Apple’s Vision Pro AR/VR headset launches in the U.S. on February 2

Apple’s long-awaited, very pricey Vision Pro augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) headset launches in the U.S. on February 2nd and pre-orders are available on Friday, January 19th at 8am ET/5am PT.

Along with confirming the Vision Pro’s $3,499 USD (about $4,685 CAD) price tag and release date, Apple also revealed that the headset will launch with 256GB of storage as the only option. Other new information includes that the headset’s Zeiss Optical Inserts cost $99 USD (about $132 CAD) for readers and $149 USD (roughly $199 CAD) for prescription lenses.

The Vision Pro comes with both the Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band, giving users two different headband options, alongside a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, an Apple Vision Pro Cover for the front of the headset, a polishing cloth (because of course it does), a battery, a USB-C charging cable and a USB-C power adapter.

The launch press release mentions that the Vision Pro will be compatible with more than 150 3D titles through the Apple TV app (it remains unclear what content this includes) and 250 games from Apple Arcade, including NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, Sonic Dream Team and more. These titles can be played on a “screen as large” as the player wants, says Apple. Spatial games include Game Room, What the Golf? and Super Fruit Ninja. It’s unclear if other notable room-scale VR titles available on other VR platforms will also make their way to the Vision Pro at launch.

While Canadians won’t get the Vision Pro in February alongside the U.S., the headset is expected to arrive by the end of 2024. A recent report from Bloomberg‘s often-reliable Mark Gurman and his ‘Power On’ newsletter stated that the Vision Pro would launch soon, and it appears that it was entirely accurate.

The Vision Pro’s EyeSight looks goofy and incredibly cool at the same time.

I went hands-on with the Vision Pro in July and was impressed with the headset’s build quality and display fidelity but was underwhelmed by its app offerings. At the time, there wasn’t an experience that truly showed off what the seemingly impressive hardware was capable of. Still, there’s something very futuristic and special about navigating with only your eyes and the unique pinching gesture. At the time, EyeSight, the ability to see the wearer’s eyes while they have the headset on, wasn’t available.

The Vision Pro features a pair of 4K displays and a dial on its side that pulls the wearer in and out of the virtual world. It features Apple’s M2 chip and its new R1 chip, which powers its several built-in sensors, microphones and cameras.

With all that in mind, after recently testing out Meta’s far cheaper $649 Quest 3, I’m questioning the Vision Pro’s $3,499 USD (about $4,685 CAD) price tag, given how impressive the Facebook-made headset is. Yes, the Vision Pro’s hardware is better, but is it enough of a jump to justify its very expensive price tag? That remains unclear.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple, Bloomberg