First Impressions
Wow! Seriously just... wow!
My Vision Pro arrived yesterday around 1:30pm and I proceeded to wear it almost uninterrupted for the next 10 to 11 hours. During this time I did the Encounter Dinosaurs app, utilized virtual display (confirming developer strap with alternate ID doesn't work), did an hour long FaceTime call, played some games on my Steam Deck, watched the Apple Immersive Adventure Highlining, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 3D in a theater like environment.
The Amazing
Quite frankly, I'm not even really sure where to begin. There's so much about it that you really just have to experience firsthand. The eye tracking is surprisingly accurate, hand gestures are natural and intuitive, environments are immersive and calming. During the Encounter Dinosaurs (even though I knew it wasn't real) I jumped back when I reached out to touch the dinosaur and it moved. However, that 3D experience pales in comparison to the Immersive Adventure. That's not to say it's not impressive, it's just the live shot video really transports you there. There's a scene where the helicopter lands in front of you and they slide the side door open and start throwing bags out to unload (again I'm reminding myself this isn't real and I'm sitting in my bedroom) my muscles flex prepared to pick up the bag and help. Playing Yakuza on top of Haleakala is my new happy place. The 3D movie experience is different than the traditional glasses experience of old we are used to. Spider-Man was the first time a 3D movie didn't leave me with a headache, and who wouldn't want to watch movies in their own personal theater. It may sound like hyperbole but this changes everything, I really don't feel like the same person I was before strapping this device on.
The Bad?
I'm feeling a little bit hard pressed at this moment to find anything bad to say about the device. Maybe this will change down the road after more time with it, and I do see that there is indeed room for improvement. I also have a few feature requests I'd like to see implemented at some point. I'd like to take some time to address the major points that continually get brought up as being bad or why someone is not keeping the device. Namely these have to do with the weight, field of view, passthrough quality, lack of things to do, price point. All of these things are very subjective and you really shouldn't take anyones word for it. Like I said at the beginning you really just have to experience it for yourself and decide if it's right for you. I can totally see how the weight would get uncomfortable for some, but I've happily been wearing it for hours. The field of view or binocular effect is not noticeable to me, but maybe my peripheral vision isn't as good as some or I got fit with a smaller light seal. Passthrough quality is one major places I do see room for improvement. It's not "just like the real world" or "looking through a window" as some may claim. It's a bit grainy and the blur effect when moving your head took a bit of getting used to. Personally I find these flaws (design decisions?) in the passthrough to be a bit of a safety feature keeping me a bit more grounded to the real world and reminding me I'm looking through a screen. Some people may not like that but I find the grounding effect quite welcome at this time. As for lack of things to do, well, just give that one time. I think developers have just barely scratched the surface here and we are in for a fun few years in technological advancements. Finally—price point. That's a hard one to argue with anyone on. Especially with Apple products you are paying a premium, with that comes premium hardware and software. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it. My advice is if this isn't something you inherently see the uses and value in, go to an Apple store nearby, or find a family member, friend, sisters boyfriends cousin twice removed, and just try it out. It might just change your world view—or you'll think I'm crazy—either way it's an experience worth having at least once.
