Tech Apple Vision Pro first reviews

[GSP_37]

I would have assumed they put a lot of thought into this thing to try to make it succeed.

 

[PEB]

Insanely fast mapping in the Vision Pro. Apple announced they are increasing production to 300,000 as sales exceeded expectations. I am still not buying it just for gaming but it's a good gaming platform.

 

[Ruprecht]

Insanely fast mapping in the Vision Pro. Apple announced they are increasing production to 300,000 as sales exceeded expectations. I am still not buying it just for gaming but it's a good gaming platform.

What? There's no games to speak of, the hand tracking is awful and due to a lack of controllers it can't do PCVR gaming (despite the link now being possible) unless you use base stations and index controllers.
Are you talking about using it for flatscreen gaming on a virtual display with a bluetooth controller or the sort of gaming you'd do on an iPad? Not exactly the VR/MR gaming experience I'd want for a starting price of $3500USD.

 

[PEB]

What? There's no games to speak of, the hand tracking is awful and due to a lack of controllers it can't do PCVR gaming (despite the link now being possible) unless you use base stations and index controllers.
Are you talking about using it for flatscreen gaming on a virtual display with a bluetooth controller or the sort of gaming you'd do on an iPad? Not exactly the VR/MR gaming experience I'd want for a starting price of $3500USD.

The point I am making before you go off is the potential is there for a decent gaming experience. Apple already hard at work developing a sub 2000 dollar headset. The fact that it is literally open world gaming can see training the worlds to fit the situation all in realtime. On the Quest 3 you need to map the world first before the game starts. This potentially can continue to create the environment on the fly never mind zombies how about drone army following you through the woods. There is the ability to dynamically create various elements such as gun torrents, freaking tanks and other elements. No doubt there is a way to go but the fact that some guy in is bedroom created this Zombie stuff shows the potential. Now put programmers and AI to work there is some interesting concepts.

 

[Ruprecht]

The point I am making before you go off is the potential is there for a decent gaming experience. Apple already hard at work developing a sub 2000 dollar headset. The fact that it is literally open world gaming can see training the worlds to fit the situation all in realtime. On the Quest 3 you need to map the world first before the game starts. This potentially can continue to create the environment on the fly never mind zombies how about drone army following you through the woods. There is the ability to dynamically create various elements such as gun torrents, freaking tanks and other elements. No doubt there is a way to go but the fact that some guy in is bedroom created this Zombie stuff shows the potential. Now put programmers and AI to work there is some interesting concepts.

Apple has never focused on games or made a decent gaming platform (unless you like gaming on mobile phones).
I mean they gave it a crack with the Pippin... yeah.
The AVP has great displays, plenty of processing power, great cameras and sensors, but it's not a gaming design. The choices they've made aren't the ones you'd make if gaming was at all a priority. That's evident with everything from the weight, the head straps, and motion blur, to the lack of controllers even as an optional accessory, and the number, type and quality of the games that were released at launch.
They focused on content creation and consumption, as you'd expect from Apple.
Apple's whole ecosphere doesn't cater to gamers, so calling the AVP a "good gaming platform" is a very odd statement to make when it's one of the few consumer/prosumer headsets which have dismissed gaming to this degree.
Even the HoloLens had Minecraft, Robo Raid, Young Conker and Fragments for that matter. 8 Years ago. Yet no one would call the HoloLens a, "good gaming platform".

 

[Madmick]

Insanely fast mapping in the Vision Pro. Apple announced they are increasing production to 300,000 as sales exceeded expectations. I am still not buying it just for gaming but it's a good gaming platform.

What? There's no games to speak of, the hand tracking is awful and due to a lack of controllers it can't do PCVR gaming (despite the link now being possible) unless you use base stations and index controllers.
Are you talking about using it for flatscreen gaming on a virtual display with a bluetooth controller or the sort of gaming you'd do on an iPad? Not exactly the VR/MR gaming experience I'd want for a starting price of $3500USD.

Also, sales "exceeding expectations" has nothing to do with production. They have always been hindered by production capability. They initially wanted to produce 1 million units, but couldn't meet that target.

Apple forced to make major cuts to Vision Pro headset production plans​

Initial hopes of 1mn shipments in 2024 launch year dashed by manufacturing problems

Analysts have interpreted this as being more to do with supply chain problems than allowing developers time to create apps for the Vision Pro.Two people close to Apple and Luxshare, the Chinese contract manufacturer that will initially assemble the device, said it was preparing to make fewer than 400,000 units in 2024.

