Want to see the Vision Pro in action ahead of launch? Check out Apple's Guided Tour video
Happy Vision Pro release week! That’s right: you heard me right. The time to see what Apple’s first “spatial computer” is all about is almost nigh. Regardless of what the Big A wants us to call the thing, we’re still eager to see where it will fit in the best VR headsets puzzle.
The Cupertino company released a brand new ad for the Vision Pro recently too. As someone who has been following the device closely since it was announced, I really appreciated all the subtle ways through which Apple managed to highlight the Vision Pro’s most impressive features.
But then I showed the vid to my SO and she got none of it. Then it hit me: all of those highlights will only mean something to those who can understand what they mean. And just when I was about to say “Aw, man, bummer.” to myself, I saw that Apple had uploaded a video guide too.
And then it all clicked.
Of course, we’re about to break the video down together, but before we do that: I advise you to watch it too. It has that classic Apple vibe that makes it entertaining in a pseudo-corporate way. Plus, seeing the Vision Pro in — albeit, probably scripted — action was refreshing after all of the dry leaks we’ve talked about for months on end.
So, what does the video guide touch on? Here’s the gist of it:
And that’s quite a lot of things to showcase in a 10 minutes long clip. But did we learn anything new from this Guided Tour? Yes, one thing: if someone speaks to you while you are fully immersed in the Vision Pro's VR mode and you look at them, they will sort of "leak" through the Environment like a foggy memory. That's... Something!
But beyond that? We primarily got confirmations on the ways in which we suspected that certain features or apps would work, which is still neat.
The Cupertino company released a brand new ad for the Vision Pro recently too. As someone who has been following the device closely since it was announced, I really appreciated all the subtle ways through which Apple managed to highlight the Vision Pro’s most impressive features.
And then it all clicked.
Of course, we’re about to break the video down together, but before we do that: I advise you to watch it too. It has that classic Apple vibe that makes it entertaining in a pseudo-corporate way. Plus, seeing the Vision Pro in — albeit, probably scripted — action was refreshing after all of the dry leaks we’ve talked about for months on end.
- Navigation through eye-tracking, highlighting how the Vision Pro doesn’t require any controllers
- Browsing media, further emphasizing hand tracking as a control method, while showing us that panoramas and spatial videos get some extra functionality through the headset
- Watching TV and movies, which can be a big-screen, distraction-free experience set in your environment or elsewhere
- Setting up a workspace, through launching a bunch of apps and then positioning those where you see fit. Do they keep their positions when you move about though? Still unclear
- Face time with video chat and via Vision Pro Persona (which is what Apple calls your lifelike 3D avatar)
- Environments: different places that can replace your reality. Think Meta’s Home on the Quest 3, but seemingly more realistic. You can tune how much of your space these take up via the Digital Crown.
- Mac Virtual Displays: seemingly instant linking between any Mac and the Vision Pro is possible, allowing you to use the headset to set up multiple displays. This is the killer feature, if you ask me
- Experiences, which are basically interactive mixed-reality apps, at least one of which may be coming pre-packed with the Vision Pro itself and it is all about dinosaurs, which will never go out of style
And that’s quite a lot of things to showcase in a 10 minutes long clip. But did we learn anything new from this Guided Tour? Yes, one thing: if someone speaks to you while you are fully immersed in the Vision Pro's VR mode and you look at them, they will sort of "leak" through the Environment like a foggy memory. That's... Something!
So, did Apple really need to make such a video? Yes, for sure. In-store demos for the Vision Pro are planned to be available for only this weekend — over the 3rd and 4th of February — and it is unclear if that will ever happen again in the future.
Why? Well, essentially, setting up a Vision Pro for every willing tester requires giving it a unique fit, tailored to them and afterwards, the unit must be cleaned too. In other words: these tests will be quite costly, both in a financial sense and in terms of time.
Personally, I think that this Guided Tour is built around the demo narrative itself, as in: this is pretty much what you’ll experience in-store, if you go to check out the Vision Pro this weekend. And if you do: please let me know in the comments if I was right with my suspicion.
If you’ve already made up your mind and plan to get the Vision Pro regardless, then you can find everything you need to know about pre-ordering Apple’s first spatial computer here.
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