this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2024
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Everyone I’ve talked to that has used a Vision Pro has said it’s an incredible piece of magical technology, but it’s utterly useless.
It’s literally just Apple flexing.
I use mine daily… primarily as a monitor for my laptop.
Now you might think that’s dumb, but I can go sit outside in the backyard, park, beach, coffee shop, wherever and work on a big, totally private, crisp and clear, glare-free anywhere monitor. I can bring it to the in-laws or on trips and even use it as a monitor for my Steam Deck. Or I can lay in bed or on the sofa or on a lawn chair and use the Steam Link app to play games from my PC.
Taken purely as a private, portable, omni-monitor, it’s absolutely worth the price for me.
As an AR/MR/XR device, it has some MAJOR software problems. Honestly, it makes sense they’d pause hardware development… it’ll be a couple years before there’s anything worth upgrading and they have a long way to go on UX, gestures, inputs, and even basic real-time object recognition and tracking. I bought mine knowing it was a Development Kit and planning to use it to get ahead on AR development experience, but I hit major roadblocks so frequently I’ve just about given up on every interesting use-case I went into this with.
VisionOS 2 is a baby step forward, but Apple has a long, long way to go before it makes sense for regular people. Heck, they aren’t even including all the cool new AI features in VisionOS 2, and it’s the one device that could benefit from that stuff the most.
So, yeah… it can still be worth it to certain people with specific use-cases, but I think it’ll be a solid 5 years before the software and hardware can reach a “normal consumer” level of quality and value.
Do you mind sharing if you feel fatigue if you use it as a monitor for long durations. I feel headphone fatigue with my ears getting too warm very quickly for example. Anything of that sort physically, and how about eye strain?
Two part answer: yes and no.
Default Straps: Bad
The included straps leave all the weight at the front of your head, so you will feel neck strain as a result of the constant weight imbalance. This is a common problem with HMDs… it’s not the weight, but the fact that it’s not balanced, forcing your neck muscles to compensate. Additionally, the design relies on facial pressure to keep the HMD in place… and while the “light shield” is not uncomfortable, it’s still pressure.
Aftermarket Straps: Good
HOWEVER, we are starting to see some creative after-market solutions. I am currently using a BOBOVR M3 Mini with some 3D-printed AVP adapters. To fix the weight balance problem I put adhesive tire weights on the back as a counter-balance (same thing I did with PSVR2). With this solution, it’s infinitely more comfortable than either standard strap… no neck strain, dramatically reduced face pressure… I can go all day. You can get the 3d printed adapters on Etsy, if you’re curious.
As for the eye strain/vision: Ordinarily I need reading glasses for normal things, but on the AVP I don’t need anything. There is no eye strain and everything is crisp and sharp and clear… without any Rx inserts.