With the release of the evolutionary new Vision Pro, Apple has taken a detour from the usual mixed reality headsets we have seen in the past. In that effort, Apple has – amid a host of interesting features – scrapped the idea of handheld controllers, the user generally requires to interact with such devices.
Like Apple, which had been working on its first AR/VR headset for almost half a decade now, there are many companies – including Meta – knocking around the idea of AR/VR headsets, but most of these devices usually end up on the beefier side. Presenting a viable alternative is the conceptual new virtual reality headset: 0², but it arrives with handheld controllers!
Using 3D printed technology to build this virtual reality head-mounted display, the designer visions to enhance user experience and address the challenges associated with the weight of such devices. By employing cutting-edge parametric design techniques and 3D printing, 0² manages partial weight reduction off of the headset without compromising structural integrity or functionality.
By delving into the core issues of weight, on the face and head, 0² focuses on optimizing weight and simultaneously enhancing the device’s value proposition for users with its unified and cohesive aesthetic. The headset is characterized by a sleek and rounded form factor and the designer has paid careful attention to the texture of the device to create a visually and tactilely pleasing device.
For this, the headset is 3D printed from plastic and is provided with a metallic finish. The outer casing, however, is finished in durable fabric. All necessary cameras and modules are installed to allow users to fully immerse themselves in the VR experience with the additional assistance of handheld controllers. For a better experience, 0² has an onboard display panel that shows real-time updates about the headset and controllers’ status.
The flexibility provided by 3D printing allows for the creation of complex geometries while the inspiration from modern architectural parametric permits the designer to address the crucial aspects of ventilation and weight with 0² that many companies have been trying to strike a balance with.
Apple created a stir in the tech industry with the announcement of Vision Pro headset, and now the news coming in of visionOS software development kit endless possibilities for the VR headset will unearth. The SDK will lend third-party developers the ability to leverage the headset’s hardware for new exciting features.
In the announcement, Apple addressed the global developers community of developers to create an entirely “new class of spatial computing apps that take full advantage of the infinite canvas in Vision Pro and seamlessly blend digital content with the physical world to enable extraordinary new experiences.”
Designer: Moe Slah
Now that the visionOS SDK will have developers getting creative, the new app experiences will serve categories like productivity, design, gaming, and of course UI. Just in time for this announcement comes this conceptualized feature for Apple Vision Pro to elevate the user experience not only for the wearer but also for curious onlookers. Dubbed the “Mode Indicator” this app will beam visual indications of the wearer’s current activity.
For instance, if he/she is playing a mixed reality game, engrossed in a meeting, binge-watching an action series, or calming down with a meditation session. The user can also choose from in-app text or design custom animations to have a more personalized experience. Simple yet effective, the app will automatically detect the mode of activity and change the headset’s outer display content.
For starters, Moe envisions the app with a preset “Gaming Mode” for interactive and gaming experiences, “Entertainment Mode” for multimedia consumption activities, and “Meditation Mode” for times of calm and focused state of mind. Clearly, the Mode Indicator feature for Vision Pro enhances the understanding and engagement with those around the wearer for a harmonious and collaborative environment. This will be important if we foresee a future with VR headsets seamlessly integrating into daily lives.
Apple made waves earlier this month when it finally revealed its long-awaited foray into the world of mixed or extended reality. That the company has had its eyes on this market is hardly any secret. In fact, the delayed (at least by market standards) announcement has had some wondering if it was all just wishful thinking. At WWDC 2023, Apple definitely showed the world that it means serious business, perhaps too serious even. The Apple Vision Pro headset itself is already a technological marvel, but in typical Apple fashion, it didn’t dwell too much on the specs that would make many pundits drool. Instead, Apple homed in on how the sleek headset almost literally opens up a whole new world and breaks down the barriers that limited virtual and augmented reality. More than just the expensive hardware, Apple is selling an even more costly new computing experience, one that revolves around the concept of “Spatial Computing.” But what is Spatial Computing, and does it have any significance beyond viewing photos, browsing the Web, and walking around in a virtual environment? As it turns out, it could be a world-changing experience, virtually and really.
