Extended Reality (XR) - Page 9

Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset will finally go on sale on February 2, but only to customers who are in the United States. A global launch is obviously in the cards, and now a new report suggests that international customers should start saving for their new headset ASAP because it could be with them sooner than expected.

That's the claim by well-connected supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a new post on Medium. The analyst says that Apple has big plans for the WWDC 2024 event that will be held in June of this year and that to make the most of that event it should have the headset available in as many different countries as possible. That, Ming-Chi Ming-Chi Kuo believes, suggests that Apple intends to make the Vision Pro available internationally before WWDC.

The WWDC event is likely to take place in June which means that Apple still has a few months to make sure that the Vision Pro headset is available to as many people, and in as many countries, as possible.

If you're picking up a new Vision Pro mixed reality headset in February and looking for new apps to try, there shouldn't be any shortage of options. In fact, one of them will be full to the brim with familiar faces and that app will be HBO's Max. Once installed, the Max app will offer Vision Pro owners quick access to a world of streaming content from not only HBO but also CNN, DC Universe, Food Network, and more.

MacRumors reports that Apple confirmed that Max would be one of the ways people with Vision Pros will be able to watch content in augmented reality, while it will be joined by others including Disney+ and of course Apple TV+, too. We can likely expect more to arrive in the coming months assuming that they aren't in the Vision Pro App Store on day one.

When confirming that the Vision Pro headset will go on sale on February 2, Apple said that its owners can expect to watch content on a display that feels like it's 100 feet wide. That content should look great as well, with full HDR support offered by the Vision Pro's dual 4K displays.

Apple is finally set to make the Vision Pro available for preorder this week and then put it on sale in February, but it looks like there might be one feature that won't be there when the headset lands on people's heads. That's despite it having featured heavily in Apple's promotional imagery before being unceremoniously removed at an unknown time.

That feature is one called Open Sky Environment and it's a feature that replaces the ceiling in your room with an outdoor landscape, whether that's an open blue sky or something else. Apple had previously shown the feature off as being used in a home as a woman lays in bed, or on an airplane. However, Apple has now removed all references to the feature on its website.

The change was first spotted by the @M1Astra X account with Apple updating a promotional video to remove the feature. The company has also updated on-page text to remove any mention of the feature, too. At the moment it's unclear when these changes were made so it's possible that the feature was removed a while ago, but it's definitely a feature that has been removed, whenever it might have happened.

Apple's soon-to-be revolutionary Vision Pro headset is nearly here, and we're slowly getting more details about what is happening inside of the mixed reality headset.

Inside, the new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset will feature an in-house M2 and R1 co-processor system, but the higher-end M2 processor with more GPU cores will be found inside of the $3499 headset. It will need the beefier GPU system because the Apple Vision Pro will be powering dual 4K micro-LED screens.

Apple makes its M2 processor in two variants: one with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, while another bumps up to a 10-core GPU that will be found inside of the Apple Vision Pro headset. Apple uses its M2 processors inside of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops. This is some of the best silicon Apple makes and will be the star of the Vision Pro headset.

If you're one of the lucky few that intend to pick up a new Vision Pro at launch you're probably already starting to get excited. The Apple mixed reality headset has a lot to live up to after years of rumors and leaks, but now that it's almost here Apple is getting people ready for a buying experience that will be like no other.

The company, which will put the Vision Pro up for preorder on January 19, has started to email people in the United States to inform them about how the preorder process will work and, importantly, how they will go about making sure that they are ordering the correct size accessories to fit their head and face. And to make that happen, they're going to need to have an iPhone or iPad to hand.

In the emails sent to potential Vision Pro customers, Apple warned that they would need an iPhone or an iPad with Face ID to ensure that they get a process measurement to ensure the Headset's band fits correctly. The email also confirmed that the latest version of the Apple Store app will also be needed in order to complete the detailed face scan, while people who wear glasses will also be able to choose their Zess lens inserts at the point of order. A current prescription will need to be available and provided to Apple at the point of placing the pre-order, too.

