Apple announced that U.S. customers can pre-order Vision Pro from January 19, but it's also revealed some features coming to the headset that were previously unclear.
Announced way back at WWDC 2023 in June, Apple's spatial computing headset enables users to interact with the world around them, in a mix of augmented and virtual reality.
With the launch date now confirmed for February 2, Apple's Newsroom post also revealed some tidbits about what you'll be able to do with Vision Pro, including the contents of what's in its box.
Inside the box
Once your Vision Pro arrives, you'll be greeted with a headset that has at least 256GB storage built-in, a Solo Knit Band, and a Dual Loop Band so you can work out which one fits your head best.
There's also a Light Seal and two Light Seal Cushions for the headset when it isn't in use and a Pro Cover for the front of the device. You also get a Polishing Cloth, an external battery, and a USB-C Charge Cable and Power Adapter.
Spatial gaming
Although Apple spoke about the ability to play many Arcade games on Vision Pro, one small tidbit it had yet to confirm was 'spatial gaming'. Now it's revealed a number of games, ready at launch, which will thrust you into the center of immersive gaming experiences, taking place all around you while you play.
Game Room, What the Golf?, and Super Fruit Ninja will "take advantage of the powerful capabilities of Apple Vision Pro to transform the space around players, offering unique and engaging gameplay experiences."
Whether we'll see more spatial games confirmed remains to be seen, but we've reached out to Apple to see if that will be the case once Vision Pro launches in February.
Environments
New video shows visionOS App Store pic.twitter.com/Sw1dKIaB0VJanuary 8, 2024
Showcased at WWDC 2023, Apple has confirmed which environments you'll be able to immerse yourself in once Vision Pro is made available.
Haleakalā, Joshua Tree, and Yosemite national parks, and even the surface of the Moon will be made available to 'transport' you to a different place as take a break from working on Apple's headset. A video on Apple's website also showcased its App Store, where a Disney Plus video shows users able to visit the sandy Star Wars location, Tatooine, too.
Mac Virtual Display
This feature was demoed at WWDC 2023, but nothing had been mentioned of it since — until now. Apple now explains Mac Virtual Display in one sentence: "With Mac Virtual Display, users can even bring the powerful capabilities of their Mac into Vision Pro, creating an enormous, private, and portable 4K display, ideal for pro workflows."
Say you're in a coffee house, and you've got an M2 MacBook Air, you could use Vision Pro to showcase a huge display — so you could look at documents and other apps in a bigger, virtual space.
3D movie titles
Apple announced 3D movies back at WWDC 2023, but it hasn't revealed further details until now. It confirmed in the Newsroom post that users will be able to access more than 150 3D titles — seemingly as sold-separately purchases, rather than as Apple TV Plus offerings — but stops short of confirming just what these titles are. Safe money on Avatar being in the mix, we'd say.
Personas in third-party apps
These are Apple's way of getting your face digitally in the Vision Pro, like an uncanny avatar made of 3D scans. The WWDC 2023 presentation made it appear this would be initially only available for FaceTime calls — but Apple has confirmed that you'll be able to use these in third-party apps such as Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Microsoft Teams.
Another new tidbit revealed in the Newsroom post — when someone calls a Vision Pro user, they'll see the 'Persona' from their device, but the Vision Pro recipient will see them in a small window.
ZEISS Optical Inserts prescription lens pricing
If you wear glasses, these may be an essential purchase when buying Vision Pro. Apple has confirmed that two insert lenses will be available. One will be ZEISS Optical Inserts — Readers, available for $99 for those that only require reading glasses, and ZEISS Optical Inserts — Prescription will be available for $149 for those that have more challenging eyesight needs.
These are magnetic, so you only need to place them inside Vision Pro, and they'll snap to the headset.
