“You gotta face reality. That part of your life, it’s ending. And what I’m offering you is a beginning. But if you can’t find a way to trust me…then, yes, you are alone.”
No, this isn’t something the Apple Vision Pro said to me as I watched the heart-wrenching episode 8 of The Last of Us. It’s a quote from David, a preacher who was trying to convince Ellie to join his cause. The twist to this quote I'd make with the Vision Pro is that if you trust it, then you're truly alone.
I’ve been thinking about this part of the episode since I watched it through the Vision Pro headset over the weekend. I had an hour or two to kill and had fallen way behind on The Last of Us season 1, so what better way to catch up then through the immersive Max app on Apple’s headset?
The Vision Pro is certainly offering a new beginning when it comes to entertainment. But every time I wear it for an extended period of time, I feel cut off from the world around me.
But let’s start with the positives. While I wish there were more Environment options in the Max app, I liked that I could choose the Iron Throne Room as my backdrop for watching The Last of Us. It’s like dread upon dread, and the video player itself looked movie theater-sized to my eyes as I leaned back on the sofa and took in the brutally cold hellscape that Ellie had to navigate to hunt for some food.
Within the first 10 minutes, I got pulled out of the action as I felt my golden retriever started sniffing my hand and jumped up on the couch. Normally if I’m watching TV, he’ll just lay next to me but I think he was a bit freaked out by the Vision Pro’s snow goggle-like design and wanted to make sure I was okay. Eventually he settled down, but I was feeling a bit guilty going back into the episode.
With the Vision Pro, you’re there but not there.
As I got sucked in again to The Last of Us, I noticed how good the sound was through the Vision Pro, as I could hear the footsteps of a deer cracking a branch on the left side of the screen. This is Spatial Audio at work.
I felt completely immersed in the episode again, until my partner asked where I was. She was in the kitchen baking, and I was in the dining room — normally she could just hear the TV from the other room and know whether I was downstairs or not. But even though I was in the next room, she had no idea. With the Vision Pro, you’re there but not there.
I responded and then tried to finish the episode. Without trying to give too much away — in case you haven’t watched it yet — the Vision Pro delivered a crisp and smooth picture all the way through — even when Ellie fends off her attacker in a nearly blind but very justified rage. I felt like I was in the abandoned restaurant as it burned around Ellie and as she escaped and reunited with Joel, I felt a sense of relief. Relived that she was safe but also relieved I could make it through 51 minutes of amazing television with only 2 interruptions.
Would I want to use the Vision Pro again to watch the finale and The Last of Us Season 2? I think so, but I may have to hole myself up in my bedroom to do it. Or announce to the household I'm about to go Vision Pro-ing. Both of which are weird things to do, I know. And that's why I keep going back to that quote from the pseudo-preacher David.
Yes, the Vision Pro has social features in it, such as the ability to FaceTime with your Persona with others. And people can still see a digital copy of your eyes on the outside of the headset. But, for better or for worse, you are truly alone when you’re knee-deep in a movie or show on the Vision Pro. And I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that.
