By Viewpointsystem Editorial Team
The Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s first headset, has made quite a splash upon its market debut – from spine-tingling commercials and enthusiastic reviews to sharp critiques. But what’s the real feel of the Apple Vision Pro? Just before the sales launch in Germany, France, and beyond, our team put it through its paces, examining especially the eye tracking feature pivotal for control and navigation. Here’s what we found.
Nestled in layers of protective covers on our office table (because let’s face it, its hefty price tag demands cautious handling), the Apple Vision Pro is new, shiny, and notably heavy – a feature our testers quickly noticed. Apple aficionados found it intuitive to operate and navigate the device, mastering the eye and hand tracking interplay after just a brief introduction. And then, there you are, face-to-snout with a T-Rex – breathtaking!
The sound experience is just what it promises: an experience. You can almost feel the sound down your spine, like in a movie theater. However, our colleagues in the office were forced to share this experience as the external noise cancellation was somewhat underwhelming.
Almost none of us felt any “motion sickness”, a remarkable achievement compared to other VR/MR headsets. The razor-sharp images and immersive video content really make it feel like you’re stepping into another world.
“Spatial Anchoring” is a hit: You can open several apps and anchor them anywhere in the room. Imagine positioning a Netflix screen in front of your sofa or a recipe app floating in your kitchen. This is what Apple means by “Spatial Computing”, making the virtual feel decidedly real.
The headset’s eye tracking is quite precise and intuitive, although slight deviations were observed when aiming at targets. These aspects could be optimized, especially in the peripheral areas of the field of vision and in changing light conditions.
Is it fun to use the Apple Vision Pro? Absolutely. But after 30 minutes, most of us just want to take it off. The headset’s weight becomes significantly noticable, pressing down like the world upon Atlas’s shoulders. Indeed, 90% of our team flagged the weight as a significant drawback.
Conclusion: While the visual immersion is captivating, the Apple Vision Pro’s weight and ergonomics leave room for improvement. Few could endure a full movie or a work session in this setup.
With the pivot from traditional controls to eye and hand tracking, Apple is setting a new standard for interfaces. While eye tracking has had more of a supporting role in the XR area until now, the Apple Vision Pro showcases the enormous potential of intuitive, seamless interaction through eye tracking.
Despite ergonomic gripes, the Apple Vision Pro paints a promising picture of augmented reality’s future. Blending precise eye tracking with sleek design paves the way for exciting advancements.