Anyone who has been keeping tabs on trends in the modern world will have probably already heard about virtual reality, augmented reality, or even extended reality. Although they sound new to our ears, their origins actually go far, far back, long before Hollywood has even gotten whiff of them. At the same time, however, we’ve been hearing about these technologies so much, especially from certain social media companies, that you can’t help but roll your eyes at “yet another one” coming our way. Given its hype, it’s certainly understandable to be wary of all the promises that Apple has been making, but that would be underselling the concept of what makes Spatial Computing really feel like THE next wave in computing.
It’s impossible to discuss Spatial Computing without touching base with VR and AR, the granddaddies of what is now collectively called “eXtended Reality” or XR. Virtual Reality (VR) is pretty much the best-known of the two, especially because it is easier to implement. Remember that cardboard box with a smartphone inside that you strap to your head? That’s pretty much the most basic example of VR, which practically traps you inside a world full of pixels and intangible objects. Augmented Reality (AR) frees you from that made-up world and instead overlays digital artifacts on real-world objects, much like those Instagram filters everyone seems to love or love to hate. The catch is that these are still intangible virtual objects, and nothing you do in the real world really changes them. Mixed Reality (MR) fixes that and bridges the two so that a physical knob can actually change some virtual configuration or that a virtual switch can toggle a light somewhere in the room.
In that sense, Spatial Computing is the culmination of all these technologies but with a very specific focus, which you can discern from its name. In a nutshell, it turns the whole world into your computer, making any available space into an invisible wall you can hang up your apps’ windows. Yes, there will still be windows (with a small “w”) because of how our software is currently designed, but you can hang up as many as you want in the available space you have. Or you can just have one super gigantic video player taking up your vision. The idea also makes use of our brain’s innate ability to associate things with spaces (which is the theory behind the “Memory Palace”) to have us organize our room-sized computer desktop. In a sense, it makes the computer practically invisible, allowing you to directly interact with applications as if they existed physically in front of you because they practically are.
Apple Reality
Of course, you could say that even Microsoft’s HoloLens already did all that. What makes Spatial Computing and Apple’s implementation different is how the virtual and the real affect each other, much like in mixed reality. There is, for example, the direct way we can control the floating applications using nothing but our own bodies, whether it’s with hand gestures or even just the movement of our eyes. This is the fulfillment of all those Minority Report fantasies, except you don’t even need to wear gloves. Even your facial expressions can have an effect on your FaceTime doppelganger, a very useful trick since you won’t have a FaceTime camera available while wearing the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple’s visionOS Spatial Computing, however, is also indirectly affected by your physical environment, and this is where it gets a little magical and literally spatial. According to Apple’s marketing, your virtual windows will cast shadows on floors or walls, and that they’ll be affected by ambient light as well. Of course, you’ll be the only one who sees those effects, but they make the windows and other virtual objects feel more real to you. The Vision Pro will also dim its display to mimic the effect of dimming your lights when you want to watch a movie in the dark. It can even analyze surrounding objects and their textures to mix the audio so that it sounds like it’s really coming from all directions and bouncing off those objects.
The number of technologies to make this seamless experience possible is quite staggering; that’s why Apple didn’t focus too much on the optics, which is often the key selling point of XR headsets. From the sensors to the processors to the AI that interprets all that data, it’s no longer surprising that it took Apple this long to announce the Vision Pro and its Spatial Computing. It is, however, also its biggest gamble, and it could very well ruin the company if it crashes and burns.
Real Design
Spatial Computing is going to be a game-changer, but it’s not a change that will happen overnight, no matter how much Apple wants it to. This is where computing is heading, whether we like it or not, but it’s going to take a lot of time as well. And while it may have “computing” in its name, its ramifications will impact almost all industries, not just entertainment and, well, computing. When Spatial Computing does take off, it will even change the way we design and create things.
