Apple Headset's Capabilities Said to 'Far Exceed' Those of Rival Devices

[Jensend]

Yes, this! I don't even keep my regular glasses on when exercising. I certainly wouldn't want a big headset (tethered to a battery!?) on while trying to workout.

There are tens of thousands of positive reviews of VR fitness apps and high physical intensity VR games. A lot of people enjoy exercise while wearing a VR headset.

Hate to say it, but this seems to go back to Tim Cook's persistent push for AR, which never really took off. I don't see how this will either.

That’s because phone/tablet AR isn’t very good. I’ve spent over a 1000 hours in VR. I’ve spent a couple hours messing around with phone/tablet AR apps.
Similarly, 3D visuals without head tracking are subpar, and motion controllers are unintuitive when used with a flat screen.
Each technology on its own has major shortcomings, but when you combine them all together you get something much more than the sum of its parts.

Nobody should listen to Palmer, he had one moment and has been an idiot ever since. I wouldn’t trust a word he says, he just wants attention.

Even if you somehow ignore his political crap, regarding Apple he said stuff like this:

Oculus Rift Won't Support Mac Until Apple Releases a 'Good Computer'

During a recent Xbox press event, ShackNews had an opportunity to speak with Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey and asked him whether the company plans...

www.macrumors.com

He wasn’t wrong, even if he didn’t say it in the most charitable way. Macs were underpowered when it came to game graphics, especially at moderate prices.

There's no use for it. It's just something tech companies are pushing for the sake of trying to find something new to push and make money on.

Speaking of Palmer Luckey, he started Oculus because big companies weren’t pushing VR. He wanted a VR headset for his own use, but couldn’t find any decent options available at that time. And then they ran a successful Kickstarter, which is all about people bypassing big corporations to fund things they are interested in.

I don’t say this as a fan of Luckey, Oculus, or Facebook/Meta. Quite the opposite.

That's because current headsets are garbage. A headset with good optics will change this, especially if the headset actually looks like the renders.

I've used damn near every VR headset on the market, some costing thousands of dollars. I can see the potential, but the optics are just so poor that after a few minutes of use you notice: 1) the weight; and 2) "why is it so blurry" at the edges.

We will know in a few weeks. My hope is for some kind of new optics system. I've always thought that reverse engineering something like the OIS from a camera system and reversing it would get us to where we need to be, but it's impossible to know if that's the solution here.

If this is just another VR headset with fixed focal point lenses it will be extremely disappointing.

Optics are my biggest concern about the long term prospects of VR. I don't think getting displays to "Retina" resolution will be nearly as difficult as making high contrast, sharp optics across the entire field of view. I'm assuming some kind of active lens movement/shaping that very quickly responds to your pupil position will be needed.

 

[ralphthemagi]

Optics are my biggest concern about the long term prospects of VR. I don't think getting displays to "Retina" resolution will be nearly as difficult as making high contrast, sharp optics across the entire field of view. I'm assuming some kind of active lens movement/shaping that very quickly responds to your pupil position will be needed.

It is kind of funny because, within the industry, everyone sort of acknowledges this and then writes it off as "too expensive" from an R&D perspective. But whenever you do focus groups with a new headset it's always the same two complaints: 1) too heavy and: 2) "cool, but why is it so blurry?"

Honestly I will be SHOCKED if Apple puts out a headset with optics that follow current designs. It would show they really have lost touch with the ability to innovate. At the same time no one has even really attempted a headset with an active lens or shaped screen.

 

[Jensend]

It is kind of funny because, within the industry, everyone sort of acknowledges this and then writes it off as "too expensive" from an R&D perspective. But whenever you do focus groups with a new headset it's always the same two complaints: 1) too heavy and: 2) "cool, but why is it so blurry?"

Honestly I will be SHOCKED if Apple puts out a headset with optics that follow current designs. It would show they really have lost touch with the ability to innovate. At the same time no one has even really attempted a headset with an active lens or shaped screen.

ehh... for most games the optics are good enough. But for the "monitor replacement" use case, clarity only in the center of the screen won't cut it. For how I currently use VR, all other things being equal, I'd much prefer a decrease in weight / increase in comfort to better optics. When I demo my VR headset to others, any complaints about visuals are usually because the headset isn't properly positioned on their face.

 

[Big Alsie]

This won't cost $3,000. It will be $2,999 tops.

In all seriousness, I think it'll be priced at $999. About twice the price of most obvious competitors.

 

[Jensend]

This won't cost $3,000. It will be $2,999 tops.

In all seriousness, I think it'll be priced at $999. About twice the price of most obvious competitors.

The only way it will be that low cost is if the rumors have vastly overstated the technical capabilities of the device. The closest competitor to the rumored device is the Quest Pro, which initially released at $1499, and still has much lower specifications than the rumored Apple device.

 

[SoldOnApple]

The fruits of developing very low energy and very high processing power chips.

 

[anshuvorty]

All I will say is...I will believe it when I see it. These rumors have been going on for like 5+ years now...

 

[MrCrowbar]

Apply real-time tiktok filters to all the faces yes?

 

[ninethirty]

How many people do you know clamoring for an announcement like this to replace an actual computer monitor? Like, come on.

Just the source please. I don't judge until I have the facts.

 

[ninethirty]

How many people do you know clamoring for an announcement like this to replace an actual computer monitor? Like, come on.

Hey, just reminding you for a source. I'd love to continue this conversation, but a source would be helpful.

 

[PJL500]

The Wall Street Journal on Friday outlined what to expect from Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset project, corroborating several details previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and The Information's Wayne Ma.

Apple headset mockup by designer Ian Zelbo​

The report indicates that Apple plans to unveil the headset at WWDC in June, and says many sessions at the conference will be related to developing software for the headset. However, the news outlet claims that mass production of the headset isn't expected to begin until September due to manufacturing delays. Apple is said to be "anticipating some production issues" with the headset, but there are no specific details.

The headset is expected to have an internal screen for virtual reality, while outward-facing cameras would allow users to view the real world inside the headset with augmented reality overlays. This combination is known as "mixed reality."

Other details corroborated by the report include the headset being "experimental" and "unconventional" relative to most other Apple products, costing around $3,000, and having a waist-mounted external battery pack. FaceTime, Apple Fitness+, and gaming could be three major use cases for the headset, the report adds.

While it remains to be seen what the headset's biggest selling point will be, its capabilities "far exceed those of competitors," according to some sources cited in the report. Apple's headset is said to offer "greater levels of performance and immersion" than some competing devices, like Facebook parent company Meta's Quest Pro headset.

WWDC begins with Apple's keynote on June 5, meaning that Apple's headset is likely just weeks away from finally being unveiled to the public.

Article Link: Apple Headset's Capabilities Said to 'Far Exceed' Those of Rival Devices

Expect it to be like the iPhone-1 and the iPad-1: not useless. Just like most Apple hardware products it won’t mature until about the fourth generation.

 

[iPadCary]

Written courtesy of a close collaboration between Open AI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and Microsoft's Bing Chat.

You're insane.