Introduction: The growth of practically all video game markets in the coming years is all but certain. However, with Vision Pro and a lack of native controllers, Apple is signaling that their latest product in the AR and VR domain is not focused on video games at all.
Article: Mirroring the launch of Apple Watch, Vision Pro once more shows that when Apple Inc. makes a big move, the world takes notice. Since its release, Vision Pro headsets ended up in the hands of tech reviewers, first adopters, crypto enthusiasts, and many more individual and organizational addresses. Here, the vibrant and growing Vision Pro community put the headset to work and continues to figure out both the benefits and drawbacks of this device. However, at the same time, in a much quieter manner, the gaming community is slowly relaxing that this device is likely not designed for a big footprint in the domain of video game development. The key reason for that is the simple lack of native, purpose-built controllers for Vision Pro. While there are workarounds that Apple envisions for the process of gaming, the future of big VR and AR video games for the same headset remains bleak, at least when it comes to the current model.
Spatial Gaming
There is a lot of power in the way creators name their creations. Presently, Apple is determined to call Vision Pro a spatial computer and the name is, semantically at least, very adequate. Everything that is happening in VR and AR clearly does have a strong or even crucial spatial dimension. That goes for any headsets present and past, but in the case of Vision Pro, it is even more prominent. For any game that takes place in either virtual reality or augmented reality, the issue of interaction is crucial. Yes, a player can look anywhere but how do they move an object or do any other action in the same digital environment? So far, the solution to that problem has been the presence of wearable controllers.
These work through a range of sensors and buttons, allowing the players to have more or less similar functionality like console controllers or a simplified keyboard. Without them, players are very restricted in terms of what they can do in any given digital environment. During the development of Vision Pro, the company tested the concept of a device that is worn on the finger of the user and can act as a controller. However, Apple ultimately decided against it and limited the interactions to voice, hand, and eye movement, as well as a single button on the device itself. For gaming that takes place in the spatial realm, this simply is not enough, especially for a device calling itself a spatial computer.
Third-Party Controllers
It is clear that Apple did not invest in its own controllers for Vision Pro, but that does not make the device completely closed for controllers. Instead, users and gamers can employ both controllers with the MFi designation (made for iPhone) and third-party alternatives. These include controllers from PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as – according to Apple – any controllers that are compatible with iPad OS. So, serious VR gaming can take place on Vision Pro, at least in theory.
The problem is that the same gaming experience has to include additional VR headsets from which controllers are scavenged or through direct purchase of these stand-alone devices. At the same time, the system that links the third-party devices could stutter at a range of potential problems in a range of VR games. A setup that works for one game might have flaws in a different title and completely break down for another VR game. That makes the current version of Vision Pro something that no gamer would consider for their virtual reality needs, even with access to third-party controllers.
New Version of Vision Pro
No one can claim that Apple is completely uninterested in combining Vision Pro and gaming. After all, the device offers Apple Arcade support and has access to numerous games. A company like Apple is surely not oblivious to the potential and importance of different gaming markets and how these will expand, sometimes through very rapid growth periods. So, the idea of Apple Pro being completely closed off for all gaming needs and desires of that massive customer base is very unlikely. But, it is clear that the present version of the headset has a very limited appeal to gamers of practically any type.
That is why the chances are high that Apple might consider a more game-focused approach for new Vision Pro headsets. These could include not only in-house-built controllers but also a tried and tested way of connecting other devices that can act as a controller. For example, an iPhone running a VR controller app could be easily used for this purpose. Furthermore, gaming Vision Pro headsets could come with other modifications that would lower their price and make them more of a competitor to established names in the field of VR gaming gear. Sadly, for all VR and AR gamers, that possibility is at least a couple of years in the future, no matter what happens with Vision Pro in the near term.
Autor:
Ivica Milaric
Game designer and game design teacher at the Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia