Apple presented a mixed reality helmet: it will impose a digital world on your life

Apple kicked off the 34th WWDC Developers Conference with the introduction of a new mixed reality helmet called the Vision Pro. The device, thanks to which digital objects are "superimposed" on the picture of the real world, will allow Apple to compete with other industry leaders - Meta, Sony and Microsoft, according to "Medusa".

Photo: IStock

How the helmet from Apple works

The Apple Vision Pro Mixed Reality Headset is like a pair of ski goggles. The front is made of glass and the frame is made of aluminum alloy. The "mask" with fabric lining can adapt to different face shapes. And the size of the ribbed strap - they will be available in several colors - is adjustable.

The Apple Vision Pro has only two buttons: the main button, for example, for taking photos and videos, as well as the wheel, which is mainly needed to switch between augmented reality and full immersion in virtual reality.

The company claims to have used the lightest materials available, but does not mention the weight of the headset in the presentation. Built-in microLED displays (Apple compares their size to postage stamps) reflect 23 million pixels in total, which is more than two 4K screens (there - up to 17 million). This should give a picture in which the pixels are invisible to the human eye.

On the subject:

The headset runs on two of Apple's own chips - M2, which was previously built into MacBooks, and R1, created specifically for the new device. The first is responsible for performance, and the second is for processing data from all sensors in real time, including LiDAR, 12 cameras and six microphones.

Apple proposes to carry the battery for the device in your pocket

Apple Vision Pro can work autonomously for up to two hours - for this, the headset needs to be connected to a small external battery via a short cable. An external battery is explained by the fact that without it, the device became lighter. In the promo video, headset users carried the battery in their pants pocket. If longer operation is required, the device can be plugged directly into a power outlet.

Apple Vision Pro has all-day use when you have it plugged in, but just 2 hours on battery with the external pack that you slip into your pocket pic.twitter.com/oEvC94cMUW

- Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 5, 2023

eye movement

With the EyeSight feature, the headset's body will display the user's eyes when they are talking to someone in the "real" world. And if a person comes closer, it will be displayed in the device.

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That is, the device has an outward-facing display that will display eye movements and facial expressions, allowing interlocutors to interact with the person wearing the headset without feeling like they are talking to a robot.

Al usar el Apple Vision Pro podrás tener varias aplicaciones al mismo tiempo, y si llega una persona cerca de ti, aparecerá en tu entorno#WDC23 pic.twitter.com/g5rJjDZVfh

—Pato González? (@patog7) June 5, 2023

But what about during a video call, for example, via FaceTime. In this case, the headset will create a digital avatar (Persona) - other interlocutors will see the face without a device on.

This is what your Digital Persona looks like on the Apple Vision Pro. #WDC23 pic.twitter.com/tWkIvOguBz

— Mark Spoonauer (@mspoonauer) June 5, 2023

Apple claims that other companies will not see what sites and applications the headset user visits. For security, an analogue of Face ID is used - the Optic ID system that recognizes the owner of the Vision Pro. All data is encrypted and stored only on the device itself.
No additional controls.

The Apple headset will be able to control the eyes, voice assistant and hands. For example, it will be possible to select an element in the application - a button or an icon - simply by looking at it, and to open it, it will be necessary simply to “click” with the thumb and forefinger, bringing them together. To scroll, just move your wrist. In this case, you do not have to keep your hands in front of you - the cameras see how they lie on the user's lap or on the table.

Sterling Christpin, a former developer of the Apple Vision Pro, said that he had been working on this headset for several years until 2021. According to him, one of the key controls is the eyes. Wylsa. If you believe him, then Apple is trying to predict what the user will do right now.

“In general, a lot of my work has been to determine the mental state of users based on data from their body and brain while they are using the headset. So, the user is in mixed or virtual reality, and the AI ​​models try to predict whether you're curious, stuck in thought, fearful, focused, reminiscing, or in some other cognitive state, Christpin says. “All of this can be determined through eye tracking, electrical activity of the brain, heart beats and rhythms, muscle activity, etc. There are many tricks to make specific predictions possible. One of the coolest results was predicting that a user would click on something before they did.”

Two speakers built into the device give the feeling that the sound comes from the surrounding space. To do this, use the technology of spatial audio (Spatial Audio), which is in the AirPods Pro.

Device for work and leisure

The XR headset allows you to turn off external reality. This can be done using a digital crown, like the Apple Watch or AirPods Max, thereby adjusting the degree of access to reality.

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The Vision Pro user can display several applications on the virtual screen at the same time, and switch work from one to another with a simple turn of the head. The text (as well as other elements) will remain as clear as possible, no matter from what angle the owner of the headset looks at it.

You can connect a MacBook or Mac to Vision Pro and open your computer desktop without removing your headset. For printing, you can use both the Magic Keyboard and the virtual keyboard, as well as the Magic Trackpad.

Wow! Thank you Apple for including my startup https://t.co/5TAEY6Svlc in your Vision Pro segment** for browsing the web.

**Before I get Community Noted, Apple did not include Bearly AI (but a Vietnamese-Canadian guy can dream) pic.twitter.com/0bkVRibj79

— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) June 5, 2023

Cinema in your pocket

According to Apple, the headset is convenient to use for viewing photos and videos in the highest possible quality. For example, panoramas made on iPhone in a huge size.

You can also shoot XNUMXD photos and videos on the Vision Pro - and save something like "volumetric memories" that you can return to later (using the same helmet, of course).

Apple is also promoting the Apple Vision Pro as a way to get even more immersed in movies - and is proposing to turn the device into a "personal theater" including for watching 3D tapes.

Watching movies on Vision Pro will be insane! #WDC23 pic.twitter.com/JYs3tmtA0U

- Apple Hub (@theapplehub) June 5, 2023

On the first day, headset users will have access to Apple's own streaming service, Apple TV+, as well as Disney Plus, which became its first partner. So, for example, it will be possible to watch sports competitions with additional content on a virtual screen.

Games

On the first day that Apple Vision Pro goes on sale, users will be able to play "over XNUMX" games on Apple Arcade, the company's subscription-based gaming service for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apple just unveiled its new mixed-reality headset - Apple Vision Pro.

It will allow users to access multi-view broadcasts, massive gaming displays, and immersive replays. pic.twitter.com/bEt2gdXfKE

- Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 5, 2023

To play in a helmet, as well as using a TV, you need a controller - suitable for both Xbox and PlayStation. At the presentation, Apple promised to further develop gaming on a new device for itself.

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Thus, the company announced a partnership with Unity (which developed the game engine of the same name) and the transfer of applications based on it with full access to the operating system (visionOS), rendering and built-in gestures.

Dear toy

Apple's Mixed Reality Headset will cost $3499. At this price, the device will be sold in the US.

In the United States, Apple Vision Pro will be released "in early 2024". Most likely, those wishing to use the helmet in other countries will have to wait even longer.

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