Multiple industry sources said Luxshare was currently Apple’s only assembler of the device. Separately, two China-based sole suppliers of certain components for the Vision Pro said Apple was only asking them for enough for 130,000 to 150,000 units in the first year.Both projections imply a significant cut to production from an earlier, internal sales target of 1mn units in the first 12 months.

The forecasts for low volumes reflect Apple’s lack of confidence in being able to scale production, according to analysts and industry experts, following years of missed deadlines in launching the device.

For perspective, Facebook Meta is estimated to have sold 545,000 Quest headsets in Q1 last year.

 

[Ruprecht]

Also, sales "exceeding expectations" has nothing to do with production. They have always been hindered by production capability. They initially wanted to produce 1 million units, but couldn't meet that target.

Apple forced to make major cuts to Vision Pro headset production plans​

Initial hopes of 1mn shipments in 2024 launch year dashed by manufacturing problems

For perspective, Facebook Meta is estimated to have sold 545,000 Quest headsets in Q1 last year.

There's potentially issues with their existing production as well. Given the recent reports of spontaneous vertical cracks in the "EyeSight" front glass.

 

[ookii]

This is still my favorite Apple Vision Pro review


Usually I stay away from trying to slam any products but Vision Pro gets way too much credit when multiple screen in augmented reality has been done already by the HP Reverb just not in that kind of display

 

[PEB]

This is still my favorite Apple Vision Pro review


Usually I stay away from trying to slam any products but Vision Pro gets way too much credit when multiple screen in augmented reality has been done already by the HP Reverb just not in that kind of display

I know anything with Apple's name on it on Sherdog will get a lot of hate but Apple is really good at kickstarting development in this field. Look at the smart phone the smart watch and even the thin notebook. Apple drives development in this space better then Facebook, Samsung and HP by miles. Just look at display technology since Apple was pretty much the first with 4K AMOLED displays now Facebook is rumored to be in development of a HDR level MicroLED panel featuring 8 times the brightness of the Quest 3 and even brighter then Vision Pro. I thank Apple for pushing the technology forward with its many issues.

 

[kahiljabroni]

Fk apple

 

[PEB]

 

[PEB]

 

[ookii]

I don't think it will be easy to fix up the latency issue and will always experience it on Steam VR and PCVR. At least it wont be fixed in time when the Pimax Super Crystal gets released in late 24 which would have micro-QLED like the Vision Pro but more pixels, better resolution and only a fraction of the price at 2k. The only con is that it will be a wired base station headset for those that have base stations already. I think Metaquest will eventually catch up with Apple on the passthrough and Mixed reality aspect since it already has some features that were better already. Its just that it wont have the same resolution as the Vision Pro

 

[PEB]

I don't think it will be easy to fix up the latency issue and will always experience it on Steam VR and PCVR. At least it wont be fixed in time when the Pimax Super Crystal gets released in late 24 which would have micro-QLED like the Vision Pro but more pixels, better resolution and only a fraction of the price at 2k. The only con is that it will be a wired base station headset for those that have base stations already. I think Metaquest will eventually catch up with Apple on the passthrough and Mixed reality aspect since it already has some features that were better already. Its just that it wont have the same resolution as the Vision Pro

Meta waiting for the next generation "SOC" to achieve their target. They also realize the current generation of highest resolution displays suffer from burn-in after many many uses. They are waiting for volume production of microLED instead of OLED displays apparently much brighter and less prone to burn-in and faster refresh rates. Before that they are making great progress on their AR display glasses lower resolution but much lower power and transparent.

 

[PEB]

 

[Ruprecht]

They seem to target the flight and racing sim market pretty hard with their designs, which is a niche within a niche, but I think the main thing holding them back is the unfinished state of most of their products at launch.
Hopefully they can turn the corner on that with this release, as well as bringing the price down.

 

[ookii]

Im sort of waiting for the 12K that Pimax announced since 2021. I don't see that one being released till 2026 and if we are lucky late 2025. I wonder if the Super Crystal allows for the trade in using the Pimax Crystal. The standalone feature is practically useless in the Crystal so I'm glad they utilized majority of the resources on making the Super Crystal exclusively PC-VR and being tethered

 

[ookii]

Meta waiting for the next generation "SOC" to achieve their target. They also realize the current generation of highest resolution displays suffer from burn-in after many many uses. They are waiting for volume production of microLED instead of OLED displays apparently much brighter and less prone to burn-in and faster refresh rates. Before that they are making great progress on their AR display glasses lower resolution but much lower power and transparent.

