Vision Pro Hands-On: Reviewers Comment on Weight, Disney+ Experience, Virtual Keyboard and More

[Schlotkins]

I think like many I am interested in this product. I have the money to spend on it, but I just don't know how I'd use it after the "wow" factor.

I have a Macbook Pro I use on the road and for messages etc. But I have to use a PC for my work do to Intel Windows only software. Plus I use multiple monitors so the AVP doesn't help there.

And the 100 foot screen idea sounds great, but I sit about 3 feet from a 32" monitor and I already have to move my head and eyes around to see everything. So a 100 foot screen, the AVP would have to make me feel like I'm (1200"/32")^.5*3 feet = 18+ feet away. And it's still the same resolution so it's not like I can see more.

I could say I could use it in a hotel, but honestly, after 12 hours on a screen all day, I don't think I'm that excited for more screen.

I do a lot of facetime with my little kids when I'm on the road ... but I'd want to see them in real life and I'm sure I'd want them to see real life me so I can't use it for that.

The spatial vidoes seem cool... except no one that would send me ones have the right iPhone.

I have two little kids and a demanding job... I don't play any games nor watch a lot of movies all by myself.

Ultimately, this feels like when I bought the first gen iPad. If you are mostly creating content, probably a computer is going to be easier. If you consume a lot of content - alone - that this may be for you short of the potential comfort issue. I feel like the only thing I'll be missing is talking to my friends that get one and talk about it...

 

[sphark]

AVP screams gen 1 product. The headset weight, battery, software (keyboard), third party app support, and price.

Count me in 5 years from now when all the above are thoroughly resolved.

All VR keyboards are the same. How exactly would you expect a non-material keyboard to work? Just curious.

Also, speech recognition is improving rapidly, and it's already been pretty good.

 

[topmounter]

If theres one thing I hate, it’s enjoying movies with friends and loved ones.

I’ve already started tormenting my not-a-techie wife with the prospect of matching AVP headsets as an anniversary gift so we can spend more ‘Tim Cook Style Quality Time’ together. Let the kids have the iPads!

 

[gerald.d]

And even for that you’d need at least 8K 360 degree recordings. Everything else looks like a horrible mess and probably bad for your eyes in the long run as well

8K 360 degree video has been around since 2015. I should know. I created the first one ever uploaded, and it had to be down-rezzed from 12K because it wasn't possible to upload 12K to YouTube.

(for some reason YouTube now have this only available in 4K, no idea why)

 

[Jensend]

So excuses are already being made? Thought it was "Apple comes to market later than the competition, but always improves upon the things their competitors got wrong..." What happened to that?

I would fully expect Apple to overcome the top complaint for "All VR headsets". If they cannot, then the only discernible difference between AVP and the others is the Apple logo and the walled garden. Sure, there may be other notable refinements, but they don't do much good if the user can't stand to wear the thing.

Guess the short battery life is a blessing. No one will want to wear it longer than the battery will last anyway.

I actually was disappointed (and still am) that it wasn’t smaller when I saw the initial reveal.
Given that I knew it was the same size as the Quest 3 and used a cloth headband, I expected reviews to mention discomfort.

I’m not preordering the Vision Pro, and I’m unlikely to buy the first iteration for two reasons: comfort, and lack of controllers and the kinds of apps that rely on controllers. Maybe hand tracking is so good that I wouldn’t need controllers for those apps, but Apple hasn’t shown any apps like that.

I spent $2500 for my first VR system, when I include the price of the computer, so I’m not against spending quite a bit of money, but it needs to offer more than better resolution and contrast for movies than a $500 VR device, especially when that $500 can do a lot of other fun stuff that I haven’t seen the Vision Pro do.

 

[topmounter]

I think like many I am interested in this product. I have the money to spend on it, but I just don't know how I'd use it after the "wow" factor.

I have a Macbook Pro I use on the road and for messages etc. But I have to use a PC for my work do to Intel Windows only software. Plus I use multiple monitors so the AVP doesn't help there.

And the 100 foot screen idea sounds great, but I sit about 3 feet from a 32" monitor and I already have to move my head and eyes around to see everything. So a 100 foot screen, the AVP would have to make me feel like I'm (1200"/32")^.5*3 feet = 18+ feet away. And it's still the same resolution so it's not like I can see more.

I could say I could use it in a hotel, but honestly, after 12 hours on a screen all day, I don't think I'm that excited for more screen.

I do a lot of facetime with my little kids when I'm on the road ... but I'd want to see them in real life and I'm sure I'd want them to see real life me so I can't use it for that.

The spatial vidoes seem cool... except no one that would send me ones have the right iPhone.

I have two little kids and a demanding job... I don't play any games nor watch a lot of movies all by myself.

