Apple’s Vision Pro is revolutionary in many ways. Its specs and comfort levels are enough to make it a leading headset in the VR gaming world. However, its lack of controllers and the fact Apple doesn’t seem to care about VR gaming will likely hold it back.
At WWDC 2023, Apple finally gave the world its first official glimpse of the “Vision Pro,” a high-end headset designed to shake up the mixed-reality market. The Vision Pro ticks many “Apple Product” boxes: it’s expensive, highly polished, and packed with high-end tech. But how is it for gaming?
Games were certainly mentioned during Apple’s presentation—but this may not be a gaming headset in a traditional sense. While it certainly has the hardware to provide a great gaming experience, there’s a suggestion that Apple may be targeting a different market.
There are also other factors to consider—including the price tag. The Vision Pro’s $3,500 starting price is likely to put a lot of people off, especially gamers who have VR options at less than a tenth of the price. The potentially low uptake may prevent game developers from porting their titles to Apple’s visionOS. Still, gaming is a possibility on the Vision Pro, and here’s what it’s likely to look like based on the information we have so far.
The Vision Pro Is Not a Gaming Headset
Based on the glimpses we’ve had so far, the Vision Pro is in no way a gaming headset. The main focus seems to be work, with Apple’s augmented reality effort shaping up to be everything Mark Zuckerberg wanted from the Quest Pro in terms of productivity. It’s basically designed to be a Mac you can strap to your face.
Arguably, the Vision Pro’s entertainment features aren’t even gaming-focused. Instead, Apple put a major emphasis on the fact you can watch movies on a very large, very detailed virtual screen. Gaming did feature—but as more of an additional aspect than anything else.
While the work focus may be upsetting for a lot of VR power users, it does make sense. For most people with an interest in VR gaming, there’s no way they’re going to part with $3,500 for the Vision Pro when you can essentially pick any other headset on the market and a gaming PC for the same price. Most will just buy a Quest 2; the success of Meta’s most popular headset proves cheap really works when it comes to the gaming market.
People will pay north of $3,000 for a MacBook, though. And that’s what the Vision Pro is being marketed as. A MacBook with a new interface. It’s a tool, not a distraction. Apple knows its customer base well, and has obviously made a calculated risk with its first attempt at an AR headset.
There Are No Controllers
In terms of interface, the Vision Pro is cutting-edge in many departments. Its eye tracking is so good it can be used as a navigational tool, and its external cameras allow hand tracking. Apple has always been a company that ditches whatever it sees as unnecessary. We saw it with the headphone jack, and before that, we saw it with most cellphone buttons.
During WWDC, the company’s leading AR/VR developer, Mike Rockwell, described handheld VR controllers as “clumsy.” As a result, there are no controllers for Apple’s Vision Pro. Apple appears to have no intention of developing any, and support for third-party controllers is not being provided.
This isn’t the end of the world. Apple’s headset isn’t the only device with hand tracking; it’s been a feature on the Quest for years and other brands like HTC have it, too. As far as games are concerned, there are many with hand-tracking support, and some are even entirely built around the concept. But there are still plenty of others that don’t support the feature and would be difficult, if not impossible, to adapt.
2D Games Are a Big Part of the 3D Headset
While you may not be able to use a set of Index controllers with the Vision Pro, you can certainly use a standard gamepad. Sepcifically, a PlayStation controller was shown during the Vision Pro unveiling. But theoretically, any Bluetooth-capable gamepad should work.
The games themselves, or at least some of them, are going to come from Apple Arcade—Apple’s gaming subscription service. We don’t know which games will be compatible with the Vision Pro at this time, but the person in the demo seemed to be playing NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition, so you can expect that at the very least.
As with other entertainment options, the Vision Pro will aloow you to resize your “screen” to a size that suits you. So your NBA 2K23 game can appear court-sized if you really want it to. There’s also a chance other streaming services will show up. Xbox Game Pass is currently available in the App Store, and works on iPhone. Xbox Cloud gaming also works on Macs. So it’s not unreasonable to think you’ll be able to use this and similar services on the Vision Pro following its launch.
The External Battery May Be a Problem
Wireless headsets are absolute game-changers in the VR and AR world. While early headsets had to be tethered to a PC, you can now buy completely standalone devices that don’t require a wire to operate. But wireless headsets also need a way of powering themselves, as they can’t draw power down a wire like tethered devices.
Apple has made a notable design choice with the Vision Pro’s battery by opting for an external unit on the end of a cable that users can tuck into a pocket. This cuts weight from the headset itself and, as the battery is one of the heaviest parts, it could make a major difference when it comes to comfort. However, there is also a downside to this choice.
The Meta Quest comes with a built-in battery, and charges via a USB-C port. If the battery is getting low, a power source can be plugged into this USB-C port to keep things going. This power source doesn’t have to be a PC, and many users have extended their play sessions by connecting a power bank to the headset.
But the Vision Pro’s power wire goes straight to the battery. You can probably purchase an additional battery and swap them out without having to wait for a recharge. You can also plug a laptop or charger directly into the power wire and use the Vision Pro like a tethered headset. But there doesn’t seem to be a way to attach an alternate power source while the battery remains in place. Unless Apple has a trick up its sleeve, then it’s likely you’ll have to power down the headset to connect an alternate power source. As the device has a two-hour battery life, this is pretty bad news.
There’s Still a Ton of Potential
In terms of raw specs, the sky really is the limit with the Apple Vision Pro. The fact it is being powered by Apple’s M2 chip really does mean it’s basically a laptop on your face. Beyond that, the display, which contains “more pixels than a 4K TV, per eye,” is likely enough to eliminate the screen door effect completely.
Apple’s highly advanced eye-tracking system could be used for foveated rendering. This process only renders the objects your eye is actually focused on in high resolution, and could make the M2’s already immense power stretch even further. If the Vision Pro’s sole focus was gaming, then Apple’s new headset would knock it out of the park.
On the controller front, it’s too early to write everything off entirely. Yes, there is no support for third-party controllers, and if those controllers use infra-red tracking you’re probably completely out of luck. But there is a reasonable chance that controllers with their own inside-out tracking, like the ones that come with the Quest Pro, may work in some capacity. Add in the ability to connect with a VR-capable PC (and the broad library of games that comes with one) and you may be able to turn the Vision Pro into a dedicated gaming headset. Whether you’d be prepared to pay $3,500 for a tethered PCVR headset is an entirely different matter.
