To gauge interest in Apple’s Vision Pro, a high-tech and pricey virtual reality (VR) headset, I visited an Apple store in London. Unlike past product launches, only a small group waited outside, reflecting a shift towards pre-orders. This situation also raises a key question: will VR headsets ever become mainstream?
Apple aims to position the Vision Pro as enhancing everyday activities, like turning home videos into 3D experiences and displaying panoramic photos all around you. However, its high price of £3,499 might be a hurdle.
Meta, the company behind the Quest VR headsets, is closely observing Apple’s approach. Meta’s Quest 3, available since 2023, emphasizes multi-tasking and costs under £500. It also boasts a strong library of games and supports virtual desktop tasks.
Both companies are big players in a crowded VR market where no headset has yet achieved widespread popularity. Research firm IDC predicts fewer than 500,000 Vision Pro units will sell this year, while Meta’s Quest series is estimated to have sold about 20 million units globally.
Many VR headsets are eventually abandoned due to limited compelling content, according to George Jijiashvili of Omdia. This lack of content reduces user engagement and discourages developers from creating new material, creating a “chicken and egg situation.”
While the Quest 3 has an extensive game library, Vision Pro early adopters must be patient as more content becomes available. Despite a slow start, some analysts believe Vision Pro could eventually gain popularity, similar to how the iPhone did after the App Store took off.
Another challenge is the physical experience of using a VR headset. Both Apple and Meta use “passthrough” technology for mixed reality, but wearing a half-kilogram device on your face can feel unnatural. VR sickness, though improved, remains a concern.
Sony’s VR game Horizon: Call of the Mountain addresses this by allowing users to move in a way that reduces nausea. Despite these efforts, VR headsets, like Sony’s PlayStation VR 2, which sold 600,000 units in six weeks, have yet to become as common as smartphones.
Tech giants hope mixed reality will eventually become a normal part of life, replacing smartphones with lighter, more comfortable devices, or even brain implants. But current VR headsets are still bulky and awkward.
Meta’s head of Development Relations believes the Quest 3 could one day replace smartphones, although Mark Zuckerberg suggests older technologies will continue to coexist with new ones.
From my visit to the Apple store, it’s clear the UK isn’t about to see widespread adoption of Vision Pros or Quest 3s just yet.
However, some customers did leave the store excited with their new purchases. The big question is how many more will be persuaded to do the same.
Credit to BBC for this information.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51yl7q8z42o