Tech enthusiasts finally got what they were waiting for at Apple’s WWDC 2023. This major event saw the launch of the long-rumoured mixed-reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. But what is it? Will it replace the VR headsets we are currently used to? Can you game on it? These are the questions we’re here to ask.
What is the Vision Pro?
Unlike your traditional VR Headset, the Vision Pro is Apple’s attempt to revolutionise your life by freeing you from a screen and seamlessly blending the real and digital worlds. By mixing the virtual world and reality, the Vision Pro creates digital content superimposed on your surroundings using “spatial computing”. In layman’s terms, this means Augmented Reality, but still, this could be the most advanced piece of consumer tech we have seen to date.
But What Does the Vision Pro Replace in Your Home?
Well, according to Apple, the Vision Pro can replace:
· Your monitors
· Your TV
· Your sound system
We can only comment on the headset replacing your monitors once we have further details on how the Vision Pro works with other devices (knowing Apple, it will probably be their products only). But when it comes to replacing your TV, the Vision Pro might have a good shot at it, with conformations of apps designed for the headset, such as Disney+ and Netflix, plus the inclusion of “Cinema Mode”, which puts your video content on a virtual screen on a wall in front of you. The joy of this is that you can move to increase the size of your screen, making the content as immersive as possible and personalise it to your viewing taste.
Next up, Apple claimed this headset could replace your sound system with built-in sound pods, including “Dual-driver audio pods positioned next to each ear deliver personalised sound while letting you hear what’s around you. Ambient Spatial Audio makes sounds feel like they’re coming from your surroundings. And with audio raytracing, Vision Pro analyses your room’s acoustic properties — including the physical materials — to adapt and match sound to your space”. For us gamers, Apple has created audio raytracing in real-time, creating an even more immersive environment.
Whilst Apple may claim the Vision Pro could replace these devices, in reality, unless you live alone, we don’t see it replacing all of those appliances in your house (unless you’re willing to splash the cash for one for each family member).
The Real Question, Can You Game on the Vision Pro?
Currently, it’s a yes and no answer. While Apple has revealed that you can play the Apple Arcade on the Vision Pro, they have yet to mention whether you could use it with your PC or even play 3rd party games. Apple also announced its new porting tool in some good news for Gaming fans. They are trying to entice developers to port their games to work on Apple products so that the future may be bright for us Gamers.
Price and Specs
Price
First off, the Vision Pro comes with an eye-watering launch price of $3,499 (more than likely £3499 after VAT), which literary got an audible gasp during the event. Whilst this price seems high, the technology in this device is revolutionary. It could be worth it if it replaces all the devices that Apple claims.
Specs
The headset is powered by two chips, Apple’s M2 chip and a new custom-made R1 chip. Apple says the R1 chip was designed to process information from its sensors in less time than the blink of an eye (12ms). The M2 chip handles all computing power, such as apps and processes, whilst the R1 chip controls the 12 Cameras that track eye and hand movement.
In addition to these chips, Apple has included 4K micro-OLED displays (one per eye) with roughly 23 million pixels each. In comparison, the Vision Pro can fit 64 pixels in the same space as a single pixel on the iPhone’s screen. These screens combat what is known as the Screen door effect; this happens when your eyes are too close to the screen, and you can see in between pixels; this problem has plagued most current VR headsets.
The Vision Pro will run on VisionOS (an OS specially designed for the headset). This OS links your headset to your iPad, iPhone and Mac to create a seamless workflow between devices. Like most headsets, the Vision Pro will work with an external battery pack with a two-hour capacity and connect to the device through a snap-on cable. After its release, Apple will likely introduce a bigger battery, and you know if they don’t, a 3rd party will.
Could you Build a VR Gaming Setup for Cheaper?
So what do you do? Do you buy the Vision Pro or build your own setup? I have assembled one of our VR-ready systems to see what you could get for the same price.
VR ready system
Case: Corsair 5000D
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-13700KF
CPU Cooler: CyberpowerPC MasterLiquid Lite 360 Liquid Cooling System
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI
M.2 SSD: 2TB Kingston NV2 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5/5600mhz Corsair Vengeance Memory
Graphics Card: GeForce® RTX 4080 16GB
Power Supply: Corsair RM850X
Cost £2655 (at the time of writing this)
VR headset
Now that you have a PC lined up, a VR headset is the next option. The most popular currently is the Meta Quest 2. Coming in at £299 (when writing this) for the 128 GB model, the Quest 2 is where you get your best bang for your buck, especially when you realise you don’t need a PC to run the headset. While you don’t need a PC to use the Quest 2, it improves your experience tenfold. The ability to play all of your favourite games from your preferred launchers and also the ability to mod your games to be able to play them in VR is a massive upgrade over just owning a Quest 2.
This setup comes in at £2954 without your monitors and keyboard, but you still have over £500 for the rest of your setup. This budget could buy you some of the best peripherals on the market and a semi-decent monitor.
Overall, Vision Pro is looking to revolutionise consumer tech whilst the price tag is high. The technological breakthrough is incredible, but is it worth it for Gamers? Currently, no; with the lack of game ports paired with the price tag, it is worth Gamers buying a PC and an accompanying VR headset to get the most enjoyment from their money. This may all change in the future with the announcement of the Apple Port tool for developers. Once hands-on reviews are released, we might discover that the Vision Pro is the future of gaming. If you would like to purchase a PC for VR gaming check out our range of Prebuilt Systems or configure your own custom PC using our website.