Many designers are already using advanced computing tools like 3D modeling software, 3D printers, and even AI to assist their creative process. Spatial Computing will take it up a notch by letting designers have a more hands-on approach to crafting. Along with “digital twins” and other existing tools, it will allow designers and creators to iterate over designs much faster, letting them measure a hundred times and print only once, saving time, resources, and money in the long run.
Spatial Computing also has the potential to change the very design of products themselves, but not in the outlandish way that the Metaverse has been trying to do. In fact, Spatial Computing flips the narrative and gives more importance to physical reality rather than having an expensive, one-of-a-kind NFT sneaker you can’t wear in real life. Spatial Computing highlights the direct interaction between physical and virtual objects, and this could open up a new world of physical products designed to interact with apps or, at the very least, influence them by their presence and composition. It might be limited to what we would consider “computing,” but in the future, computing will pretty much be the way everyone will interact with the world around them, just like how smartphones are today.
Human Nature
As grand as Apple’s Vision might be, it will be facing plenty of challenges before its Spatial Computing can be considered a success, the least of which is the price of the Vision Pro headset itself. We’ve highlighted those Five Reasons Why the Apple Vision Pro Might Fail, and the biggest reason will be the human factor.
Humans are creatures of habit as well as tactile creatures. It took years, maybe even decades, for people to get used to keyboards and mice, and some people struggle with touch screens even today. While Apple’s Spatial Computing promises the familiar controls of existing applications, the way we will interact with them will be completely gesture-based and, therefore, completely new. Add to the fact that even touch screens give something our fingers can feel, and you can already imagine how alien those air hand gestures might be for the first few years.
Apple surely did its due diligence in ergonomic and health studies and designs, but it’s not hard to see how this won’t be the most common way people will do computing, even if you make the Vision Pro dirt cheap. Granted, today’s computers and mobile devices are hardly ergonomic by design, but there have been plenty of solutions developed by now. Spatial Computing is still uncharted territory, even after VR and AR have long blazed a trail. It will definitely take our bodies getting used to before Spatial Computing almost becomes second nature, and Apple will have to stay strong until then.
Final Thoughts
As expected, Apple wasn’t content to just announce just another AR headset to join an uncertain market. The biggest surprise was its version of Spatial Computing, formally marketed as visionOS. Much of what we’ve seen is largely marketing and promises, but this is Apple we’re talking about. It might as well be reality, even if it takes a while to fully happen.
Unlike the entertainment-centric VR or the almost ridiculous Metaverse, Spatial Computing definitely feels like the next evolution of computing that will be coming sooner rather than later. It’s definitely still at an early stage, even if the seeds were planted nearly two decades ago, but it clearly shows potential to become more widely accepted because of its more common and general applications. It also has the potential to change our lives in less direct ways, like changing the way we learn or even design products. It’s not yet clear how long it will take, but it’s not hard to see how Apple’s Vision of the future could very well be our own.
Apple has created ripples in the VR market with the Vision Pro headset which has a strongly knitted hardware-software integration. The Cupertino giant graced the tech community with a surprise announcement at the WWDC in the first week of June, and ever since, the VR headset has made all the news.
Such is the magnanimity of the hardware showed off by Apple at the event, that just a couple of weeks into the announcement, third-party accessories makers are jumping on the bandwagon. There’s an opulent headband to embellish Apple’s first-ever wearable and we are bracing more accessories for the VR headset when it is finally up for grabs in early 2024.
Just like the Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers that bring a new level of realism to VR gaming, the Apple VR headset is also destined for a similar accessory. This concept visualizes exactly how the Apple Vision Pro controllers would look and feel in an open-world Metaverse. Alex calls the accessory “Apple Vision Joystick Pro Max” and a proactive third-party accessory maker or even Apple would already be looking up that name to claim.
Perfectly complementing the headset’s modern appeal, these controllers for the Apple headset will be closely knit for smooth functionality no matter what open-world title you throw at them. The joysticks will maximize the gaming experience for all kinds of modern games keeping in mind the VR environment.
