Even if you don’t get a Vision Pro, 2024 may be the year you get a VR headset. Here’s why

What the header says. And sure: VR can do loads more than just gaming. But those useful features are still widely considered as enterprise-grade.

Now, this doesn’t mean that awesome VR apps aren’t available to consumers at all. Tons of great picks for multitasking, 3D modeling or even painting are available. But, for the most part, people are still attracted to VR for the gaming capabilities.

But, honestly, the Vision Pro may change that for the first time. But more on that later.

 

Pico’s intriguing fate

If you haven’t heard about the Pico brand, then here’s what you should know:

• Headset manufacturer
• Pretty admirable software quality
• Competitive price tag
• The Pico 4 is a fan-favorite and it’s available in the west
• The company is owned by ByteDance, maker of TikTok
• Oh no

And, yeah, a lot of events transpired in the last several months related to that last one, but here’s a TL;DR version:

1. One Tencent-owned news outlet reported that Pico will be exiting the VR space
2. Pico denied the claim and promised to show a roadmap for upcoming products soon
3. ByteDance proceeded to lay off around a thousand Pico employees
4. Pico announced that since VR isn’t making it a lot of money, it will focus on making VR headsets(???)
5. Tencent announced a partnership with Meta for a budget-friendly VR headset. Oh no II: oh god!
6. Point 4 still doesn’t make sense, so Pico clarified that it’s going to make a headset to compete with the Vision Pro

So, yes: the company with just several devices under its belt, that just let go of most of its staff, announced its intentions to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro.

And, I know how this sounds — and I swear I don’t drink during work hours — but this makes sense. I mean, we’ll talk about Apple’s plans later in this article, but what you need to know is this:

No one is brave enough to tap into the same niche. Everyone is patiently waiting to see how Apple does first. And Pico? Well, it’s not like the brand has much more left to lose, right? So targeting the only niche which no one else actually is targeting makes a ton of sense.

Now, how the entire thing may play out is a completely different story, but it will certainly be interesting to follow.

A future where Meta and Tencent are partners

What, did you think that I’m not going to talk about the most insane thing from the list above?

Why is it insane? Well, because Tencent — a.k.a. the company that owns the companies that own Fortnite and League of Legends, and more — had a hand to play when Meta’s services like Facebook and Instagram became banned in China.

But now the turntables have turned. In the later half of 2023, we heard a lot of rumors surrounding a budget-friendly headset from Meta, but personally: I didn’t see any of them suggest the idea of this Meta x Tencent partnership.

Of course, the duo will be a force to be reckoned with. Tencent’s involvement may lead to some of the world’s most profitable franchises joining the biggest library of VR apps and games, owned by Meta. Oh, and all of that, at a record-low price.

With no plans to restrict the headset to the Eastern markets, by the way.

The idea makes for an absolutely irresistible deal, especially given that gaming is still the center of VR culture. But could something like this derail Apple’s plans? Well… Honestly, that’s up in the air for now.

Vision Pro: a new frontier for XR?

Okay, I’ve been teasing you with it all article long. What’s Apple’s big secret?

Well, it’s simple really: the Big A is not doing what everyone else is doing.

Right now, headsets are either:

• Consumer-oriented, allowing enthusiasts of all budgetary backgrounds to enjoy VR gaming and entertainment
• Enterprise-focused, allowing the real pros to shape and improve humanity’s future in ways that we will probably never even see

But here’s the deal: unless you’re aiming to get a higher-end headset for gaming simulators, such as the Pimax Crystal, consumer headsets won’t break the bank. Enterprise headsets on the other hand have insane asking prices, often exceeding the five digit mark. And that’s without the annual support feels. Which are mandatory.

So in that context, does the Vision Pro’s hefty price tag still seem insane? Because, for it, you get:

• All of what consumer-grade headsets offer
• Access to Apple’s ecosystem
• Pro-grade features that aren’t super-cutting-edge, but will still enable loads of enthusiasts and high-end workers to utilize XR to work in new and exciting ways

Also, did you notice how during the headset’s showcase, Apple didn’t put any emphasis on gaming? Well, that’s because the Vision Pro may actually be the first productivity-oriented consumer-grade headset. I mean, of course it will allow you to play games. But the point is that this is no longer the selling point, which is a first for the industry.

Oh, and let’s not forget: regardless of whether you want to admit it or not, one of VR’s biggest issues is the user-experience (UX) that the tech often offers. To someone who’s new to the technology, the UX can be abysmal.

Which may or may not explain why VR hasn’t blown up yet as much as smartphones have.

But having mentioned phones, can you think of a company that’s made UX one of its selling points? Because you can’t really talk about human-centric design without mentioning Apple for a very good reason.

Yes, the Vision Pro’s announcement sent resounding vibrations across the entire XR industry. But depending on how well Apple plays its cards, the release of the thing could change the entire industry itself. And we all get to see that happen in 2024.

2024: a very exciting year for VR!

Now that you’ve seen the bigger picture, all in one place, you can see that the status of the XR industry isn’t exactly complicated, but it isn’t easy to explain or follow along either. Sure, you may not agree with me on all points, but this was just me trying to give you a better idea of where we’re at.

But regardless of if you agree with me or not, one thing is for sure: 2024 is going to be an insane year for XR. Not only because we’re destined to see some of the coolest tech to come out in years, but also because the way we view the technology may change completely moving forward.

Who knows? We may be better for it. And I can’t wait to find out.