Well, we have a ton of new information about Apple’s upcoming virtual reality headset.
As reported by Bloomberg, the company’s Reality Pro headset is expected to be the most powerful VR headset ever created. According to Mark Gurman, who wrote the report, Apple aims to base the headset interface primarily on iOS. People familiar with the project say that eye-tracking and hand-tracking capabilities will be the device’s main selling points.
Apparently, one of the big focuses of the headset at launch will be video conferencing capabilities, something Meta tried and failed to build momentum with the Meta Quest Pro headset. Apple’s headsets will feature what it calls “advanced FaceTime-based video conferencing and meeting rooms.”
According to the report, “The headset’s FaceTime software realistically renders a user’s face and full body in virtual reality. It makes you feel like you’re in the room, unlike Meta’s headset virtual conference room, which creates more cartoon-like avatars of tech users.”
Gurman said this level of immersion will be limited to one-on-one FaceTime calls, while Memoji will be used for group calls.
Headset switches between VR and AR
In addition to enabling some great FaceTime experiences, the headset is expected to support both virtual and augmented reality, Gurman said.
According to the report, “The device will feature a so-called digital crown, much like the Apple Watch, that allows users to switch between VR and AR. When in VR, the wearer is fully immersed in AR. When is enabled, the content fades back in. Surrounded by the user’s real environment.”
Meta’s headset supports a very basic version of augmented reality, while the Quest version is primarily used to get directions for the purpose of setting up a virtual reality experience. It seems ready to take the immersiveness of the experience to the next level. Developers will surely go crazy.
The rumored Reality Pro headset sounds like a beast, but most users will surely be turned off by the expected $3000 price tag. Yes, and we plan to release a cheaper version in 2024 or 2025 for around $1500, which everyone likes. This is the same price that Meta Quest Pro is currently doing.