The top surface of the controller is donned with a touch-sensitive surface for smart controls like swaying the sword or reloading a potent sniper rifle. A trigger button on one side can be mapped for firing bullets accelerating forward. The crown on one side can be used to go through menus or toggle the volume. All the controls and buttons can be mapped as per the requirements and ergonomic comfort while playing.
The design is something to talk about as the metal finish in silver goes well with the Apple VR headset, and the ecosystem of Apple products. Do we need these controllers? Most definitely we do if Apple’s hardware has to be tested for peak gaming performance and of course enhance the overall experience of gaming in virtual reality.
Apple has set the tech community on steroids with the announcement of the long-awaited virtual reality headset that’s set to change the way we interact with our world. The mixed reality headset was in development for many years now with countless patents and prototype versions marking its inception journey.
The next-generation headset announced at the annual WWDC 2023 conference is by far the most technically advanced VR accessory that the world has seen. Vision Pro backed by Apple’s software integration makes possible a seamless transition from the real world to the virtual world and then to the mixed reality interface.
Scan through all the tech news lately and Apple’s surprise announcement is making all the headlines. To that accord, premium iPhone case maker BandWerk is not letting go of the opportunity to grab a share of the pie with an announcement of its own. The German accessory provider for the Apple ecosystem has revealed its plans to make available handcrafted leather headbands for the $3,500 Apple headset slated for launch early next year.
The premium headband destined to arrive in five color options – Grey, Creme, Beige, Orange, and Brown – will adapt to the silhouette of the final commercially available headset. For now, BandWerk has only revealed the concept version of the headbands that’ll fill the void of the only single option that deep-pocketed buyers will get with the Vision Pro. According to them, the commercially available luxury headbands will have a precise fit with maximum comfort for longer stints of VR exploration. Durability is another perk that’ll make the $159 price tag totally justified.
The headband will come with a color-matching fabric Light Seal and crafted out of premium Italian leather. This accessory will be made in Germany and then eventually shipped to America and the United Kingdom initially. We can expect more accessories unearthing for the Vision Pro headset as it nears public launch. For now, though, the Apple headset and the third-party headband accessory are only going to be the privilege of the filthy rich or die-hard Apple fans who can afford to buy this exorbitantly priced gadget.
In the midst of anticipation for Apple’s long-rumored mixed reality headset, Meta has made a splash by unveiling – through Mark Zuckerberg’s official Instagram handle – the upcoming Meta Quest 3. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the Quest 2, the Quest 3 boasts a sleeker and more comfortable design, featuring a 40 percent slimmer design and a more powerful device.
Meta Quest 3 would stand apart with its rumored high-resolution mixed reality output and promise of an unparalleled visual experience. With its thinner profile and enhanced comfort, the Quest 3 will combine Meta’s highest resolution display and pancake optics, ensuring the delivered content looks better than ever before.
Under the hood, the Quest 3 is to be powered by a new Qualcomm Snapdragon chip that will likely deliver twice the graphics performance compared to its predecessor. This next-generation chipset will make sure the Quest 3 offers smooth and stunning visuals, pushing the boundaries of mixed and virtual reality to an unexplored high.
One of the most enticing aspects of the Meta Quest 3 still is its compatibility with the entire Quest 2 library. It, however, will be accompanied by an array of new titles as well. Scheduled for release this fall, the Meta Quest 3 will be available in a 128GB version priced at $499.99. An additional storage option will also be launched, but the price for it is not disclosed yet.
In addition to this exciting announcement, Meta has also made significant price adjustments for the Quest 2. Starting June 4th, the 128GB version of the Quest 2 will be priced at $299.99. Similarly, the 256GB version will see a price drop to $349.99, providing enthusiasts with the most powerful headset presently at an affordable cost.
Prepared to be astounded by jaw-dropping virtual reality experiences of Quest 3 still? You can sign up here for more information about the state-of-the-art headset or wait until Meta annual Connect event on September 27.
