Why some Apple Vision Pro early adopters are returning their headsets

[lostinlodos]

Let’s be honest. People have a chance to play with a $3000+ product for two weeks. A product they have no intention of keeping. It’s their first chance to try this technology no strings attached.

People intent on keeping the device can quickly find hundreds (thousands?) of videos on many sites showing how to adjust the straps for maximum comfort.
How to counter balance the weight by hanging the battery through the straps.

How a soft cloth around the strap makes it more comfortable.

A friend got one. Used it on a 34 hour multi stop international flight. A washcloth around the strap.
Their biggest complaint? Having to take it off.
Like many other honest ‘want to keep it’ reviews, said she felt like life was less real taking the headset off. lol.
That growing statement, realism, is my biggest concern in the product.

But don’t pretend some astronomical return rate has anything to do with the quality of the product.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

High end headsets with a microphone are in the range of 1-2lbs. Many use them for 8 hours a day.

Most real-use reports said switching around the straps fixes head discomfort.

The weight on them is resting on top of your head, not your forehead, putting extra weight and constantly causing you to resist the downward pull.

I know how a headset works, I've got several gaming headsets. I game multiple hours at a time using it.
The weight is a downward pressure on the top of your head, like wearing a hat/hardhat/helmet and so on. You don't mount the headset to your forehead.

With a VR headset that's unbalanced you're constantly needing to fight the weight pulling your head down. That's the issue with these VR sets that aren't balanced properly.

 

[loki1944]

What a shocker; same story different flavor of the same dead tech.

 

[lostinlodos]

The weight on them is resting on top of your head, not your forehead, putting extra weight and constantly causing you to resist the downward pull.

I know how a headset works, I've got several gaming headsets. I game multiple hours at a time using it.
The weight is a downward pressure on the top of your head, like wearing a hat/hardhat/helmet and so on. You don't mount the headset to your forehead.

With a VR headset that's unbalanced you're constantly needing to fight the weight pulling your head down. That's the issue with these VR sets that aren't balanced properly.

I agree that there's clearly a balance issue. Again though, the location of the straps is adjustable. Many are just fine with a minor change. I think ultimately it's a user issue. Some are ok with the design, others are not.

 

[hwertz]

Eh? The "purpose" is more visual immersion, and only a fool would dispute that VR goggles deliver on that front. As for software, the Apple Vision Pro is already supported by 250+ games, 600 spatial-enabled apps, and over one million pre-existing compatible apps that can be used in spatial mode. Care to try again?

Try again with what? One million "pre-existing compatible apps" would presumably just mean you have a VR screen floating in front of you with the app in it Not worth $3500 to tap in the air instead of on a tablet.

As for the 250+ games and 600 spatial-enabled apps... well, I have some VR-enabled games on Steam. I don't have VR goggles, but I can turn my head with the mouse and move around with W/A/S/D. The ones I have, I would not be interested in paying $3500 to see in VR, or $700 for that matter, other than (as these people have done) playing with it for a week or two then returning it.

It's (relatively) easy with Unity to have it go to VR goggles as a possible interface instead of just a flat monitor + keyboard/mouse input (or gamepad input possibly). But, the ones I saw, I had no regret running with conventional controls rather than VR and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything big.

Could there be that killer app for VR? Yes. But I assume if it was out already people would be talking about it, and some of these people would be using it rather than returning their VR systems.