My takeaways from the video:
- Dan admits to only having tried the Quest 2 (which retails for $300, as opposed to the Apple Vision Pro’s $3500), but elsewhere seems to compare the Vision Pro to “other headsets.”
First of all, I should hope that a $3500 headset is better than a $300 one. I expect that.
I would be personally interested in comparisons from people that have had experiences with higher-end headsets like the Valve Index ($1000), Quest Pro ($1000), or even Pimax. Those are more comparable products, in various ways.
Still, it’s encouraging to hear how - for a person like Dan who says he doesn’t really like VR in general - he feels like he would use the Apple Vision Pro much more.
- The external battery’s cord apparently “locks in” to the headset and is not magnetic. Which is good. You do a lot of arm waving in VR, and I was worried about knocking the cord out of the headset, which doesn’t sound like it has any chance of happening.
Also, the plug that goes into the battery pack itself is USB-C, so if you’re watching a movie that’s longer than the Vision Pro’s measly 2 hours of battery life, you CAN plug it into the wall. Though, I do worry about the length of the cord, in that case. And it severely limits your movement, theoretically… Especially if you’re multitasking and watching a movie while doing other things in the headset.
- Dan mentions the headset is still surprisingly heavy, even with the battery moved off the headset. (Mostly due to all the metal and glass and various components inside the headset itself.)
That’s disappointing.
He mentions the weight distribution is excellent. But honestly, I’ve experienced great weight distribution on other high-end headsets, as well. (Even ones WITH a battery like the Quest Pro.)
My hope was for this thing to be extremely light, because I hate the idea of the battery Fanny pack (but at least it would be, theoretically, much lighter)… Instead, it’s not.
- Dan didn’t try typing on a virtual keyboard. And admits to thinking that, if you’re going to type something long, it’s best to use an actual keyboard.
While basic navigation sounds intuitive and fluid, I’m still skeptical about the precision of the hand tracking (for things like virtual typing or especially any gaming… which he didn’t try.)
- The screens sound great. (I’m sure they are, at $3500.) I wonder how the refresh rate and field of view compare to higher-end headsets that I have, which is something not addressed in the video.
- All of the software experiences he described - while he was very, very positive about them - are things I’ve experienced for years now on other VR headsets. I’m sure those basic VR experiences are even better on the Apple Vision Pro (thanks to better screens, better tracking, etc.), but… I still wonder what’s UNIQUE about any of the software Apple has shown. (As of right now, it’s not unique at all.)
- FaceTime avatars with the headset look and sound creepy. Real uncanny valley territory. But I’d have to try it for myself.
- The headset will have various modular pieces so that it fits perfectly to your head.
On the one hand, that’s great! Because it will be a perfect fit for YOU.
On the other hand, this likely means that it will be very hard for friends to try mine (if I ever bought one).
Sure, you can go to an Apple Store and have a more personalized fitting experience there. But VR is often best to try at a friend’s house, in a more private, casual environment. Which doesn’t sound like it’s very possible.
When you buy an Apple Vision Pro, it’s really only made to fit YOU. No one else. (At least, that’s what it sounded like to me.)
- In short, while it’s nice to hear that it’s an excellent experience for what it is… All of my concerns about the Vision Pro - as a VR user and enthusiast myself - seem validated. Despite the positivity.
And while the experience of using the Apple Vision Pro may entice users that generally don’t like VR - which is a very good thing - you still run into that $3500 barrier of cost for anyone with a casual interest.
