Apple Vision Pro, the high-tech headset promising a revolution in ‘spatial computing’ that encompasses VR, AR, and XR, has sparked plenty of excitement, especially now that a release date has been confirmed.
When Vision Pro was officially unveiled, Apple revealed several new features that the headset offers, including 3D movies – with more than 150 3D titles available at launch, and more to follow. This hints at a potentially very different way of experiencing entertainment.
Which begs the question: will Vision Pro be the perfect way to watch Apple TV Plus? Or is it an expensive toy, ultimately destined for a dusty corner once the novelty wears off? There are plenty of potential positives about the Vision Pro, but also a few possible caveats.
Display
The Vision Pro uses a pair of custom micro-OLED displays, with 23 million pixels spread across them. That’s effectively the same as strapping a 4K television to each eye (in fact there are more pixels per eye than a 4K TV). In addition, it uses catadioptric lenses (which combine reflection and refraction of light to form images) to improve sharpness and clarity. Arguably, the Vision Pro could give you a sharper, clearer image than just about any television you care to try.
Combine this with the light seal that is designed to block out any unwanted light, and you’ll have a deeper, more immersive experience. If you’ve ever tried to watch TV on a bright day, and found sunlight reflecting on the screen, you’ll know why this would be beneficial. It’s like watching a show in your own personal cinema.
Vision Pro also supports 3D movies, and we can imagine future shows that place you firmly in the heart of the action, making you feel far more involved in what you’re watching. Maybe you’re watching Lionel Messi in the MLS or some college football, and the crowd actually surrounds you.
Or perhaps, when you’re watching Severance season 2, you’ll feel as though you’re actually in the stark white offices of Lumon Industries. There’s plenty of potential to make viewing a far richer, more immersive experience.
Audio
That’s not to neglect the importance of its audio support. Vision Pro has built-in AudioPods that can generate Spatial Audio, and simulate a surround sound experience, even if you don’t have a traditional surround sound setup at home.
Additionally, you can pair Vision Pro with AirPods Pro 2 USB-C for the best experience, providing you with high-resolution audio playback wherever you are. And just as importantly, there’s reduced latency between what you see and what you hear.
Apple’s Immersive Video
Potentially, the single biggest game-changer at this stage is Spatial Video. Turning videos from a 2D experience into 3D could be a profoundly moving way to revisit cherished memories.
Returning to seminal moments in your life – whether that’s your wedding day, your child’s first steps, or even some of those more simple memories that still mean the world to you – a snowball fight with your children, say – could be a transformative experience for revisiting those special moments in your life.
There’s also the added benefit of ‘Immersive Originals’ on Apple TV Plus. This is a new video format in 180-degree 3D 8K video and Spatial Audio on Vision Pro, and at launch, there’ll be four videos in Immersive Video.
One of these is called Adventure, a new series that “takes users to the most remote places on earth to stand beside extreme athletes as they take on awe-inspiring challenges, like highlining with pro-Faith Dickey.”
These only fuel the narrative that using Apple TV Plus on Vision Pro will be an alluring prospect to many — especially as all of these immersive videos will be included in the subscription at no extra cost.
But even if Vision Pro offers plenty of potential as the perfect Apple TV Plus viewing platform, there are still plenty of challenges to consider.
Cost and comfort
The obvious challenge to start with is the cost of Vision Pro. At $3,500, it becomes an enormously expensive device that many people simply won’t be able to justify – especially when you can get a superb television for a lot less.
In addition, for you to enjoy all the features that we’ve highlighted above, you’d need an iPhone 15 Pro at least, followed by a pair of AirPods Pro 2, and you aren’t getting much change out of $5000. It’s good to keep in mind, however, that plenty of people will already own those two devices, or will upgrade to these or their successors in the coming years.
Finally, if you wear prescription glasses, you may find yourself needing to pay extra for custom prescription lenses to fit inside the headset. Two lots of ZEISS Optical Inserts will cost an extra $99 or $149 respectively.
There’s also, crucially you could argue, the issue of comfort for the wearer. Vision Pro is believed to weigh around one pound – after a while, your neck and shoulders are going to start to feel that. Do you really want to sit through a three-hour movie with a neckache? There are also potential issues with eye strain and nausea, which won’t necessarily become clear until users have had the opportunity to spend plenty of time with the device.
Social disconnect
Finally, there’s the fact that wearing an Apple Vision Pro is undoubtedly a solo experience. Sometimes, watching something by yourself is exactly what you want. But there are undoubtedly times when the social aspect is what makes watching something special.
Being able to share laughs, discuss theories about where the plot is going, or watch a major sporting event together, can be a crucial part of the viewing experience, and what makes it memorable.
With Vision Pro, a lot of this could get lost. It’s hard to imagine a family movie night holding quite the same appeal if everyone has one of these on.
Has the future of TV viewing finally arrived?
Ultimately, whether Vision Pro is the perfect way to watch Apple TV Plus (or anything else) will be a subjective answer, and down to individual preferences.
The potential for Vision Pro to create a more immersive viewing experience, and even create new ways of interacting with content, is undeniable. We’re particularly excited by the thought of Spatial Video. And really, we’re just at the start of this journey.
But at the moment, issues with its high cost of $3,500, the social disconnect caused by wearing it, and a lack of content may mean that for most people, a traditional television will still be a more likely, and safer choice.
However, as the hardware continues to evolve, and new content is created, Vision Pro may become an ever more compelling prospect to watch more shows from Apple TV Plus in the future — thereby justifying its $8.99 / £8.99 monthly subscription further.
