Reviews have begun dropping for Apple’s new–and very expensive–spatial computing headset, the Apple Vision Pro. A $3,500 device designed to provide both VR and augmented reality experiences to users, the high-tech device will be available starting February 2. But is it worth its high price tag when there are more affordable–albeit far less advanced and singularly focused–alternatives available in the VR space?
According to reviews, the Apple Vision Pro is a technical marvel but one that still has room for improvement. Some ideas are incredibly well executed and the Vision Pro works seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, but there’s an overall feeling that the headset is still a product reserved for a niche audience of VR and AR enthusiasts.
Overall, if you have too much cash burning a hole in your pocket and you want to turn your living room into a private cinema or an internet browser inspired by the user interface of Minority Report, this might just be the headset for you. For everyone else? The Apple Vision Pro is an exciting glimpse of the future according to critics, but one that remains out of reach for a lot of people.
- Hardware: Apple Vision Pro
- Platforms: iOS
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Release Date: February 2
- Price: $3,500
The Verge – 7/10
“The goal is for the Vision Pro to be a complete device that can sit right alongside the Mac and the iPad in Apple’s ecosystem of devices and let you get real work done. You can use Excel and Webex and Slack in the Vision Pro, and you can also sit back and watch movies and TV shows on a gigantic virtual 4K HDR display. And you can mirror your Mac’s display and just use the Vision Pro to look at a huge monitor floating in virtual space. It sounds amazing, and sometimes it is. But the Vision Pro also represents a series of really big tradeoffs–tradeoffs that are impossible to ignore.” — Nilay Patel [Full review]
CNET – 7.8/10
“Will the Vision Pro be the first step toward modern spatial computing in mixed reality as we know it from now on? Maybe. What really makes Vision Pro seem futuristic isn’t the display or the apps, it’s the input. Eyes and hands. Other headsets have eye tracking and hand tracking, but none have the combination working as smoothly, subtly and intuitively as Vision Pro. But it’s not the final version. Haptics is a missing piece, being able to feel feedback like on a phone or watch or with game controllers. I want more precise controls in 3D space, something fully multifunctional. — Scott Stein [Full review]
Tom’s Guide – 4/5
“The Apple Vision Pro is a truly amazing product that delivers futuristic eye and hand-tracking interface along with breathtaking 3D video and truly impressive AR apps. It’s also a magical way to extend your Mac. But there’s some early performance bugs that need to be worked out, the battery can get in the way, and Digital Persona is a bit creepy and needs work.” — Mark Spoonauer [Full review]
CNBC
“You’ll definitely love it for movies. I think a lot of people will also really enjoy being able to read the news and browse the web while having a huge TV screen open and lounging on their couch. Some may find they can work in it. I did. It’s fun. Apple’s real opportunity will materialize when it finds a way to mass produce the Vision Pro at closer to $2,000, or less. Until then, it may be a niche product. But the experience blows everything else out of the water. It’s Apple’s most exciting product in years and it’s the best example yet that this will become a new way of computing.” — Todd Haselton [Full review]