this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2024
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Oh hey, it’s that time again. Copy-pasting from the last time around…
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Because the price is always the main topic, I’m gonna drop a link to an AR/VR expert contextualizing the Vision Pro price within the current (well, 7 months ago) market:
Apple Just Beat the “BEST VR Headset In the WORLD”.. and did it cheaper.
It feels very much like most stuff that's likely to be developed for it will have the feel of "museum exhibit at home" or AR-ified iOS app.
The inability to use any controller is going to lose them a lot of latency and precision sensitive usecases. It is very Apple to make it totally standalone, but it's going to cost them a fair bit.
A lot of real time remote control usecases will be impossible for latency issues alone, it won't be a good solution in most multiuser environments (both due to no relative tracking, but also cost and hygiene issues for shared devices), it won't be great for bringing into public spaces (poor long range tracking, etc) or small spaces (limits gestures), hand tracking camera position means you have to hold your hands up and mostly open (accessibility issues), etc.
Even if the hardware can do more, Apple won't give developers access to more.
All it has to do is impress people enough that they hear about the 500 dollar headsets that are almost as good. Or the 250 dollar headsets that are almost as good as those. As long as they don't go as low as the 50 dollar headsets that are not as good relatively as being worth 50 dollars compared to the other headsets.
By getting it in the hands of a bunch of influencers, it'll do what Apple devices always do, make stuff look like a good idea for normal people to use too, not just nerds. Just to show normal people, who have probably had limited or bad experiences with VR, that there is "a" price point that solves almost all their problems with it.
Most will balk at the price, but have their perspective changed anyway. And some of them will look into or passively hear about other cheaper options. And then practically priced headsets will gain more marketshare and software will be worth the financial investment to make. It's unfortunately not a quick process, and it's only one part of that same process. But it's a pretty important part.
VR software has already been in a pretty good place for a few years, but it can always use "more and better", as with any software ecosystem.
From an accessibility point of view, museum at home sounds amazing!