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset on June 5 2023 it didn't say anything about availability beyond the fact that it would ship in early 2024. We're now there, and we now know that the headset will hit Apple Store shelves on February 2. But according to one report, we shouldn't expect that the headset will be easy to get hold of - and not just because you'll have to hand over a cool $3,499 to get it.

While the high asking price is sure to also limit the demand for a headset that we've been hearing rumors about for years, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that even if you do have the money to give Apple, you might not be able to. According to him, stocks of the headset are going to be extremely limited.

Writing on X, the supply chain analyst said that Apple will produce between 60,000 and 80,000 units of the Vision Pro ahead of that February 2 release date. That leads him to believe that the headset will sell out soon after release, despite the high asking price.

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset back in June of 2023 one of the first things that people noticed was the huge $3,499 asking price. That's the price on the ticket for people who want to see what Apple's spacial computing technology can do when it goes on sale on February 2, but there will likely be a cheaper version in the future. Now, new evidence suggests that will very much be the case and we might even know what it will be called.

That's based on information found in the iOS 17.3 beta 2 code that appears to show that Apple plans on ditching the Pro part of the Vision Pro's name, likely to be used in a cheaper model. Strings that previously referenced the Apple Vision Pro have been changed to just Apple Vision, 9to5 Mac notes.

The report uses the App Store as an example, with previous beta software listing "Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro Apps". However, that has now been changed to list "Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Apps" which could suggest that a non-Pro headset is in the cards.

When Apple announced its Vision Pro headset, the company said that it would come with an Apple-designed M2 chip inside just like some of the company's most popular Macs of the time. Information beyond that was hard to come by, and Apple kept its cards close to its chest as the weeks and months went by following that June 5, 2023 unveiling. But as we get closer to the headset going on sale on February 2, we're starting to learn more.

One of the tidbits that we've learned of late is that the Vision Pro will ship with 16GB of RAM. That's according to a MacRumors report based on files found in Xcode 15.2 which can be downloaded today. This also happens to back up a previous report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that had also pointed to 16GB of RAM being paired with that M2 chip.

While 16GB is of course more than the 8GB that some of Apple's Macs ship with as standard, it's difficult to know how well the Vision Pro will perform. It's the first of its kind which makes benchmarking its specs hard, so we might have to wait for the headset to begin arriving in the hands of paying customers before we can be truly sure what's going on in terms of capabilities and performance.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is always full of surprises, and this year, ASUS had one of them with the unveiling of the AirVision M1, a wearable device that gives users the ability to generate multiple virtual displays.

ASUS has announced the AirVision M1, a wearable display that packs a multi-monitor experience all within a pair of glasses. The company explains that this wearable features a 1920 x 1080 Micro OLED display that is capable of 1100 nits and a 95% DCI-P3 color gamut for those juicy visuals. According to ASUS's press release, users are able to drag and drop virtual screens to specific locations in their preferred aspect ratio: 16:9, 21:9, 32:9, and more.

Users interact with the glasses via a touchpad located on the left temple. This touchpad allows for customization for brightness, 3D mode activation, and screen pinning. Furthermore, the AirVision M1 is equipped with a USB-C port for charging, features DisplayPort Alt Mode for widespread compatibility, TUV-certified low blue-light and flicker reduction, noise-canceling microphones, and speakers.

Sony announced a new mixed-reality headset during its CES 2024 presentation, and while the product doesn't officially have a name yet, it's aimed at creators and artists who work within virtual environments.

On stage, not many details were given about the new Extended Reality (XR) head-mounted display and the unique controllers it comes with. However, many questions regarding the headset were answered in Sony's press release, which states this new device is a "spatial content creation system" that's equipped with two 4K OLED Microdisplays that are powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, the latest XR processor by Qualcomm.

Notably, the new headset features Sony's "proprietary rendering technology" that enables high-definition rendering of 3D objects, along with human facial expressions. Sony states in the press release that the headset has six cameras and sensors and comes with a ring controller, as showcased in the image below. This ring controller slips over the user's finger and allows for precise movements and pointing within the virtual environment. Due to its size, users can still use a mouse and keyboard without removing the headset.

