The first preview of Vision Pro has been released. What they say about weight, keyboards and 3D cinemas

Apple allowed foreign journalists to share their first impressions of Vision Pro.

They had little experience using the helmet, but had already influenced some of the experience. Opinions are mixed.

So, what did they say?

1. Engadget

Among the first Engadget experts. The following will be excerpts from the original text.

Unlike the version our fellow Devindra Hardawar saw at WWDC last year, the Vision Pro I tried on today uses a strap that stretches and secures at the back of the head. It was wide, ribbed and soft, and at first it seemed like it would be very comfortable. But after 15 minutes I began to feel the heaviness of the device, and after another five minutes it hurt me.

As soon as I informed Apple about the discomfort, they replaced the mount with a different one, with a wooden river on the top of my head. And then the level of comfort became an order of magnitude higher.

My colleagues while adjusting the straps nose hurt. Because of this, they replaced the sealing pad that it was resting on, and everything was fine.

A helmet with a Dual Loop strap fits your head much better. And thanks to head scanning, you have quite a lot of options to tailor Vision Pro to suit you.

During the execution of spatial videos, a feeling was created simultaneous presence and event in frame. You’re like a ghost. It seems that the cause of events is being found, but no one sees you.

Demo debut with Alicia Keys singing in my face and I loved it. But what surprised me more was the children playing football with rhinoceroses on the field, and when the animals rushed at me, I physically retreated. I loved seeing the texture of their skin and the dirt on the surface, and was also impressed when I saw the image of the Apple logo on the surface of the lake at the end.

Apple specifically noted that the version of the Disney+ app we used is in beta. But we still made it.

Think of it like a game: let’s say before you choose a race track, you have to choose your player. In this case, your “player” is your background. Want to sit on a rooftop from a Marvel movie? The desert of Tatooine? Get comfortable with whatever rule you like, and then you can decide if you really want to watch Ted Lasso in your Star Wars wasteland. It’s not just an immersion – it’s like you’re sitting in a car.

It’s a little stupid to praise the realism of the image, but I haven’t seen the image. Instead, I looked at the small handwritten note that Tony Stark had clearly left for me and felt like I could almost pick it up.

About the virtual keyboard. When I selected the URL text by looking at it and touching it with my thumbs and forefingers, a virtual keyboard appeared. I could use two external interactions. Either use my eyes to look at the keys I need and then put my fingers to press them, or (this is what impressed me the most), lean forward and press the buttons with my hands.

This not as easy as typing on a real keyboard, but I was very pleased with the fact that it really works. My main problem with the keyboard was that it was too far away and I had to stretch out if I wanted to press a button myself. Using gaze and tap to type short phrases wasn’t too difficult, and if I wanted to type something longer, I could use voice typing (or connect a Bluetooth keyboard if necessary).

But my colleagues had problems with this button working:

For me, this was one of the most fascinating aspects of the demo. Although there were several typing options, none of them were suitable for anything given its spatial use.

The floating keyboard here clearly needs some work. At the same time, it is more difficult to imagine using Vision Pro to work with data. The Vision Pro feels much better as a home theater experience.

2. Edge

They shared their impressions in The Verge.

The head correction process to adjust the helmet is similar to the face scanner with Face ID. Vision Pro sits on the head about the same as other VR/AR helmetsincluding Meta Quest (belongs to Meta, banned in Russia and recognized as extremist).

The launcher is similar to Launchpad for Mac. The only difference is that you can still see the room around you if you want.

In the upper right corner is the Digital Crown from the Apple Watch. You use it to view your home screen or immerse yourself in a virtual environment. On the opposite side there is a button for taking spatial photos and videos – also analogous to the back button on the Apple Watch.

Apple forced us to open the virtual keyboard in Safari to view the site, and it worked, albeit clunkily. You look at the letter and pinch the arrows to select it. You can type as fast as your eyes move.

At first I had a little trouble with the single and double pinch gestures because I seemed to be holding my fingers in one position for too long. It wasn’t until I was told to “Press and release” that it all started working properly.

The virtual world inside Vision Pro is similar to the Meta Quest version, but with a more advanced and much more powerful M2 based computer inside. It’s nice that I can pin the app to the top right corner to look at photos if I want.

There’s some innovation in the open-source Disney Plus app for watching a Star Wars trailer in a Tatooine-like virtual environment. In fact, I flinched when T. Rex started looking at me. The Haleakala Volcano virtual environment surprised me because the rock texture looked quite realistic. These are familiar things, but they are simply done well and without any delays.

Apple asked us to bring additional videos and panoramic photos to view inside the Vision Pro. I will say this: the effect was impressive, although it works best when the camera is stationary. Possible in motion nauseainherent in any VR device.

It’s a strange feeling that you can’t see what’s happening on the external display. It can react to its environment and bring its eyes to the screen. It’s a shame you don’t see this in person.

The only thing that pulled me out of the virtual world was the weight of the helmet. Meanwhile, I began to tense my eyebrows more due to the increasing pressure on my eyes.