Mixed reality is transforming the way we perceive and experience the world around us. We can virtually step into an immersive environment that feels almost like the real thing. One useful application of this technology is health gamification. For those who are unaware, gamification is the process of incorporating game elements such as points, rewards, and achievements, into non-game contexts.
The Portalverse VR headset concept is a thoughtful iteration of how virtual reality can be used to promote health and wellness. It’s a sleek and lightweight VR headset designed for comfort and equipped with advanced sensors to track head and eye movements – interacting with the virtual environment naturally.
Designer: Marko Filipic and Mati Papalini
One key feature of Portalverse VR is its ability to gamify health and wellness in one’s daily routine with an avatar that behaves as a real person would. By gamifying these activities, the headset and its accompanying interface (smart mirror) make for an engaging and motivating regime for health-conscious people. The designers envision this headset to be used at home with the Portal smart mirror or outdoors using a smartwatch.
You can use the mixed reality wearable to participate in a virtual exercise class, wherein, real-time will be used to provide feedback on the form and technique. As the user (via the avatar) progresses through the exercise routine, they would earn points and unlock achievements for reaching certain milestones, such as completing a set number of repetitions. The accompanying app customizes the coaching levels and gives important feedback based on the user’s performance.
Another example of how Portalverse VR can be used for health gamification is through meditation. The headset transports the user to a peaceful, virtual environment, for instance, a beach or forest. The app guides the user through a meditation routine, for proper breathing and relaxation techniques. As the user progresses through the routine, they could earn points and rewards for achieving deeper levels of relaxation and mindfulness.
By using advanced VR technology to gamify health and wellness activities, headsets like the Portalverse VR could make it more engaging and motivating for users to adopt healthy lifestyles. VR startups better get some inspiration from this concept mixed reality headset!
With advancements in technology, VR experience is becoming more and more realistic. It engages multiple senses to create a truly unforgettable experience. However, one sense that remains untapped in VR is the sense of smell, which plays a significant role in how we identify things and remember them. Introducing ORDOVIC – a VR headset with an olfactory module, designed to elevate the VR experiences with the introduction of smell as a sensory feature.
Ordovic is a cutting-edge VR headset that incorporates an olfactory module, to allow gamers to experience scents of gunpowder in the virtual world. Inspired by the way we use smell to identify things and strengthen memories, the VR headset, with accompanying controllers and earbuds, aims to provide a truly immersive and multisensory experience like never before in VR.
Designer: John Han Lee
By adding the sense of smell to virtual reality, this headset creates a very realistic and memorable experience that engages multiple senses simultaneously. The olfactory module of Ordovic is designed to simulate a wide range of scents, from the smell of salt water when you’re water surfing, or aroma of food when you’re cooking in VR. While gaming in virtual reality, the sense of smell can make the virtual world feel more real and engaging with the addition of this new layer of immersion.
The round plasticky Ordovic is designed to fit comfortably in front of the eyes and fasten around the head. As I can make out, the olfactory module is integrated into the VR headset, providing a synchronized sensory experience that transports the wearer to a whole new level of realism. This creates an unforgettable experience that engages your sense of smell along with your sight and hearing.
This all-new experience can open up a range of applications from gaming to education, and from therapy to training. It’s worth understanding that the availability and variety of scents may depend on the accessibility of olfactory modules and the sensory variation of each individual. Yet, I believe, Ordovic has the potential to provide a truly personalized and unforgettable VR experience.
Some diseases and physical disorders don’t really care whether you’re young or old, but unfortunately, treatment does. You can’t, for example, perform surgery on extremely young or extremely old people, which severely limits what you can do before it gets too late. Some defects like strabismus, more popular under the moniker “crossed eyes,” can become a big problem for adults and a long-lasting emotional wound for kids. Some types of strabismus can, fortunately, be corrected by wearing special types of glasses, but that treatment can be inefficient and costly over time. It doesn’t have to be that way, though, especially if you stretch the design a bit, like this device that looks like a VR headset but is actually a wearable treatment for kids afflicted by this vision disorder.