Meta is mainly going to target the stand alone crowd anyway since most people don't have a dedicated PC. They should continue that so they can sell as many units as possible while having the best affordable pricing for a VR headset. PC gamers dont really care much for mixed reality anyway which is why they would always use the Pimax, Varjo and Valves of the world that makes it very Steam comptabile

 

[Ruprecht]

Meta is mainly going to target the stand alone crowd anyway since most people don't have a dedicated PC. They should continue that so they can sell as many units as possible while having the best affordable pricing for a VR headset. PC gamers dont really care much for mixed reality anyway which is why they would always use the Pimax, Varjo and Valves of the world that makes it very Steam comptabile

It is a shame that Meta isn't funding PCVR game development anymore. Stormland and the original Asgard's Wrath set a quality standard few PCVR titles reach.
Mixed reality is just a bonus at this stage of development, and I mostly use it to check my surroundings or deal with something quickly when in VR. Some of the MR standalone games such as Demeo and 11 Table Tennis do benefit a lot from their MR modes, but for the majority it's more of a gimmick. Of course MR doesn't work for PCVR with the Quest 3 (at least at this stage, not sure if it's possible with OS updates), but regardless I think the Quest 3 is still by far the best bang for buck PCVR headset even if you never used MR. The pancake lenses, use of 2 decent lcd panels and wifi 6e streaming at that price point are unbeatable. Let alone the advantage of the standalone library.
Meanwhile the Varjo Aero struggles with vertical FOV and compatibility (no AMD videocards are supported at all), and you certainly pay a premium for it.
The Pimax headsets always seem to be in a state I'd consider beta testing. The products at launch just not being finished and often shipping with beta revisions of lenses, cables etc. Some people getting polycarbonate lenses and some glass, as well as changing specs and cancelling the 42 ppd lenses. Even once they got over the launch issues, the final battery/wifi/standalone/packaging on the Crystal is atrocious anyway. Not to mention the size, weight and quality issues (head strap loop snapping, refresh rates not topping 90hz for the advertised 120hz, repeated failures to boot and local dimming not being functional). Pimax as a company barely seems to have moved on from the days of the original Oculus developer kits in terms of the state of their offerings and their polish as consumer electronics. Hard to recommend.

 

[ookii]

It is a shame that Meta isn't funding PCVR game development anymore. Stormland and the original Asgard's Wrath set a quality standard few PCVR titles reach.
Mixed reality is just a bonus at this stage of development, and I mostly use it to check my surroundings or deal with something quickly when in VR. Some of the MR standalone games such as Demeo and 11 Table Tennis do benefit a lot from their MR modes, but for the majority it's more of a gimmick. Of course MR doesn't work for PCVR with the Quest 3 (at least at this stage, not sure if it's possible with OS updates), but regardless I think the Quest 3 is still by far the best bang for buck PCVR headset even if you never used MR. The pancake lenses, use of 2 decent lcd panels and wifi 6e streaming at that price point are unbeatable. Let alone the advantage of the standalone library.
Meanwhile the Varjo Aero struggles with vertical FOV and compatibility (no AMD videocards are supported at all), and you certainly pay a premium for it.
The Pimax headsets always seem to be in a state I'd consider beta testing. The products at launch just not being finished and often shipping with beta revisions of lenses, cables etc. Some people getting polycarbonate lenses and some glass, as well as changing specs and cancelling the 42 ppd lenses. Even once they got over the launch issues, the final battery/wifi/standalone/packaging on the Crystal is atrocious anyway. Not to mention the size, weight and quality issues (head strap loop snapping, refresh rates not topping 90hz for the advertised 120hz, repeated failures to boot and local dimming not being functional). Pimax as a company barely seems to have moved on from the days of the original Oculus developer kits in terms of the state of their offerings and their polish as consumer electronics. Hard to recommend.

Its a real shame that Asgards Wraith 2 is a quest exclusive because it would really highlight what VR games could really do when worn with a better headset like Varjo and Pimax. They really should have used that game to be a flagbearer on what PCVR could do instead of Half Life Alyx.

Demeo also is what should be showcased on what MR can do. I need to really get into that game more often