Within the run-up to Apple VR, I’ve been hands-on with the Meta Quest 2. Regardless of its age, it is a fabulous VR headset with a ton of nice apps, tactile hand controls, nice audio, and extra. , I’ve been fascinated with Apple’s personal foray into the world of blended actuality and among the key parts of the Meta Quest 2 that Apple ought to positively copy with a purpose to discover success within the house.
Nevertheless, the Meta Quest 2 isn’t good, so there are additionally some areas I’d like to see Apple enhance upon.
The Meta Quest 2 does a number of issues brilliantly, this is what I might like to see Apple steal from it.
Hand controls
The Meta Quest 2 has some completely fabulous hand controls. They endure a contact from the identical construct high quality points as the principle headset, however they’re beautiful and cozy to carry and the entire buttons are tactile and clicky. Once you use them, they’re extremely correct and responsive for pointing and clicking, and in video games like Beat Saber (I’ve been taking part in a number of Beat Saber) I felt like I had the accuracy of an precise Jedi as I reduce my manner by the music. I discovered the haptic suggestions most satisfying too, whenever you contact your sabers collectively within the recreation, each controllers vibrate to let you realize there’s a disturbance within the power. I hope Apple applies its personal technical know-how and product design to creating some nice controllers for Apple VR.
Audio
The Meta Quest 2 has an audio jack, so you should utilize any 3.5mm headphones, in addition to USB-C headphones (though this may restrict charging and PC connectivity). Nevertheless, I used to be extra impressed by the precise ambient audio that comes out of the audio system. It really works in tandem with the visible expertise to actually immerse you within the digital world. We’ve heard lots about Apple together with robust AirPods compatibility with Apple VR, however I’d additionally prefer to see a robust deal with utilizing VR with out headphones and speaker-based audio. It is a nice solution to scale back value and makes the headset extra snug to make use of.
Affordability
The Meta Quest 2 is $400-ish. I don’t assume it’s attainable to have extra authorized enjoyable for $400, and to that finish, I’m actually involved in regards to the value rumors of Apple VR. Stories point out it may value as much as $3,000. Even the Meta Quest Professional is “solely” $1,500, and I fear that an extortionate price ticket will render Apple VR unreachable to nearly everybody, and as such redundant. The Meta Quest 2 isn’t low cost, however it at the least has an aspirational price ticket which suggests you would present one as a gift or save as much as purchase one.
Enjoyable
The Meta Quest 2 is enjoyable, actually enjoyable. Against this, Apple VR leaks are beginning to make it sound actually fairly boring. With rumors of a deal with videoconferencing, training, and nightmarish avatar memoji FaceTime calls, Apple surprisingly has reportedly not centered on gaming as the first goal of the Apple VR headset. That is perhaps nice for Apple’s enterprise plans in relation to Apple VR, however any 4K micro-OLED VR headset that isn’t providing the very best gaming experiences on the planet is a waste of time in my trustworthy opinion. We’ve heard that iOS video games may work on the headset, however at $3,000 and after years of ready, the Apple VR headset ought to be probably the most enjoyable you may presumably have with an Apple product. Interval.
Open it up
I do know this can be a pipe dream, however the motive I really like the Meta Quest 2 is that I can use it in so many various methods. It really works as a local headset for fast arcade enjoyable, akin to Beatsaber, however I can even plug it into my gaming PC and drive an F1 automobile round Silverstone. This PC and native headset duality means the Meta Quest 2 has many glorious use instances and a really huge enchantment to clients of all various kinds of gaming, from hardcore customers to extra informal ones.
Apple VR enhancements
There’s all the time room for enchancment, so how may Apple set its VR headset aside from gear just like the Meta Quest 2?
Construct high quality and design
In the case of construct high quality and design, all I can say is it’s very apparent that Meta is a software program firm. Having lived in Apple’s world for greater than 10 years, I used to be sadly dissatisfied by how plasticky and low cost the Quest felt. Maybe that is unfair given the worth tag, however it’s positively not a premium feeling expertise. The outer shell didn’t really feel good in any respect, and the scarf additionally left lots to be desired by way of really feel and use. It took me ages to determine the best way to modify the scarf to make the headset extra snug.
