I’m sitting back on my sofa and watching the first 15 minutes of Oppenheimer on the Apple Vision Pro, and then it hits me. Well, actually, my son’s arm hits me. He wanted to watch the movie that I was streaming privately on the equivalent on a 100-foot screen.
Mesmerized by the colliding particles swirling around in Oppenheimer’s electric visions and the distinct sparks coming through the Vision Pro’s audio pods in surround-sound like Spatial Audio, I wondered if I would ever need to go to the movies again. And then I let my 16-year-old son take a turn in the Vision Pro and he got lost in the film, too. We ultimately decided to watch it together on a plain-old 65-inch Samsung QLED TV. And I have to say I was disappointed — not in the movie but the presentation.
The Apple Vision Pro is obscenely expensive, but if you do have the disposable income to splurge on it, one of the biggest selling points is clearly entertainment. You can kick back and enjoy a movie with incredible detail beamed into your eyes, complete with a movie-theater-like Environment to set the mood. It’s like being at the cinema, minus the sticky floors.
I gave the Vision Pro another crack when I had more time to myself, and this time I watched a movie in 3D. This is not the same clunky and chintzy 3D glasses experience you typically get at the local multiplex. Remember that the Vision Pro headset is specifically tuned to the shape of your face (thanks to the Light Seal) and your eyes (in my case, using readers inserts).
When the Black Panther issued his rallying cry of “Yibambe!” I could see the sweat beads on the side of his head.
Using the Disney+ app, I launched one of my favorite movies of all time, ‘Avengers Infinity War.' I fast forwarded right to my favorite parts to see how they played in 3D,blown away when I saw Captain America reunite with Bucky on Wakanda ahead of the big invasion. As they embraced there was a depth to the characters I never noticed before. When the Black Panther issued his rallying cry of “Yibambe!” I could see the sweat beads on the side of his head.
I was also floored when I saw a bunch of heroes try to take down Thanos on Titan. As Thanos’ eyes glazed over under Mantis’ spell, I got so drawn into the swirling animations and his pain-filled yell that I forgot where I was.
In other words, you will be immersed in movies like you’ve never been before — short of bringing an IMAX to your living room. Plus, you can pick special Environments as the backdrop for your very own big screen, such as The Avengers Tower. And as you begin movie playback the day will turn to night around you, setting the mood. FWIW, it would take 160 IMAX tickets at $21.85 a pop to pay for the Vision Pro.
You will be immersed in movies like you’ve never been before — short of bringing an IMAX to your living room.
At last count, there were over 40 3D movies available through the Disney+ Vision Pro app — including everything from the Star Wars series and ‘Avatar’ to ‘The Little Mermaid.’ And there are hundreds of more 3D movies available through the Apple TV+ app on Vision Pro. These include ‘Mission Impossible — Fallout,’ ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ ‘Dune,’ and more.
Do I think the movie experience on the Vision Pro is worth $3,500? Definitely not by itself. But I promise you that if you give this headset a shot and see just a few minutes of a 3D movie through it, you’ll wish you had one.
