I’ve tried a lower-end headset and I’ve tried a higher-end headset, but the Vision Pro’s US-only launch meant I had to wait impatiently for my chance to try Apple’s surround computer here. in the United Kingdom.
I wasn’t going to wait long for it, the demos will probably be available on June 28th, but UK developer Maze Theory offered me the chance to try one out a bit earlier…
Despite never having seen the Vision Pro in the real world before, the constant exposure to photos and videos meant it felt quite familiar.
In fact, the only thing that still looked foreign, perhaps because Apple carefully avoided including it in its own photos, was the external battery.
When the device successfully calibrated to my eyes, I got an unexpected experience with Apple’s accessibility features, but after that I refused to highlight anything by looking at it. A childhood eye injury means my right pupil is greatly enlarged, and I suspect that’s what’s confusing me.
However, Maze’s chief game director Russ Harding dug into the settings and found an option to control the Vision Pro with one eye. We removed my left eye and things worked fine after that.
User interface and AR environment
Again, having seen so many photos and videos, the overall look of the main VP screens felt familiar.
The graphics look amazing! Although somewhat sensitive to the position of the headset – I had to make minor adjustments from time to time when things went out of focus in the corners. However, keep in mind that I was using a shared device that we only spent a few minutes editing. A personalized fit will probably fix this.
The user interface is very simple – almost also simple! Since most things don’t require you to touch or manipulate any buttons, just look at something and then press anywhere, I found it wasn’t immediately intuitive. But it only takes a very short time to get used to it, and then it’s just fantastically easy!
Before I tried it, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with augmented reality access. On my Quest 2, the background of the virtual monitors is artificial, so you’re basically in a VR environment rather than an AR environment.
With Vision Pro, AR will be used by default, with application windows floating in your real environment – ​​p choice reducing the coverage or replacing it with a VR background.
Some time ago I was somewhat skeptical about the benefit of this. After all, my focus is on screens, so checking my surroundings in the real world seemed unnecessary or even actively distracting.
However, once I experienced it, I was absolutely sold! Partly for the practicality of things like being able to see the keyboard and trackpad, and partly just for the massively limited feeling of being cut off from the world around me.
It’s also really good to see when someone walks into the room, so no one around you feels like they’re being ignored.
EyeSight is just a useless gimmick
However, the other way around – people who can kind of – but – not – really see me, aka EyeSight – just felt like a useless gimmick. When Russ had the device on and I could see his eyes it didn’t seem like I could actually see his face and when I looked at the photo of my eyes on him it was the same thing – just a waste of tech.
Apple has reportedly dropped plans for the Vision Pro 2 and is instead focusing all its efforts on the cheaper Apple Vision product. The company is said to be trying to find ways to bring costs down to a more consumer-friendly level, with many suggesting it needs to cut costs by more than half to reach the $1,500 price point. Dropping EyeSight is a matter of course here.
While Apple touted this as a key feature to alleviate the sense of isolation between the VP user and their surroundings, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t hesitate to remove it.
I have to say, watching someone use VP is rather comical, especially typing on a virtual keyboard! The same was true when I caught a glimpse of myself in that reflective wall. But hey, I’ve used a lot of technology in public that is likely to cause non-techies to stumble.
Comfort
In total, I had to wear the device for about an hour, and based on that experience, I would say that comfort is currently one of the biggest challenges with this technology.
It was a relatively warm afternoon by UK standards and I definitely felt the heat with the unit covering the top of my face. This mirrors my experience with Meta Quest 2, which is also warm.
The weight of the Vision Pro is also something I felt after about the first 30 minutes. I use my Quest with the optional rear battery, and while this adds to the overall weight, that mass is split evenly between the front and rear. The Vision Pro is very front heavy in contrast and I was definitely starting to feel it, especially when looking down and then back up.
I think all AR/VR headset manufacturers need to work hard to reduce weight, and I’d say Apple needs to address the weight balance of the devices as well.
Graphic Design
I mentioned that the graphics are great, but the real test was trying out the upcoming Maze Theory game, Infinite within.
The Vision Pro version isn’t finished yet and I’m not allowed to talk much about it, which is probably for the best since I’m not a gamer! I warned the company in advance that I was only going to try out Vision Pro and test the game’s graphical quality, so everything worked out.
Here’s the trailer (note that the virtual hands shown here are from the Quest version, not the Vision Pro version):
One interesting thing about the game is the way you switch back and forth between the AR and VR environments. For example, a giant plinth appears in your room in AR form, and you have to manipulate objects in that environment to unlock the VR environment. Switching back and forth between the two environments definitely feels like an added interest.
The graphics quality is very, very high. Virtual objects do not quite look as real as, well, real, but it’s very close. Once I was immersed in an AR environment, my brain very quickly began to treat real and virtual objects as equally real – or perhaps equally unreal!
There was a time when I handed Russ my phone to take the photos above and when he returned it I did a sort of double take before putting it back on the table. Was that a real table or was I about to drop my phone on the floor?! Similar to the plinth, even though I could walk through it, my brain definitely interpreted it as an actual object in the room that I would have to walk around.
There are some issues with item handling in the partially finished version of VP, so the company let me experience the game on Quest 3 as well to see how the handling would be finished.
One small but dramatic difference
Comparing the Vision Pro and Quest 3 versions was really useful as I was able to do a head-to-head comparison between the two headsets – and the Vision Pro’s graphics felt dramatic better.
I’m very careful to say “felt” rather than looked because I don’t think it was necessarily about resolution or frame rate; rather, there was one small-sounding difference in the device’s capabilities that made a huge difference.
In Vision Pro, objects in the game reflect the real light in the room. So, for example, when I turned the object in my hands, it reflected the light coming from the actual window to one side. Quest can’t do that.
This may sound like a relatively small thing, but for me personally, I can’t overstate how much of an impact it had on my brain’s belief that virtual objects are real.
Infinite within it will be available on July 12, in time for the UK launch of the Vision Pro.
Will I buy one?
Before the original launch of the Vision Pro, I confidently predicted that I wouldn’t buy one, and suggested that I would probably skip the next version as well – before settling on the 3rd generation device. Once it was launched I said it looked very impressive, but my estimate hasn’t changed.
At that point, I suspected that Apple would have to get the future Vision Air to about a thousand dollars before it would get my money — and I saw that as quite a few more years.
Has anything changed now that I’ve tried it? Yes and no.
No, I still won’t be buying the Vision Pro. My primary interest is in using it either to completely replace my Mac for work on the go, or at least to be my multi-monitor setup. Even though we’re counting on a personalized fit, the comfort isn’t there yet for me to wear them on a work day. I am completely satisfied with the Viture One XR glasses as an entertainment device.
But yeah, I think I’m willing to pay more now than I was before I tried it. If Apple manages to achieve a device light enough, balanced and cool enough for all-day use, then I’ll definitely want it. The idea of ​​being able to travel for work with just a MacBook and Apple Vision is hugely appealing.
The fact that my external monitors are virtual instead of physical and stay in the room without getting in the way when they’re not working is a really big selling point for me. Yes, having multiple Mac monitors on the latest model of Viture glasses is a big improvement, but having those monitors stay put is night and day.
So if If Apple can solve the all-day comfort problem (and I still see that as a rather big “if”) then I think I’d be ready to push the button for $2,000 instead of $1,000.
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