I was flabbergasted by what they chose to emphasize in terms of software, particularly in the areas of gaming and social.
Was there anything said about gaming on this thing except for the fact that you can play some number of Apple Arcade games on flat virtual screens inside VR? If I want to play flat video games, I can buy both an awesome TV and a high-end gaming PC for $3,500… except that I don’t have to because I already have those things if I care about gaming and have $3,500 of discretionary income. With those two items, not only can I play, but other people can play with me on the same screen. Still other people can watch us play together. We’ll be seeing these games at the highest possible fidelity, and they will be the games you want to play in that kind of setting — the big budget bombastic “experience” games that are released on PC but generally aren’t on Apple Arcade.
If I’m going to game in a headset, it’s because I want to feel present within the game. That’s the thing a headset can do that my flat screen can’t. Gaming in VR is a transcendent experience. Why would I want to pay for an incredibly expensive headset just so I can create a fake TV that’s any size I want to game on? For that price, I can “create” a real TV that’s pretty much any size I want and game on it. It just seems like a fundamental misunderstanding of why this technology is worth caring about.
Same goes for social. I was shocked to see what Facetime is on the Vision Pro. They’re going to give me little flat virtual square screens with all the call participants in them? Then, they’re going to build a 3D model of me and have it mimic my expressions… all on a flat plane for the other call participants? Sure, building a 3D me is cool and impressive, but what’s the point if you’re going to them put on yet another virtual screen? Social in VR is about presence! Facetime in VR/AR should allow me to feel like I’m occupying the same virtual space as someone I would love to be physically present with but can’t. VR Chat already does this! It doesn’t look like me, but it doesn’t matter because it feels like we’re together. And there’s no reason we couldn’t have both.
Maybe all of this goes away with third party software. It certainly could, but what’s the install base going to be on a $3,500 headset? Will it be large enough for developers to line up to port their VR apps or develop new apps that could actually realize the promise of this new device? I’m skeptical. I’m afraid Apple’s restrained offerings may be nearly all we’ll get.
It seems like a major regression from the Apple that envisioned the iPhone. Smartphones already existed. They ran operating systems like Windows CE, which was effectively Windows but shrunk. The reason the iPhone succeeded where the others hadn’t is because Apple dared to break out of the old UI paradigms and imagine what this new mode of interaction could be.
Here, it feels like we’re floating infinitely large iPads in front of you. Who cares? If I want an iPad floating in space, I can hold it in front of me. If I want it smaller, I can move it further away or switch to an iPhone. If I want it larger, I can pull it closer or AirPlay my Mac to a TV. What’s the point of using a headset for this when it could be doing so much more with it.
The quality of life improvements they’ve made seems amazing, but the rest feels like a major fumble to me. Their vision for this technology is just so small!
I was flabbergasted by what they chose to emphasize in terms of software, particularly in the areas of gaming and social.
Was there anything said about gaming on this thing except for the fact that you can play some number of Apple Arcade games on flat virtual screens inside VR? If I want to play flat video games, I can buy both an awesome TV and a high-end gaming PC for $3,500… except that I don’t have to because I already have those things if I care about gaming and have $3,500 of discretionary income. With those two items, not only can I play, but other people can play with me on the same screen. Still other people can watch us play together. We’ll be seeing these games at the highest possible fidelity, and they will be the games you want to play in that kind of setting — the big budget bombastic “experience” games that are released on PC but generally aren’t on Apple Arcade.
If I’m going to game in a headset, it’s because I want to feel present within the game. That’s the thing a headset can do that my flat screen can’t. Gaming in VR is a transcendent experience. Why would I want to pay for an incredibly expensive headset just so I can create a fake TV that’s any size I want to game on? For that price, I can “create” a real TV that’s pretty much any size I want and game on it. It just seems like a fundamental misunderstanding of why this technology is worth caring about.
Same goes for social. I was shocked to see what Facetime is on the Vision Pro. They’re going to give me little flat virtual square screens with all the call participants in them? Then, they’re going to build a 3D model of me and have it mimic my expressions… all on a flat plane for the other call participants? Sure, building a 3D me is cool and impressive, but what’s the point if you’re going to them put on yet another virtual screen? Social in VR is about presence! Facetime in VR/AR should allow me to feel like I’m occupying the same virtual space as someone I would love to be physically present with but can’t. VR Chat already does this! It doesn’t look like me, but it doesn’t matter because it feels like we’re together. And there’s no reason we couldn’t have both.
Maybe all of this goes away with third party software. It certainly could, but what’s the install base going to be on a $3,500 headset? Will it be large enough for developers to line up to port their VR apps or develop new apps that could actually realize the promise of this new device? I’m skeptical. I’m afraid Apple’s restrained offerings may be nearly all we’ll get.
It seems like a major regression from the Apple that envisioned the iPhone. Smartphones already existed. They ran operating systems like Windows CE, which was effectively Windows but shrunk. The reason the iPhone succeeded where the others hadn’t is because Apple dared to break out of the old UI paradigms and imagine what this new mode of interaction could be.
Here, it feels like we’re floating infinitely large iPads in front of you. Who cares? If I want an iPad floating in space, I can hold it in front of me. If I want it smaller, I can move it further away or switch to an iPhone. If I want it larger, I can pull it closer or AirPlay my Mac to a TV. What’s the point of using a headset for this when it could be doing so much more with it.
The quality of life improvements they’ve made seems amazing, but the rest feels like a major fumble to me. Their vision for this technology is just so small!