Ultimately, this feels like when I bought the first gen iPad. If you are mostly creating content, probably a computer is going to be easier. If you consume a lot of content - alone - that this may be for you short of the potential comfort issue. I feel like the only thing I'll be missing is talking to my friends that get one and talk about it...

I’m in a similar boat with regards to family and work and (disposable income aside) I don’t think we’re the target demographic for this thing. The key word you mentioned is ‘alone’.

And wasn’t the 100’ virtual desktop the promise of every new VR headset since (at least) the first-gen Occulus / Valve headsets?

 

[rchornef]

Getting flashbacks….. 😂

Never saw blotter acid looked like that. . .

 

[spinedoc77]

If the foveated rendering works well, it won't necessarily have to render more pixels even with its higher resolution.

Well the Quest 3 also has foveated rendering but it still has a performance ceiling. Maybe Apple can be more aggressive with the increased resolution as from what I understand the Quest 3's foveated rendering isn't great, but I haven't seen it myself. I'm not sure if the Quest 3 has eye tracking foveated rendering or just fixed fr (I'm assuming it's fixed because there is no eye tracking), but the Quest Pro does, so maybe that will be a differentiating factor for Apple. Still, foveated rendering is a help but it's not a panacea and the VP has a much higher resolution to render even if using the technique.

Might be interesting to compare the VP to the Quest Pro, although the Pro has a slightly lower resolution and only uses the Snapdragon XR Gen 1 compared to the Quest 3, it would still be interesting to see the performance difference with eye tracked fr.

 

[Realityck]

And the 100 foot screen idea sounds great, but I sit about 3 feet from a 32" monitor and I already have to move my head and eyes around to see everything. So a 100 foot screen, the AVP would have to make me feel like I'm (1200"/32")^.5*3 feet = 18+ feet away. And it's still the same resolution so it's not like I can see more.

True. Its not like you can adjust your virtual seating position to be more favorable then real life with the same size displays and resolution. Apple's marketing is just being clever. It's just a substitution as headset for a great TV setup. The AVP will never duplicate a good multi-channel lossless audio system with full range speakers.

 

[smulji]

First minute of this clip sums up Vision Pro. "Too heavy on the head, too expensive..."

 

[Jensend]

I’m in a similar boat with regards to family and work and (disposable income aside) I don’t think we’re the target demographic for this thing. The key word you mentioned is ‘alone’.

And wasn’t the 100’ virtual desktop the promise of every new VR headset since (at least) the first-gen Occulus / Valve headsets?

No.
The initial modern VR headsets from Oculus and HTC (and pretty much any current headset) didn't have the resolution or optical quality to make that a feasible use case. I briefly pull up my desktop while I'm doing other things in VR, but I wouldn't wear my current VR headset, the Valve Index, specifically to use desktop apps.

 

[mosesvii]

Right especially after such an “orchestrated” demo. That’s pretty sad. This really is a product in desperate/ pathetic search of a problem.

A pathetic search for a problem? Speak for yourself. I can't find a 400" TV in my loungeroom. I need that problem solved, stat.

While there appear to be some issues, the nearly overwhelming response from people who have tried it is that videos look amazing in it. Sign me up!

 

[Jensend]

Well the Quest 3 also has foveated rendering but it still has a performance ceiling. Maybe Apple can be more aggressive with the increased resolution as from what I understand the Quest 3's foveated rendering isn't great, but I haven't seen it myself. I'm not sure if the Quest 3 has eye tracking foveated rendering or just fixed fr (I'm assuming it's fixed because there is no eye tracking), but the Quest Pro does, so maybe that will be a differentiating factor for Apple. Still, foveated rendering is a help but it's not a panacea and the VP has a much higher resolution to render even if using the technique.

Might be interesting to compare the VP to the Quest Pro, although the Pro has a slightly lower resolution and only uses the Snapdragon XR Gen 1 compared to the Quest 3, it would still be interesting to see the performance difference with eye tracked fr.

The Quest 3 typically renders at lower than panel resolution even when you don't take foveated rendering into account. VR is pretty much never rendered at a ratio of 1 to 1 between rendered and physical pixels, because the rendered image has to be warped to compensate for distortion from the lenses. PC VR usually defaults to higher render resolution than the physical resolution of the displays.
You can also render different layers at different resolutions, to make text or video sharp even when the environment may be a bit soft.

The AVP may be able to offload more computation to the R1 chip that the Q3 has to do on the main Snapdragon chip.

There are a lot of variables we just don't know yet. If foveated rendering were a huge benefit, it seems likely that more lower end headsets would add eye tracking. But maybe Apple has a better method. Maybe not.

