Announced with a price point of 3,500 dollars, Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset will arrive next month. While details of the headset have existed for several months, as well as the price point which is over 3 times the price of its closest competitor, Apple has finally shared plans as to when and how they will launch the device.
As part of this, it was announced that preorders for the headset would begin on January 19th, with the launch of the device following on February 2nd only a few weeks after. In a blog post authored by Apple CEO Tim Cook, he stated:
The era of spatial computing has arrived. Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore.
Touching on the term spatial, Cook stated that they intend to focus less on the gaming side of the device and focus more on the integration of the device into everyday life. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the number of other Apple devices that exist to integrate the Apple ecosystem into every aspect of your day. This is achieved through the VisionsOS, which integrates the device UI into your real-world environment to be controlled through your eyes, hands, and voice. Spatial games for the system will include Game Room, What The Golf?, and Super Fruit Ninja.
Apple will also be releasing a new app store which will include “more than 1 million compatible apps across iOS and iPadOS, as well as new experiences that take advantage of the unique capabilities of Vision Pro,” as well. The Headset will feature several ways to scroll these features including using your hands, or voice to make selections.
The device also features an in-depth persona system, allowing users to create digital recreations of themselves to use in Facetime calls, and more. The company also said that personas will work with third-party apps like Zoom, Teams, and Meet. A press release about personas stated:
If a user is wearing Vision Pro on FaceTime, they appear as their Persona, while others joining from a Mac, iPad, or iPHone will appear in a tile,” the blog reads. “Persona is an authentic spatial representation of an Apple Vision Pro user that enables others on a call to see their facial expressions and hand movements, all in real time.
Apple has had a success with most of their devices up until this point so it remains to be seen if the Vision Pro will succeed at its 3,500 price point. While VR is far more popular than it was at the release of the Oculus or PSVR, but it is hard to miss the slip in exposure to these platforms. In December the developer of the PlayStation VR2 game Firewall Ultra, First Contact Entertainment, closed their studio citing a lack of support for VR across the industry as a major reason.
We will start getting a better picture when the Apple Vision Pro opens for preorder on January 19th, and even more so when it releases on February 2nd.
Follow us on social media to keep up to date with everything happening at PixelByte Gaming.
