VR market.
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