Entering the world of virtual and augmented reality, Apple unveiled its new Vision Pro Headset, the company’s first product design in about a decade since the Apple Watch.
Expected to release early next year, the anticipated VR Headset was unveiled on Monday with a hefty price tag of US $3,400. While the price tag seems like a stretch, Apple shows you just why it’s worth the cost. The selling point of the Vision Pro seems to be the ability to live inside your computer, depicting the device as a revolutionary spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world.
Photo Courtesy: Apple
“Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing,” Apple CEO, Tim Cook, said in a press release. “Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
Avoiding all classic VR tropes, Apple provides a hands-free experience allowing users to navigate their surroundings without any external controllers, through eye movements and hand gestures only. The groundbreaking design combines twelve cameras, five sensors, six microphones and dedicated 4K displays for each eye along with a micro-OLED technology fitting about 23 million pixels across the two panels giving users the feeling that objects appear right in front of them, in real-time.
Photo Courtesy: Apple
Now the Apple Vision Pro might be one of the most talked about VR headsets at the moment, with many claiming it to be one of the most expensive pieces in the market. However, despite its groundbreaking design and golden price tag, the Vision Pro is hardly the most expensive VR Headset in the industry. Take a look at five of the most expensive yet brilliant VR headsets of all time.
HTC VIVE Pro Secure – $9,999
Photo Courtesy: Vive
HTC Vive is among the most popular VR headsets of all time and their latest Vive Pro Secure, which costs an eye-watering US $9,000 seems like something straight out of a spy movie. The professional-grade VR headset is said to be designed for more classified fieldwork among professionals and offers secure data protection for complex tasks across industries such as healthcare and government operations. But that’s not all, the fascinating 2880×1600 pixel resolution, a tracking area of 11’5’’ x 11’5’’ and an enormous library of content make the Vive Pro Secure an enjoyable experience for non-operational experiences like immersive gaming, educational opportunities and more!
Varjo XR-3 – $6,495
Photo Courtesy: Varjo
Another professional-grade VR headset, Varjo’s latest XR-3 provides one of the most naturally immersive mixed reality experiences. The headset is said to offer a human-eye resolution with a pixel density of 770 delivering a total of 1,920 x 1,920 pixels per eye combined with a wide field of view of 115 degrees. The expansive colour gamut with individually calibrated colours enhances the experience while the LiDAR-powered depth awareness feature allows pixel-perfect real-time occlusion and 3D world reconstruction. Moreover, the Ultraleap hand tracking and 200hz eye tracking provide users with more natural, lifelike interactions. As for security, Varjo XR-3 ensures a safe environment with no unauthorised downloads or data tracking on other devices. Users can also remove the RF transmitter on occasion when looking for more secure environments.
Pimax 8K X VR – $1,068
Photo Courtesy: Pimax
The ultimate gaming VR headset, the Pimax 8K X VR is the world’s first-ever VR set-up to feature 8K resolution. This is divided into dual 4K panels with a combined resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, an ultrawide 200-degree field of view and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The resolution can be lowered to 2560 x 1440 pixels which in turn enables a higher refresh mode of 114Hz with the Dual Engine Mode. While most features are more or less the same, there’s one feature that’s exclusive to Pimax and that is the Field Of View option ranging from four different options: large (170 degrees), normal (150 degrees), small (120 degrees) and potato (90 degrees). While the Pimax 8K VR is one of the most impressive headsets, it is also one of the heaviest, weighing about 5.5Â pounds.
Meta Quest Pro – $999
Photo Courtesy: Meta Store
The Meta Quest Pro is considered to be among the commendable competitors for the Apple Vision Pro. The Meta Quest Pro is a capable VR headset perfect for both professionals looking to integrate VR into their workflow as well as enthusiasts looking for an entertaining, immersive experience. There are three forward-facing cameras and two side-facing cameras on the front panel of the headset which add to a total of 1,920×1,800 pixels per eye along with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The controllers provided are similar to the brand’s previous Quest 2 controllers: rounded handles with circular panels featuring an analogue stick, two face buttons, and a menu/home button. The controllers also feature three cameras, two outward-facing ones on the front and a third on the circular control panel.
Valve Index VR Kit – $999
Photo Courtesy: Valve
The Valve Index VR Kit is a classic PC-tethered design in bold black hues perfect for enthusiasts and dedicated gamers. What sets the Index apart from other VR headsets is its ability to improve the field of view through a Physically adjustable IPD i.e. the physical distance between the lens and the eyes. The closer the lens is to the eye, the wider the field of view. In terms of resolution, the headset comes with a dual LCD display with 1440×1600 resolution per eye with a refresh rate of 120Hz which can be topped up to 144Hz. While the controllers look like what you’d expect, they have one very unique feature – individual finger tracking. There are a total of 87 sensors on each controller which not only track the position motion, and pressure of your hands, but of each individual finger as well allowing complete control.
