Apple Vision Pro Review: A Powerful AR Device Worth the Price?

Apple Vision Pro real test｜Apple finally officially announced the long-rumored Vision Pro at WWDC 2023 this year, bringing fruit fans into the AR world. However, some netizens think that the price of 27,000 is very expensive. There are so many cheap options out there, why choose this one? The reporter was invited to try out the new machine in Apple Park this time. First, I will summarize the evaluation of Vision Pro: it is very powerful, even more powerful than imagined! But is it worth buying? It may be of certain reference value for everyone to read the following text.

(Because the trial Vision Pro cannot be photographed on site, only text descriptions and photos from the press conference can be used)

Vision Pro customized body!No need to wear glasses for myopia/hyperopia

The reporter himself has myopia and deep astigmatism, wears glasses for a long time, and it is not convenient to wear contact lenses. The biggest headache when playing other VR devices is to wear glasses to use. Although I use it, it is very uncomfortable to hold the bridge of the nose. And because it is not veneered, it is easy to leak light or even loosen, so I have always felt numb after using VR products. But this time the Vision Pro official said that when the user orders, it will provide customized services. Before the on-site trial, the reporter needs to meet with the optometrist first. Ear scanning (similar to the setting process of Face ID and Spatial Audio), the whole customization process takes about 5-10 minutes. After waiting for about 5 minutes, a very suitable face shape was set for the reporter, and lenses with suitable prescriptions were installed in Vision Pro.

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When the reporter entered the room and tried wearing the Vision Pro, after wearing the device on the head without wearing glasses, the ultra-clear images in the room came alive in front of his eyes. Because the reporter has deep myopia and astigmatism, I was afraid that it would be difficult to get a suitable lens in a short time at the beginning of the trial. It took only about 5 minutes to set it up for the reporter, and there is no need to wear glasses at all. Using Vision Pro, you can see the whole picture clearly, which is really unexpected. In addition, because the iPhone has already been used to scan the reporter’s face, the mask and the bridge of the nose are very close, almost no light is transmitted, and it is quite comfortable to wear, which is very good!

For example, customized masks and lenses can only be used by one person? According to the official statement, because the Vision Pro is a “three-piece” design, including the Vision Pro body, veneer eye mask and headband, the eye mask can be customized with several different settings, and the lenses are only magnetically attached to the body. Therefore, a family can be equipped with multiple different eye masks, which can be shared by multiple people in one machine.

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Ultra-accurate eyeball and gesture operation

Once the Vision Pro is put on the head, the first thing to do is to set the “eye tracking” eye tracking positioning, because the basic operation of the Vision Pro needs to use the position of the user’s eyes to make cursor operation decisions, so accuracy is very important. It is also because I have tried the less accurate eye tracking positioning on PSVR 2, so I was a little worried about Apple’s technology at the beginning. However, after looking at the different “polka dot” positioning settings on the screen through simple instructions, you can officially use the eye tracking operation. The reporter also couldn’t estimate that the accuracy was very high, and he could operate immediately when he looked at the position with his eyes, and there was no misplacement at all.

After completing the eye tracking positioning, you need to raise your hands to let Vision Pro recognize the appearance of the user’s fingers. It also only takes a few seconds to complete the setting. Users only need to do some simple gestures to operate, and put their hands in almost any position (the positions captured by the 12 lenses on the Vision Pro body), such as holding them in front of them or hanging them down, without using the handle The controller can perform precise operations, and it can even create the feeling of acceleration and deceleration when swiping “up, down, left, and right” on the iPhone screen. The operation is very intuitive, and this is what surprised the reporter.

Augmented reality floating screen

After setting up the cover, you can see the real world environment through the semi-transparent screen, and then you only need to press the digital crown on the upper right side of the fuselage to call out the “main screen”. It seems that the 13 main function icons will appear in the real world floating. Just look at the icon you want to operate, and then move your finger to start it immediately. First open the photo app, you can watch the photos and videos that have already been stored in the phone. In the same way, you can pull out different photos for viewing with just one move of your finger. Just press and pull left or right with your finger to scan the photo left and right. The operation is also very intuitive, and it is very convenient to zoom in and zoom out.

When viewing photos, if you want to surf the Internet or do other work at the same time, press the digital crown on the right side of the device, and then call out the main screen, and tap other tools to use it. Then you only need to look at the long horizontal line at the bottom of the window, and then pinch and pull it with your fingers, and you can place the visual education on the left or right, or even above or below, with a 360-degree omnidirectional range. Handling multiple floating window screens at the same time has a very futuristic feel to the operation of “Future Report” or “Ironman”.

Ultra-clear 4K images come to life

The new system called visionOS is basically a simplified version of iOS or macOS, and it also has a lot of useful functions for apps. During the trial, the reporter could see different functions such as Photo, Music, Apple TV, Safari, Mail, Keynote, etc. Most of them are very practical and easy to use. When looking at a photo, the general photo will appear in front of your eyes, and it looks very high-definition. Next, if you look at Spatial Photo and Video, you can see very vivid three-dimensional photos or videos, which is also an experience that ordinary VR devices cannot experience. After watching some panoramic photos and videos, you can rotate the digital crown to extend the images on both sides, even as if you are surrounded by reporters, giving you a full sense of presence.

