Further Impressions on Apple Vision Pro: Weighty, yet Remarkable

Apple has once again invited a slew of journalists to try out its spatial computer (or virtual reality headset), the Vision Pro. The demos, about 20 minutes in length, included a short setup for fit and eye tracking, and then a little bit of video (including spatial video), some spatial and panoramic photo, an overview of the Disney+ app’s beta version, a meditation experience, a virtual reality setting with dinosaurs in it, and a brief time with the Vision Pro’s virtual keyboard.

The verdict on the actual virtual reality experience is unanimously positive. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low wrote that of all of VR, AR, and MR headsets she’d tried, “the Apple Vision Pro is far and away the best, and easily the most thought-out.” The Verge’s Victoria Song called the experience a “whirlwind.” “I spent a half-hour like a kid gawping at an alien planet — even though I’d never left the couch,” she wrote. And The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern praised “how easy and natural it is to navigate with just hand movements. It’s freeing to have no controllers and getting around the interface is just second nature.”

However, most reviewers had concerns about the comfort of the Vision Pro, particularly its weight. Stern mentioned feeling “the weight of the face computer on my face” while wearing the Solo Knit Band, though she found the Dual Loop Band more comfortable. Song noted the discomfort of wearing any VR headset, and Low experienced discomfort and pain after 15 minutes of use. Video producer Marques Brownlee also found the Vision Pro heavy, with its weight increasingly distracting on repeated uses.

Despite these concerns, the overall response was positive. Engadget’s Dana Wollman described it as “fun to use,” and Song mentioned replaying the demo in her head. The reviewers agreed on the uncertainty of whether the Vision Pro is a must-purchase, with Song expressing doubts about its practicality in the real world.