 

[Schlotkins]

I’m in a similar boat with regards to family and work and (disposable income aside) I don’t think we’re the target demographic for this thing. The key word you mentioned is ‘alone’.

And wasn’t the 100’ virtual desktop the promise of every new VR headset since (at least) the first-gen Occulus / Valve headsets?

Exactly. Alone. Maybe I'm old - and I am probably relatively old at 46 to many people on this forum - but I generally watch movies with my kids or my significant other or friends. I can't imagine us all watching on different AVPs in the same room.

 

[dampfnudel]

Yeah, the real write-off is the stock strap. Kind of damning honestly that they had to waffle back and forth on two strap designs - one that looks great in promo and one that works better for actual comfort.

I really hope this thing takes off but if I had to bet, Apple has got to be very disappointed in how today went. The main headline out of the day is that it's uncomfortable, and their Face ID scan-to-fit seems to have all but failed to correctly match users with the proper fit.

And don’t forget wrecking your hairdo.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Personally I think they’ve shown plenty of compelling use cases.
1) Utilize an effectively infinite number of floating displays, running multiple full-sized iOS and MacOS apps/games which are endlessly resizable and repositionable, in any room or while traveling.

2) Set up a standing/walking workspace that's not about rising desks or treadmills, but simply utilizing your whole space

3) View 3D assets (design prototypes, architecture, products, video game characters) in your space

4) Watch 180 Immersive Videos and 3D films in a virtual cinema, without 3D glasses that reduce clarity and brightness

5) Enjoy your photo library with 6-foot tall photos, wraparound panoramas, or 3D spatial home videos

6) Listen to Spatial Audio without headphones or earbuds

7) Replace your physical environment with a photorealistic nature environment to increase calm and focus

8) Rehearse a presentation in a virtual conference room or auditorium

9) Interact with your digital content without using controllers or physical input, e.g. while your hands are dirty cooking or doing repairs

10) Capture first-person, hands-free spatial video

11) View video conferencing participants life-size, with spatially-separated audio that makes it easier to parse crosstalk

12) Collaborate remotely, with participants' face and hands being present 3D in each other's spaces and thus able to gesticulate and reference digital content like you're physically together with a whiteboard

13) Adjust the lighting in your room, e.g. darken to focus on an image or presentation deck, or add more sunlight to improve your mood.

14) For the handicapped or others with mobility issues, control a computer with just your eyes

The first item you mention is something the system is NOT capable of. The rest of your examples were not presented by Apple and many of them are predicated on basic use cases the device isn’t capable of (only 2 hours battery life) or suited to (heavy and not suited to long term wear.)

In other words, you’re rationalizing, not sticking to what Apple presented. That’s what I’m talking about, not wild speculations.

 

[Surf Monkey]

And don’t forget wrecking your hairdo.

People laugh but that is a serious barrier for many potential customers.

 

[Surf Monkey]

It’s literally the first thing you have to do if you buy a brand new iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.
Match up the graphic on the new screen to the camera of the old phone or some such.

Not even remotely the same as putting on a headset to look at screens showing a camera feed of your hands holding your phone so that you can type on your phone screen to the headset.

I mean, it doesn’t bear up to scrutiny on any level. That isn’t a “work around,” it’s an absurdity.

 

[Rettun1]

No vr headset is good because it doesn’t give a good fov and isn’t comfortable and has to have an exact sweet spot so it never stays sharp

Damn I like my quest 2. Guess it’s not good tho

Shame

 

[Surf Monkey]

…in 2024.

Just long enough to tell everyone how it sold out in an hour and won’t be available again for months.

 

[dampfnudel]

Well if this is the best that comes from Apple’s meticulous review farming, I won’t be the least bit surprised if all the unbridled reviewers absolutely decimate the Vision Pro.

I can see many people returning their AVPs after realizing how underwhelming the experience is for the price they paid. Maybe Apple will gain valuable insights from those who decide to keep their units so the next generation AVP will be significantly better/improved.

 

[d5aqoëp]

With that Pro-hibitive price, it's gonna flop.

 

[carrrrrlos]

I feel very luke warm about this Apple product.

 

[carrrrrlos]

How immersive of an experience can these headsets truly offer if the speakers allow for external ambient noise to be heard at all times. These must be designed for a person who is mostly always alone - as every promo video/photo shows. Would be funny to see someone wearing a headset along with an AirPod Max. I couldn’t imagine sitting next to someone on the plane wearing these - you would hear what they hear.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

“But of all the VR, AR and MR headsets I’ve tried on in my career, the Apple Vision Pro is far and away the best, and easily the most thought-out.”

PS: Why are you using the same thumbnail over and over? 💀

Hence the embargo on reviews. Had to nail those preorders before the real opinions got out there.