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Apple has expressed a profound interest in augmented reality in recent years, making a major push into the space with frameworks like ARKit and RealityKit, creative tools like Reality Composer and Reality Converter, and hardware like the LiDAR Scanner on the new iPad Pro and likely some iPhone 12 models.

Multiple reports have indicated that Apple also plans to release a combination AR/VR headset by 2021 or 2022, and MacRumors has uncovered significant evidence of this project in a leaked build of iOS 14 that has been circulating.

MacRumors has obtained a photo from iOS 14 of what appears to be a generic looking controller for an AR/VR headset, with a very similar design as the controller for the HTC Vive Focus headset, released in 2018. Back in 2017, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple engineers were using HTC Vive hardware for internal testing purposes.

Given the basic design of the controller, we suspect that it is for internal testing purposes only. Apple's consumer-facing controller would likely be much more polished.

apple-ar-vr-headset-controller.jpg

Earlier this month, it was reported that iOS 14 contains a new augmented reality app codenamed "Gobi," and we believe that Apple is using this app along with QR codes to test augmented reality experiences on its AR/VR headset. There are QR codes that trigger experiences related to the Apple Watch, Mac Pro, Apple Store, Starbucks, and a movie poster.

One particularly interesting augmented reality experience that Apple is testing is a "crosswalk bowling game," which we believe may allow Apple engineers to roll a virtual bowling ball across the crosswalk to knock down virtual bowling pins on the other side of the street while waiting for the pedestrian light to change from stop to go.

apple-ar-crosswalk-bowling-game.jpg

This crosswalk bowling game can only be triggered at an intersection near an Apple office known as "Mathilda 3" at 555 N Mathilda Ave in Sunnyvale, California, which may be one of the locations that Apple is developing its AR/VR headset. This office is located roughly five miles from the company's Apple Park headquarters in nearby Cupertino.

All of this suggests that Apple remains deeply invested in its AR/VR headset project, although development may have slowed as of late due to the ongoing pandemic that has forced many Apple engineers to work from home for now.



Article Link: Apple Testing AR/VR Headset With HTC Vive-Like Controller, Crosswalk Bowling Game, and More
 
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It looks very similar to the Vive Focus controller, virtual bowling sounds incredible
 
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I really hope they'll go for something better like the Valve Knuckles or at least Oculus Touch controllers :eek:
 
I wonder how far off we are to the reveal of this headset. When it came to the iPhone and Apple Watch there was a big gap between reveal and release.

I would love to see it several months before it actually went on sale.
 
This crosswalk boarding game can only be triggered at an intersection near an Apple office known as "Mathilda 3" at 555 N Mathilda Ave in Sunnyvale, California, which may be one of the locations that Apple is developing its AR/VR headset.
My main takeaway is that for the past few months (years?), pedestrians at this intersection have witnessed Apple engineers playing infrequent games of discrete bowling.
 
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Hopefully we won't be getting stories in the future of hands being hit by cars as the bowling swing extends into the road. Mobile phone distraction is bad enough, this could be worse. AR has got great potential, for both good and bad (but more good).
 
What about VR on the Mac? Or gaming on the mac in general... Well that never happened!
 
What about VR on the Mac? Or gaming on the mac in general... Well that never happened!

I played several Valve and Blizzard games on my Mac... I think the last time I played a new game on my Mac would have been 2011's Portal 2 though (unless 2016's StarCraft 2: Nova Covert Ops counts, but that was just a small expansion pack for a 2010 game...)
 
I really hope they'll go for something better like the Valve Knuckles or at least Oculus Touch controllers :eek:
Given that they are definitely going to target a more general consumer, I doubt it's going to be anything like what Valve puts out.

Also just a general note to everyone, there are a lot of good VR sets out there right now, especially if you're looking to use them for gaming specifically. With Half-Life Alyx really pushing this type of gaming forward (the requirements for the game aren't all that crazy, you can get by with a dual core AMD processor), now's a great time to get into VR. The Samsung Odyssey + is a great option and is always on sale (typically over 50% off).
 
I was under the impression that the glasses were more for outside world uses like directions and information. This makes it sound like it’s more of a home based device. Yes I know there’s bowling in crosswalks but that’s a game
 
There is another opportunity for Apple and its AR glasses. Can AR glasses use a vehicle's surround-view cameras to see through the vehicle?
 
Hopefully we won't be getting stories in the future of hands being hit by cars as the bowling swing extends into the road. Mobile phone distraction is bad enough, this could be worse. AR has got great potential, for both good and bad (but more good).

Incorporate AR and VR capabilities with Do Not Disturb While Driving. Make a rule that prevents AR/VR capabilties from being accessed for 30 minutes even after the user selects "I'm Not Driving".
 
Isn't VR interest on the decline? Most people aren't interested in wearing a bulky jock strap on their head and the genre of VR games isn't that interesting.
 
I played several Valve and Blizzard games on my Mac... I think the last time I played a new game on my Mac would have been 2011's Portal 2 though (unless 2016's StarCraft 2: Nova Covert Ops counts, but that was just a small expansion pack for a 2010 game...)

Portal 2, for example, no longer runs on macOS. While some games did get ported over to the Mac, Apple dropped support for them after a few years.
 
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