If you're still on the fence about treating yourself to a new Vision Pro mixed reality headset, Apple is giving you a chance to try one on for size for absolutely nothing. That's after the company began to email potential Vision Pro buyers across the United States to tell them that they can pop down to their local Apple Store and take the headset for a spin.

Apple confirmed today that the Vision Pro headset will go on sale on February 2, and now we also know that the same date will see demonstration units made available in Apple Stores so that people can try the mixed reality offering out before they decide on whether or not to splash the cash. And quite a lot of cash it will be, with the Vision Pro selling for $3499 in this very first iteration. Thankfully, Apple is already rumored to be hard at work trying to find a way to make a future version of its headset cost less.

In an email sent to customers, Apple says that its Vision Pro headset will be available for try-ons starting from 08:00 on Friday, February 2. Demotimes will be available through the weekend on a first-come, first-serviced basis although we have to assume that slots will also be available beyond the weekend.

Apple's Vision Pro finally has an official release date, with the company confirming that it will go on sale on February 2nd. The news was announced in the middle of CES 2024 with Apple seemingly keen to try and take some of the attention away from what is going on in Las Vegas. And the new release date wasn't all that Apple announced in its press release, either.

Alongside tidbits like the fact that buyers will be able to pick up Zeiss prescription lenses from $99, the press release also confirmed what people will get in the box when they buy a new Vision Pro headset. And as you might expect for something that costs so much money, you do get more than just the headset and a charger, thankfully.

As Apple has now confirmed, the Vision Pro will come with a pair of bands in the form of a Solo Knit Band and a Dial Loop Band. Apple says that this is to give users different options so that they can choose the one that best fits their head and their needs. Other options will likely also be available to buy both from Apple and third parties, too. Think Apple Watch bands and you probably won't be far off the mark.

Apple today confirmed that the Vision Pro mixed reality headset will go on sale on February 2nd in the United States, news that had started to leak ahead of time thanks to reports by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. But while the confirmation was always going to be welcome, the release date isn't the most interesting aspect of the news. Instead, that was reserved for something that was left as a footnote within Apple's press release.

Back when Apple announced its Vision Pro headset in June of 2023 it confirmed that there would be no way for people to wear their glasses and the headset at the same time. That's obviously a problem for people who need to wear glasses to be able to see, but Apple had the answer - Zeiss prescription lenses would be sold via the optical company's website. However, there were no details as to how much those lenses would cost which was obviously less than ideal. With the headset itself costing $3,499, some had worried that prices could get out of hand. Thankfully, that isn't the case.

At the bottom of Apple's press release, the company confirmed that Zeiss will sell prescription lenses for those who just need a reading prescription for $99, while those who need another prescription will pay $149. While those costs are less than ideal when you're already spending $3,499 on a headset, the figures are undoubtedly lower than the $600 that some people had suggested would be required.

The official shipping date has been revealed for the Apple Vision Pro, the next-generation of augmented and virtual reality.

The Apple Vision Pro was first unveiled in June 2023 at the Worldwide Developer Conference where it quickly gained a lot of attention for its industry leading capabilities and its sharp price of $3,499. Despite its price tag the AR/VR headset caught the spotlight for its impressive specifications with 4K displays for each eye, a dial that enables users to bleed in/out the virtual world, and intuitive interaction techniques that remove the need for controllers, such as the eye tracking and hand gestures.

It was only recently that Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman stated in the weekly Power On newsletter that Vision Pro headsets are currently on the way to distribution warehouses across the country in preparation for the coming launch in February. It appears that Gurman's predictions were spot on with Apple CEO Tim Cook announcing via his X account that Apple will begin shipping the Vision Pro on February 2. Preorders for the VR/AR headset will open on January 19.

XREAL, an augmented reality (AR) company that is concentrating its efforts on glasses, has announced that a new pair of AR sunglasses is hitting the market. Introducing Air 2 Ultra priced at $699.

Air 2 Ultra can currently be ordered by developers, who are expected to receive their shipment sometime in March. XREAL's latest offering is the most recent device to start competing with the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.

As for what the Air 2 Ultra can do, the company explains via a press release that the sunglasses feature "spatial computing," which projects a floating image in front of the users' eyes, and with its dual 3D cameras located on each side of the glasses it's mapping the environment surrounding the user, while simultaneously tracking hand movement. Notably, the Air 2 Ultra features a full six degrees of freedom or 6DOF tracking.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has taken to the weekly Power On newsletter to report Apple Vision Pro headsets are on the way to distribution warehouses across the United States.

The Bloomberg reporter, who is known in the industry as being very spot on with the movements within Apple, reports the stock that is being moved to US warehouses is enough to fuel the scheduled February launch. Backing up his own statement, Gurman stated this would be the case in a newsletter published in December, as shown here. Due to the launch date only being around the corner, we can expect Apple to make an official announcement that will reveal the specific availability date for the Apple Vision Pro.

Notably, Gurman also writes that retail employees have already begun flying to Apple Park to undergo the Apple Vision Pro training required to demo the products in Apple stores across the country. Furthermore, these employees flown out to Apple Park will then be required to return to their respective Apple Store and train other staff members.

Meta has permanently dropped its Meta Quest 2 prices, making the Black Friday discounts on the popular VR headset the new norm. Of course, 2023 saw the release of the Meta Quest 3 - which features new mixed-reality capabilities and an improved display.

Still, the Meta Quest 2's new pricing makes it one of the most affordable VR headsets available - with the all-in-one headset with motion controls also doubling as a wired and wireless PC solution.

The Meta Quest 2 128GB model now costs $249.99 USD (down from $299.99), with the Meta Quest 2 512GB now available for $299.99 (down from $349.99). Meta's blog post notes that the price drop will help make VR more affordable and bring more people into the Quest community (and ecosystem).

If you've been patiently waiting for Apple to make its upcoming Vision Pro AR/VR headset available to buy, you might not have to wait quite as long as we first thought. That's according to an admittedly sketchy report by a Chinese investor news service. That news service, Wall Street Insights, claims that Apple will release the Vision Pro headset to retail on January 27.

What's particularly interesting about that date is that it's a Saturday, a date that Apple has historically not used when releasing new products for sale. However, as MacRumors notes, it's likely that the date might refer to the Chinese Saturday which would in turn make the US release date the 26th - a much more likely Friday.

Little has been officially confirmed in terms of when the Vision Pro headset will go on sale, however. Apple announced the much-rumored device back in June during the company's annual WWDC event but no firm release date was given. All Apple said was what is currently shown on its website - Vision Pro will release in early 2024.

We've seen generations of hand-operated PlayStation controllers, but what about a peripheral designed for your feet? Sony's latest patent is just that.

Sony's latest VR patent (US20230398438) is a little unconventional. It's a controller that gamers can operate with their feet, kind of like some sort of inverse Roll & Rocker from an alternate universe. The device is essentially a big trackball with a housing outfitted by bearings, complete with "inertial measurement units" like an accelerometer or gyroscope.

The document describes the device as a "controller apparatus includes two or more balls having a size sufficient for a human to manipulate with a single foot."

Windows Mixed Reality, which debuted with the Microsoft HoloLens device, was set to be a big thing back in 2017 - with companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo all set to make devices that would bring mixed reality to Windows 10 and even the Xbox One. Unlike Virtual Reality (or VR), Mixed Reality offers pass-through to blend what you see in the real-world with the virtual.

Early Windows Mixed Reality headsets featured LCDs with a per-eye resolution of 1440 x 1440, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and inside-out tracking. As seen in the video above, the pitch for Windows Mixed Reality was to transform the modern office into this virtual playspace to boost creativity and productivity.

Fast forward to December 2023, and Windows Mixed Reality has been added to the list of deprecated features in Windows. The platform for Mixed Reality apps and games never really took off, so we're not surprised. But this does signal that Microsoft is essentially abandoning VR and Mixed Reality - for now.