Apple Promises 600 Apps For Vision Pro: Here Are The Ones We're Looking Forward To The Most
Apple's ambitious Vision Pro headset is due to hit the market on February 2, and the company has revealed more information about the 600+ apps that will be available at launch. The headset is a high-end offering designed to seamlessly blend work, interaction, and entertainment. It doesn't feature controllers, instead relying on hand tracking and movement for navigating the interface.
One major plus is the number of apps available for the device, even if they do overlap with Apple's other platforms. If Apple stays true to form, the apps will be highly polished and functional, including the VR-specific ones. Other standalone headsets have had decent hardware available, but struggled due to the limited number of apps available to them, and the quality of the apps they do have.
Although reviewers have positive things to say about the hardware on offer, it is ultimately the available content which will decide if the Apple Vision Pro becomes a success, or an outlandishly expensive shelf ornament.
Best for work
Arguably the best feature for people planning to work on the Vision Pro is the device's interface itself. It allows users to pull up and arrange multiple windows and AR widgets in a manner conducive to their workflow.
Common communication apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams are available on the device. Microsoft 365 is there, too, giving users access to a variety of office programs. You can even attend Zoom meetings through the Vision Pro headset. While it is basic, the fact there's a web browser also means you can access pretty much anything you currently use on your laptop as well.
If you're a business owner or anyone else who needs to spend time looking at large amounts of data, then the widget-based Numerics app may be incredibly useful for you. It can be used to keep track of a wide range of information, and customized to fit a user's needs.
Best for entertainment
With its ability to play movies on a "100-foot wide screen," with a resolution that is somewhat better than 4K, entertainment was obviously something Apple strongly considered with the Vision Pro. As VR headsets naturally display things in 3D, Apple TV+ may be one of the best entertainment apps you can get.
The service currently has over 250 3D movies, and the Vision Pro may spark something of a 3D revival. Other popular streaming apps available on the Vision Pro include: Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour, Sling TV, and Verizon Fios. Other apps on offer are Peacock, CBS, Paramount+, and NBC.
Notable omissions from the list of streaming services are Netflix and YouTube. There is a workaround, as users can use the headset's browser to access both services. However, the lack of dedicated apps for two of the most popular services on the market is definitely a bit of a blow to Apple.
If you really want to make the most of the large screen size, then it's hard to look past the IMAX app. If it can translate some of the IMAX experience from real life to VR, then Apple may be onto a winner in the entertainment department.
Gaming is an option
To address the elephant in the room, gaming may be an area where the Apple Vision Pro falls a little short compared to similar VR devices. Don't expect fully immersive titles like "Boneworks," "Half Life: Alyx," or "The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners" on the headset.
In Apple's defense, it was never marketed as a gaming-focused headset. Apple itself has never really been a gaming-focused company either. For years, it was happy to let PCs be the place for desktop gaming while it mainly focused on productivity and usability.
The Vision Pro does have games available — over 250, in fact — and many of them can be accessed via Apple Arcade. Most of them are "flat screen" titles that you can play with a virtual or physical controller. However some, like "Fruit Ninja" and "Blackbox," allow users to play games in AR.
You can also connect to the likes of Steam and stream titles to the headset, though from the looks of things, the titles in question are similarly flat screen efforts like "Baldur's Gate 3," rather than titles from Steam's own vast library of VR content.
Sports lovers view the action like never before
Sports has always felt like an area where VR has fallen short. Here are devices that could have you courtside or ringside for a modest fee, and most of the time you're stuck watching an event in a glorified virtual theater. Apple isn't promising to put you there.
Instead you'll be watching the action on a massive virtual screen which, Apple claims, has a greater pixel density than a 4K display. A host of sporting outlets have official apps on the Vision Pro, including NBC Sports, FOX Sports, and the UFC.
Where we do see some promise is in the PGA TOUR Vision app which has real time shot tracking over 3D models of the courses. Users can also get right onto the green to view the action up close. Similarly the Red Bull TV app provides a 3D view of the track and the official MLB app shows relevant stats on the side. None of this is using VR to its full potential, but these AR elements are at least doing more than just slapping the broadcast on a virtual screen.
Some apps just look cool
The functionality of the Apple Vision Pro stretches beyond the few apps we've listed here. Some of the devices and apps on offer don't fit neatly into a category like "work" or "gaming." However, they are still cool enough to warrant a mention. One standout app is Voyager by ForeFlight. If you've ever used a flight tracking app, you'll be familiar with the concept.
Voyager uses the Vision Pro's AR capabilities to show you a live, 3D, representation of a plane flying over a globe. Said globe can take up a good amount of your living space, and it's definitely a unique way to track a friend or loved one's flight.
Sky Guide and Night Sky are similarly ambitious, transporting users to their own personal planetarium. Ways to explore other planets and even an app that lets you look inside the human body are also available. There are apps with 3D turntables to mix on if music is one of your main interests, and shopping apps that can apparently allow you to virtually try before you physically buy.
None of these concepts are unique to Apple's device, and if the same app isn't available on other VR platforms, similar ones certainly are. However, can Apple's take on things stand out is the real question.