Apple Vision Pro has many jaw-dropping features that might take a while for society to fully wrap its head around. No feature is more eye-catching (pun intended) than the Vision Pro’s EyeSight display, which shows a recreation of your eyes on the outside of the mixed reality headset.
Since the Vision Pro’s reveal at WWDC 2023, no feature has prompted more debate with those who find EyeSight incredibly terrifying and those who think it’s a genuinely cool feature that makes the headset more human.
With the launch of Apple Vision Pro on February 2 fast approaching, here’s everything you need to know about EyeSight, from what the feature does to how it does it.
What is EyeSight on Vision Pro?
EyeSight, not to be confused with iSight (Apple’s name for front-facing cameras in many of its devices), is a revolutionary display that aims to make Vision Pro more approachable and friendly than other AR/VR headsets on the market.
Apple says EyeSight helps you “remain connected to those around you” by revealing your eyes on the external display when you start a conversation with someone in the real world. The display will change to reveal your eyes when someone approaches, allowing you to simultaneously see the person you are speaking to as well as show them your eyes for a more natural conversation.
EyeSight also gives security and privacy to everyone around you by letting them know when you’re using specific apps and what you’re focused on. Apple says the display “includes a visual indicator that makes it clear to others when a user is capturing a spatial photo or video,” so you’ll always know if someone is recording.
From initial hands-on with the device, 9to5Mac said, “When the Apple employee was using an app, a blue gradient appeared on the external display to signal to people they were actively focused on something. When they went into a fully immersed environment, a moving gradient similar to the top of a HomePod appeared. As I approached the person and they started talking, their “eyes” broke through.”
It’s all rather odd and will either impress those who get to try Vision Pro or become one of the most awkward features, trying to create a human connection in the most artificial way possible.
How does EyeSight on Vision Pro work?
When I first saw EyeSight, I, like many others, assumed the Vision Pro’s external display either had the ability to turn translucent or internal cameras were showing the user’s eyes on the outside of the headset. In actual fact, both of those presumptions are wrong: EyeSight shows a representation of your persona, a 3D avatar you create when setting up the device.
EyeSight then mimics what your eyes do inside the headset and recreates it digitally on the external display of the Vision Pro. While we’ve not had the chance to try out Vision Pro yet, it’ll be very interesting to see if these digital eyes are able to capture what makes human eyes so captivating to begin with.
You can preorder Vision Pro from 5 am PT on January 19 and will start shipping on February 2. The mixed reality spatial computing headset will only be available in the United States at launch, starting at $3,499.