There are a few vision disorders that can be corrected by wearing special glasses, particularly ones that use a prism to redirect the way light enters the eyes. For those affected with strabismus, this can help train the eyes until they get back to a more natural position. The problem is that glasses with prisms have fixed angles, and as the wearer’s eyes adjust, the eyeglasses have to be replaced as well. Of course, surgery is out of the question for kids, so a more efficient and cost-effective treatment is needed.
SWP, which is an acronym for Simplicity With Professionalism, tries to offer that solution with a design that might look a little familiar now, even for kids. From the outside, the device is very similar to a virtual reality headset like the Meta Quest or HTC Vive. In fact, it might also be using some of the same designs and mechanisms as a regular headset, particularly with the way two lenses can be adjusted on the fly.
In SWP’s case, there is a motorized prism inside the visor that can adjust the angle to adapt to the severity of the wearer’s strabismus. A dial in front can adjust the spacing of the lens for the eyes while the inner lenses rotate inside to exercise the eyes and correct that angle over time. Rather than replacing the eyeglasses every time the strabismus angle changes, one only needs to change the headset’s settings to continue the treatment.
Making SWP look like a VR headset isn’t accidental, of course. The form offers a more distributed weight balance, so it won’t be too heavy for kids to wear. Of course, it will also be considerably lighter because it has fewer internal components to cram into that small space. It might even make kids feel special for wearing such a device that grownups play with, helping them become more accepting of the treatment that will help correct their vision until it becomes normal again.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a platform for the biggest of brands to unveil their cutting-edge tech innovation that’ll set the way forward for the years to come. Taking the stage to reveal an AR headset, Xiaomi has sent ripples in the industry, dotted with bulky headsets for wireless AR consumption. The Chinese OEM launched a sleek, lightweight pair of AR glasses that you wouldn’t mind wearing in public.
Designed to herald an “ear of wireless AR,” this compact headset called Wireless AR Glass Discover Edition is designed to connect to user’s smartphone. Though it is a prototype for now, Yanko Design managed a hands-on with wireless eyewear at MWC, and we believe Xiaomi has done a great job with the design and feel: the glasses seem almost ready for the market, but we suggest you don’t start setting assigned your fortune for this one just yet.
Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition weighs only 126g or 4.4 ounces on the nose, which is insignificant compared to the chunkier AR/VR headsets we have seen in our day. This lightweight yet sturdy design is made possible with the use of a magnesium-lithium alloy and carbon fiber construction.
You can trim the design, use lightweight materials in construction, but the most weight on such a wearable device is its battery. Xiaomi has carefully installed an in-house developed silicon-oxygen anode battery that reduces the physical load, translating into a minimum weight increase on the device.
The Xiaomi AR Glass Discovery Edition is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 processor under the hood, and packs a pair of micro OLED displays boasting retina-revel resolution and brightness of up to 1200nit. Xiaomi says its AR glasses feature 58 pixels per degree (PPD) which is more than twice the PPD on the Meta’s Quest Pro that runs on the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1.
Courtesy of the retina-level display, these AR glasses deliver a truly immersive visual experience. The glasses allow a user to blend the virtual and real worlds, seamlessly accessing either with a single click. For this, the front lenses are electrochromic that adjust to light conditions, depending on the user’s preference. They can blackout when the user wants to focus on the virtual world.
Xiaomi has released a video presentation of the AR Glass Discovery Edition showcasing several features that the glasses have to offer. This includes specially developed hand gestures in addition to smartphone-based touch controls. The hand-tracking feature allows user to open apps, drag and drop virtual objects in the physical world, swipe through pages with a finger, and do a lot more.
However, exciting Xiaomi’s AR glasses concept may seem; there’s no word on price or availability as of yet so we will only have to live by the video presentation and the images below.
