All Apple VR/AR Headset Rumors: iOS Apps, 8K Display and More
The Cupertino tech giant is announcing a mixed reality headset this spring, according to Bloomberg . The accessory, supposedly called Reality Pro, will offer a number of interesting features, the details of which were revealed by The Information . Collected all available information about the upcoming new product.
Design and hardware
The device will be made from aluminium, glass and carbon fiber to make it light and compact. Mixed reality means that the user will switch between two modes: virtual and augmented. The second renders the interface on top of the environment that the built-in cameras read. For ethical reasons, they are hidden. And to change the type of reality, the Digital Crown wheel is provided – an analogue of that of the Apple Watch.
They decided to place the battery outside the case: it will be located on the user’s belt and will be connected to the headband via a MagSafe cable. Expanded field of view – 120 degrees. Not every headset in this class can boast of such a figure. For example, the closest competitor – Quest Pro – has only 106 °. And for people who wear glasses, there is a magnetic mount for custom lenses. Due to micromotors, automatic adjustment of the distance between them is ensured in order to adapt to the owner.
Two 5nm chips will be responsible for performance. The first contains the computing cores, GPU and memory, and the second (ISP) displays images from external cameras. There is also an additional H2 chip for pairing with AirPods Pro 2 in low latency mode. In addition to cameras, the gadget will be equipped with LiDAR sensors for 3D scanning of the environment.
Display and software
Indoor OLED screens will get 4K resolution per eye, giving a total 8K picture. The headset also has a large display on the outside. Presumably, one of its functions is to show the user’s facial expressions to others. The matrix supports the reduced refresh rate and power consumption of the Always On principle in the iPhone 14 Pro.
Management is likely to provide hand gestures and voice commands. Body movements, eyes and facial expressions will be tracked by several cameras. The operating system is xrOS, an interface created specifically for Reality Pro. It is expected that the system will be presented at the WWDC conference, opening access to third-party developers. Those, in turn, adapt iOS applications for it, which will be launched in the form of 2D projections.
Gaming support is also announced. To this end, Apple will partner with Unity to provide a complete gaming experience based on the engine of the same name. Perhaps they will release a separate gamepad. The expected retail price of the headset is from $3,000.
