Apple unveils $3499 augmented reality Vision Pro headset

eurogamer.net:

After years of rumour and speculation, Apple has unveiled its long-in-the-works augmented reality headset, Vision Pro, which is due to release «early next year» for $3,499 USD.

Vision Pro — which Apple is insisting on referring to as a «spatial computer» — is designed around the idea of staying «present and connected to others», whether at home or at work. Which, in more practical terms, means its entire 3D interface is built around experiencing apps and other media directly within a user's immediate environment, as viewed through its internal display.

Apps can been relocated and resized in the physical space using Apple's new VisionOS 3D interface, which is primarily controlled through a mix of voice commands, eye tracking, and hand tracking — although traditional keyboards and trackpads are compatible.

Vision Pro will support apps specifically designed for the device, as well as certain iPad and iPhone apps, various media formats — including 3D movies (just when we thought we'd seen the last of those at home), plus it can take «spatial photos and videos». Apple also says Vision Pro will be compatible with 100+ Apple Arcade games at launch, with the company promising to share more of its gaming plans at a later date.

Beyond the basics, Vision Pro comes with its fair share of idiosyncratic features, including a front screen capable of displaying a perspective-accurate image of a user's eyes when another person approaches them. Additionally, the device can scan a user's face to create a life-like, fully digital avatar for use during video calls when their face would otherwise be obscured by the headset, and it even has a «digital crown» used to gradually replace a user's immediate environment with digital landscapes for