Apple's VR headset is rumored to have been unveiled to top Apple executives at a secret event, but disappointing leaks suggest this next-generation device could fall into the same traps as early VR hardware.
In a private meeting at Apple's Steve Jobs Theater in California, about 100 of Apple's most important employees apparently received a showcase of what the Apple VR headset is capable of (via The New York Times (opens in a new pestaña)).
According to people familiar with the headset, which looks like a pair of carbon-fiber ski goggles, the device has two 4K displays, cameras that record the real world for mixed-reality streaming, and an external battery that you'll wear on your hip. As for the software, the headset would allow artists to create and edit images and videos in virtual reality and would serve as an ideal way to view virtual reality content from renowned filmmakers like Jon Favreau.
However, as with all rumors, you have to take these final details with a grain of salt: the power bank is one detail that has had rumors confirming and refuting its existence. Hopefully, it won't be long before we find out what the headset is really capable of, and the WWDC 2023 announcement is still expected to be on the cards.
Don't expect Apple's VR headset to revolutionize virtual reality. Despite all the expected advances in capabilities and design, Apple's headset also seems to be taking a few steps back to the early days of virtual reality.
VR Problems We've Seen Before
The first is that, again, a price of €3,000 (about $2,450 / AU$4,500) is offered for the product. If true, that would make Apple's VR headset more expensive than the Oculus Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, Pico 4, PS5, and PSVR 2 headsets combined.
High costs dramatically reduced the mass-market appeal of the first VR headsets, while cheaper offerings like Meta's Quest 2 (priced at $400 / £400 / AU$630) have taken the world by storm. The Quest 2 has sold better in its first six months on sale than all previous Oculus headsets in their combined lifetime.
Another disappointment could come from the accessibility of the headphones (or lack thereof), with reports that you won't be able to wear glasses while using Apple's headphones. Instead, people who rely on corrective glasses to see will have to wear contact lenses or purchase an optional prescription lens add-on for Apple VR headsets; although the device is already quite expensive, this last option does not look too favorable.
VR isn't the most accessible technology — people with disabilities that affect their gross motor skills are all but excluded from VR — but one of the few improvements in that department has been better support for glasses wearers. If Apple removes the accessibility of its headphones in this regard, it's likely to be a hard sell against rivals like the Meta Quest Pro, which you can use with your glasses without issue.
Since these are just rumors, Apple's headphones may not be as inaccessible as has been suggested. That said, we don't recommend holding your breath. Since the headphones will be unveiled in the next few months, Apple doesn't have time to make major design changes. Instead, we may have to wait for tracking headphones to expire in 2024.