I’ve been using the Apple Vision Pro for the last 6 months or so, and not only did I think it was important to take time with this review given it’s a device that is impressive at first, but I knew the beauty would come with seeing how it integrates into my daily workflows, and Apple has also been improving it over time with VisionOS 2.4 dropping some major features and and VisionOS 26 set to bring even more goodness.
As someone that has used almost every major AR/VR headset on the market, whether it be the Meta Quest, or PlayStation VR, or even smaller devices such as the likes of XREAL One glasses and Meta Ray-Ban glasses, the Apple Vision Pro simply blows all of these out of the water. Not only in the quality (which you’d expect given the price point), but just the way that integrates into your everyday life and speaks to the wider Apple ecosystem.
I’m not going to go too deep onto the basics of the is device in this review, because I already did that after my first hands-on here, but the long-short of it is that fitting the Apple Vision Pro is an incredibly easy experience that you do through the app which will customise a number of components to your head to ensure comfort. Similarly, if you wear glasses, you can get Zeiss lenses that I absolutely recommend as it allows you to get the Vision Pro lenses as close to your eyes as possible and block the light out.
As you’d expect with an Apple product, the Vision Pro is by far the easiest to navigate virtual experience that I’ve used. If you’ve used an iPhone or an iPad, you’ll absolutely be familiar with getting around the Vision Pro, and that’s what will make this product a success for Apple long-term. Due to the amount of cameras in the Vision Pro, you simply just need to swipe up and down to scroll or pinch to select and the UI itself is very, very similar to that of the iPhone/iPad so it’s all very intuitive and easy to use.
Navigating your way through a virtual world is 100% the most important part of an experience like this and the Vision Pro just gets it so right. Even the most subtle movements are recognised, and I’ve had some awful experiences with other devices, but again, the Vision Pro just works, and that’s the best compliment I can give it.
Apple has already made a lot of improvements to gestures, introducing new extremely easy to access gestures to bring up the control center, and just generally fine tuning things to make it a lot easier to get around. VisionOS 2.4 also brought a new companion iPhone app which is an absolute game-changer just for seeing what’s new in Vision Pro and the ability to download apps or add things to your watch list so they’re there and ready to go the next time you put your headset on.
Similarly, the Spatial Gallery app that was introduced in VisionOS 2.4 is something I open up almost every time I put the headset on, it’s a collection of spatial images and videos that often have more content that you can find in other apps, and it’s just a great way to take in media that you probably wouldn’t otherwise discover.
Really though. when using the VisionOS long-term, I wanted to test out three key areas. General productivity (in ways that actually enhance my experience), gaming (which genuinely surprised me) as well as watching media.
I’ve tested productivity with the likes of the Meta Quest 3 and XREAL glasses, and they both work okay, but the experience isn’t seamless, and I actually don’t think the screen quality in other devices work, but the Apple Vision Pro absolutely nails it. The screen and pass-through resolution is second to none, and booting into your Mac Virtual Display is as simple as opening your laptop and clicking a button in front of you.
From this moment on you have an ultrawide display that is fantastic for video editing, or working on spreadsheets or any kind of presentation that you might need a display bigger than your laptop for. I’m absolutely not lacking in monitors or external displays, but I often do enjoy just working on my laptop at my dining room table in the sun, and the Apple Vision Pro has been great for this.
Similarly, if you’re wanting to just work in the Apple Vision Pro, it’s so easy to just drop and drag items from your MacBook or visa versa, and that’s just not something that any other device can offer. Apple has been building out these kind of experiences within it devices since long before the Apple Vision Pro existed, so these systems work, and work well and they truly shine on the Apple Vision Pro within the ecosystem.
Gaming wasn’t something that I was expecting to be anywhere near as diverse as it was on the Apple Vision Pro. With PlayStation VR2 controller support set to come later this year, it’s only going to get better when it comes to traditional gaming experience, but what’s there at the moment is fantastic. There’s a lot of interactive experiences such as Encounter Dinosaurs (which is exactly what you’d expect), which are great for showing the device off, but some of the biggest Apple Arcade games have Apple Vision Pro versions and you can access them as part of oyur subscription.
Games such as Jetpack Joyride 2, Warped Racers, Super Fruit Ninja and What The Car? (a personal favourite) among many others all have Vision Pro modes which do a really fantastic job of sticking true to their original premise, but often with a twist that lets the real world show around you through the Apple Vision Pro’s fantastic full colour pass through. If there’s every a time where I think the Vision Pro could benefit from controller support, it’s obviously whilst gaming, and Apple have clearly recognised this too with PlayStation VR2 controller support coming with VisionOS 26.
There’s already more traditional VR gaming experiences such as Synth Riders 2 and LEGO Builder’s Journey as well, so I think there’s a lot of potential for loads more virtual reality games to come to the platform.
Immersive experiences was probably the thing that blew me away most. I know it sounds a bit odd, but the thing that I’ve always used VR/AR headsets for is to kind of unwind and disconnect from the bustling digital world, and there’s so much on Apple Vision Pro that allows you to experience media in a way I’ve never seen before.
Apple Immersive Video is Apple’s 3D video platform that utilises 8K footage shot with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio, and there’s so many great experiences from Alicia Keys/Metallica concert experiences that feel like you’re in the room with them, to Wild Life which brings elephants incredibly close to your face, scripted experiences heaps more. You can also watch 3D movies as well, which don’t quite have the same level immersion, but there’s a lot more of them and still provide a great amount of pop.
Whilst these are fantastic, there’s some other really cool ways that Apple Vision Pro elevates the media game, with the main one being the NBA App at the moment. Not only can you obviously watch multiple matches at once with all kinds of stats on screen, there’s a Tabletop feature that literally lets you watch a match live in front of you as if you’re sitting courtside, and it’s a fantastic way to watch the matches.
Similarly, I absolutely loved FaceTime calling people whilst in Vision Pro. I did have a few moments where I got to FaceTime people also in a Vision Pro and that was honestly as if I was sitting in the same room with them (whether you like this dystopian future or not is another discussion), but even just FaceTime calling people on other devices, where they could still see a very, very lifelike version of me (that is set to get even better with VisionOS 26) whilst continuing to work and move my screens around was just an incredible experience.
For me, it’s the Apple Vision Pros ability to mix virtual environments with your real life environments that make this an absolute winner and whilst at the current price point and form factor it’s maybe not for everyone, I think this is absolutely the future of digital innovation and as that form-factor comes down and the price comes down with it, it’s absolutely going to be the next big thing in this space.
I’m really excited for the future of Apple Vision Pro, particularly with VisionOS 26 that brings the ability to put widgets around your spaces (and have them stay there), and I really think we’re going to keep seeing some pretty wild jumps both on the tech and software sides.
