Are any of these enough to justify the pricey headset?
A year ago, Apple announced the Vision Pro as its first step toward a spatial computing future. At WWDC 2024, Apple used its annual developer conference to showcase what’s coming next for the platform with visionOS 2 — from new gestures to a version of Travel Mode that works on trains.
By the time visionOS 2 arrives as a free software update later this year, the Apple Vision Pro will have launched in more countries, expanding its reach to more customers globally. China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore will get the Vision Pro on June 28. The headset lands in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on July 12.
Whether you’re an early adopter or you’re considering buying Vision Pro now, here are all the new features to look forward to.
1. New Hand Gestures
If there’s any doubt that the Vision Pro is a work in progress, look no further than the hand gesture controls coming to visionOS 2. In the new software, you can hold your hand up and tap your thumb and index fingers together to open the Home View screen of apps. Flip your hand over and the time and battery level will appear right by your fingers. Tapping your index and thumb together while your hand is flipped over brings up the Control Center. (This definitely beats looking up at a tiny caret symbol in visionOS 1 to open Control Center.)
2. Transform Regular Photos Into Spatial Photos
Using machine learning from the Vision Pro’s M2 chip, visionOS can automatically convert regular photos into spatial ones. Apple says “a tap of a button” gives 2D images “natural depth” optimized for your right and left eyes. Hopefully, it’s better than attempts by other companies to convert 2D content into 3D.
3. View Photos in Vision Pro With Others
With SharePlay, Vision Pro users can sit around in virtual space and view Photos content in 2D or spatial. Invited Vision Pro users will appear with their Spatial Personas as if they’re floating right in your Environment.
4. Higher Resolution and Size for Mac Virtual Display
In its current implementation, Vision Pro’s Mac Virtual Display feature, which lets you mirror a Mac’s screen to a larger virtual one inside of VisionOS, only has a “normal” view that simply reproduces the same resolution. In visionOS 2, Apple is adding “wide” and “ultrawide” Mac Virtual Display options to allow for an even more immersive virtual screen that can wrap around your vision. Apple says “ultrawide” is equivalent to two side-by-side 4K displays.
5. Train Support for Travel Mode
Travel Mode for Vision Pro allows you to use the headset on a plane without getting motion sick. visionOS 2 adds support for use on trains. Same feature as you get for planes, but now works on moving trains. Good!
6. Other visionOS 2 Features
Apple didn’t get into detail about everything coming to visionOS 2, but we spotted a few on this “bento” slide that you might care about, such as “multiview in TV app,” which suggests you might be able to watch content from multiple perspectives (maybe for sports with more than one virtual window open?); a “keyboard breakthrough” feature that looks like it will show your physical keyboard as a passthrough (similar to on Quest 2/3/Pro headsets); “mouse support” (visionOS 1 only supports the Magic Trackpad); “a rearrangeable Home View” (currently, all visionOS apps are organized alphabetically with no way to change them); “AirPlay Receiver” (can AirPlay content from another Apple device into the Vision Pro?); a “follow your breathing” feature for the Meditate app; HealthKit support; and “recent guest user.”