Next, after opening the Apple TV app, try watching the excerpts of the latest 3D movie “Avatar The Way of Water”. The feel of a private theater. The picture is not only very high-definition, but also the 3D stereoscopic effect is as wonderful as watching in the theater. Next, the Apple Immersive Video will be played, and you can see the 180-degree ultra-wide-angle video. From concerts, natural images, and even watching NBA or football games with a screen of more than 100 inches, it is very exciting. uplifting. The super huge 4K images come alive before your eyes, which can really save the location or cost of installing a large TV at home.

Facetime Persona has a high degree of authenticity

Another interesting function of the Vision Pro this time is the “Persona” virtual portrait function during Facetime contact. The official said that before using the Vision Pro, you can use the lens on the machine to scan the user’s appearance, and then automatically create a “digital portrait”. “Virtual character”, when the user is using Facetime, because of the relationship of wearing Vision, this “Persona” will be used instead of the user to appear on the camera. Although the reporters did not have the opportunity to make their own Persona this time, they had Facetime conversations with the staff at the venue, and found that 90% of Persona’s digital avatars looked like real people, and their expressions were very natural and lifelike.

Dinosaurs come alive

Finally, I opened the “Dinosaur” demonstration application of Vision Pro. After opening the app, the staff suggested that I “spread the palm” forward, and after a while, I would see a butterfly slowly flying from the central screen to the palm of my hand. It feels as if a butterfly is really flying over. Then, the staff advised the reporter to get up slowly and walk towards the screen in front of the room. In the ancient Stone Age century, a tyrannosaurus came over to visit the reporter after discovering it, as if it came out of the screen. real feeling.

How does it feel to wear? Do you get tired easily?

In the past, journalists used to play some VR devices ranging from several thousand yuan to nearly ten thousand yuan. No matter what kind of VR device, no matter how comfortable it is designed to wear, it will end up being worn for about 15-15 years due to the problem of the center of gravity or insufficient fit. After 20 minutes the head will be very tired. The weight of the Vision Pro this time, according to the staff, is about 1 pound (about 460g). Although it is not very light, but because of the short body, there is no problem of the center of gravity leaning forward, which makes the neck too heavy. Tired and sore. I wore it for nearly 35 minutes without any problems. And because the video is really high-definition, even if you don’t wear glasses to watch it, you don’t feel dizzy or uncomfortable. This is also the biggest surprise of experiencing Vision Pro this time.

Another surprise: Spatial Audio is also better than expected?

A pair of small speakers corresponding to Spatial Audio are installed at the position where the Vision Pro body is connected to the headband, which directly broadcast sounds from different directions to the user’s ears. You don’t need to wear any headphones, and you can listen to excellent sound from all directions. And when listening to the concert, the sound quality is also very high, clear and moving. Just because of this kind of open earphones, there may be sound leakage. I wonder if people around me will hear the same? Because there are no other people around the reporter this time, so I don’t know if there is a serious sound leakage. However, the effect of Spatial Audio is really good. The surround sound effect when watching movies is even better than that of AirPods Pro.

Summary: Twenty-seven thousand? Is it worth buying?

Although the reporter’s test lasted only 35 minutes, they already left a very deep impression on the Vision Pro. First of all, it is refreshing and the first AR device that truly brings the “future” (Apple calls it Spatial Computing). , is already very shocking, and it seems that the VR/AR devices launched by other technology companies before feel like “toys”. This Vision Pro is the standard of the future.

Of course, it is not “playing” from the beginning to the end. It needs to be connected to an external battery. Although the main body weight problem of the Vision Pro is solved, it is a pity that it only has a battery life of 2 hours. The Type C port on the battery is used. And after playing for 35 minutes, when I took off the eye mask, my fingers felt that the fuselage was a little warm. Although it will not be “spicy”, it may cause people to worry about whether it will overheat if it is turned on or used for a longer period of time. Perhaps this is just a trial version. Looking forward to the official version in the future, the heat dissipation performance may be improved.

Finally, the official price of the new machine is 3,499 US dollars, about 27,000 Hong Kong dollars. It seems that the price is indeed a bit expensive, and some netizens even asked why not buy meta Quest Pro (about 8,000 Hong Kong dollars) at this price? In fact, the performance and positioning of Vision Pro and Quest Pro are completely different. The former is very near-future in terms of display effect and operation, and it is no longer “toothpaste”. This is also a very considerate service.

Is it worth buying? If you want to experience the “real” future technology early, 27000 is definitely worth it! With the built-in M2 chip and a large number of super wide-ranging real-world functions, the wearing experience is also very good (especially for “four-eyed” users, it is very considerate, directly equipped with lenses, and the user does not even need to wear glasses). But if you just have a “trial” mentality, I advise you not to spend money to buy it, because the entire hood needs to be customized and it is difficult to release it to the second-hand market.

It is expected that Hong Kong will follow the United States after the first release, and then the second place. However, I believe that there will be opportunities at the beginning of 2024 at the latest.