Apple excels at {hardware} design, and I might hope that any Apple VR headset, particularly one rumored to value $3,000, would boast a really premium design that’s light-weight and feels nice in hand and in your head. Moreover, Apple actually wants to achieve making the headset simple and intuitive to put on. Good factor then that rumors level to a design of aluminum, glass, and a light-weight mesh headband. The Apple VR headset sounds lots like AirPods Max by way of supplies, look, and really feel, which might solely actually be an excellent factor. Whereas the Apple VR headset may value practically 10 instances greater than the Meta Quest and twice as a lot because the Meta Quest Professional, a premium feel and appear to the design would go a protracted solution to justifying the additional money. Not all the best way, however a great distance.
Consolation and weight
As soon as on, the Meta Quest is simply “nice” to put on. However getting it on, notably as a glasses wearer was troublesome and cumbersome to begin with. As soon as the taking pictures begins, nevertheless, and also you’re within the warmth of the second, you surprisingly nearly overlook you’re sporting it. Enjoying Beatsaber, VR itself is so immersive you are likely to overlook in regards to the huge hunk of tech in your face, it’s solely after taking it off that you simply notice the pressure it places in your neck.
Something Apple can do to make a VR headset lighter could be an enormous bonus. Rumors are that the corporate plans to make the battery of the headset an exterior, wearable pack that may considerably scale back the burden of the headset. Moreover, it is going to help you hot-swap your battery on the fly for longer untethered classes. This might be nice as a result of Meta Quest 2 doesn’t have wonderful battery life, I used to be shocked by how rapidly it drained. It fees rapidly too, however uninterrupted playtime is the secret right here, and a hot-swap battery pack may very well be the reply.
Setup
Setup on the Quest wasn’t a nightmare, however I really feel like Apple may leverage its huge ecosystem to its benefit right here to supply probably the most seamless expertise attainable and make it a standout within the VR world. That features sharing Wi-Fi passwords from gadgets and utilizing Apple merchandise like iPhone to enter textual content in the identical manner you may on the Apple TV. Rumors are that Apple can be planning to incorporate air typing within the Actuality Professional headset. Whereas Meta has completed an excellent job of creating the very best of enter utilizing ergonomic hand controllers, it’s nonetheless difficult, particularly for first-time VR customers akin to myself.
I might like to see Apple embody some form of app that may get you “prepared” for VR, maybe creating your avatar, setting fundamental preferences, and so on, in order that when the time comes there’s much less setup to be completed. Once I received my Quest out of the field I used to be so impatient to simply play, however I needed to do a bunch of setups and await a software program replace, which is okay, however certainly an Apple VR headset may supply extra right here.
Glasses
As a glasses wearer, I felt at a fairly large drawback utilizing the Meta Quest 2. It does include a rudimentary spacer for glasses that push the headset and lenses barely additional out of your face, however it nonetheless felt like a decent squeeze and each time I eliminated the headset, my glasses left my head and went with the headset. I additionally discovered the headset was blurry except I used to be wanting in at precisely the precise angle. Apple reportedly has plans to incorporate motors that may allow you to modify the lenses and clips for prescription glasses wearers. I might like to see Apple innovate on this house as this positively appears like there’s room for enchancment. That being stated, at $400 I really feel just like the Meta Quest 2 does sufficient for glasses wearers, as throughout precise use my glasses don’t get in the best way and don’t trigger any blurring or show quirkiness. There are some good third-party choices for prescription Meta Quest 2 lenses, and I do know our editor-in-chief Gerald Lynch makes use of these to nice impact.
Apple VR recipe for fulfillment
If Apple VR can seize among the Meta Quest’s enjoyable utility, nice hand controls, and its nice open utility pushed by compatibility with a variety of platforms and {hardware}, then the corporate may very well be on to a winner. And, VR nonetheless has some large steps to take in relation to setup and luxury the place Apple’s product design expertise may reap dividends. But I stay involved that Apple VR may very well be an overpriced convention calling device, and never the bundle of pleasure it may have been. With a WWDC 2023 launch on the playing cards, solely time will inform.
