With VisionOS 2, Apple Vision Pro takes center stage

Apple is rolling out updates to all major operating systems this week, and Vision Pro is no exception. With visionOS 2, the company has a chance to show to the relatively few people who buy its expensive headphones, as well as those who may not have bought them yet, that it’s still committed to the new platform.

After a few months of using it in beta, visionOS 2 isn’t a huge change – it’s more like a smoothed-out version of the software the headset was launched with. Additions like new gestures, better device support, and some compelling features take away a lot of the hassle of using the Vision Pro and should give anyone who owns it a reason to dust it off and use it again.

Let’s start with the updates that should have been in VisionOS from day one. Apple has added Bluetooth mouse support and the ability to rearrange apps on the home screen, which were previously arranged strictly alphabetically. You can also take the iPad and iPhone apps out of the default folder and put them together with the Vision Pro native apps — hooray! I really wish I could create new folders, because once you’ve browsed more than three pages of apps, finding one can be a hassle, especially if you can’t remember what it’s called. Oh well, maybe next time.

Now you can use the operating system even more easily thanks to new gesture controls, which allow you to summon the home screen by tapping your finger after a circle appears when you look at your palm. Flip your hand over like a watch, and the circle transforms into a pill-shaped status bar that displays the time, battery level, and volume. Tap the status bar to enter Control Center, or tap and hold to adjust the volume.

Compared to the old way of looking up and tapping a small circle to control widgets downwards, the new gestures feel more natural and, more importantly, pleasure. (Months later, I still have to resist the dramatic urge to wave my hand unnecessarily and say, “Magic!” when I turn on the Home screen.) Apple has also added the ability to navigate using a paired Bluetooth controller, For example, Nintendo Joy-Con.

Now, working with Vision Pro is even better, thanks to added mouse support and a new keyboard awareness feature that allows your keyboard to operate through the virtual environment either continuously or when you bring your hands closer. No more fumbling around for the main row! Unfortunately, Apple only names its own keyboard when describing the feature—it works with my mechanical keyboard, but not reliably.

For people who want to use the Vision Pro for work, the biggest missing piece is the curved ultrawide virtual display Apple announced at WWDC. Apple says this will launch later this year.

In addition to productivity features, Apple has also introduced some interesting new features and improvements, such as the ability to convert photos into 3D space images. Much like retroactively adding Portrait mode to the iPhone, it adds a new emotional dimension (sorry!) to old family photos that’s impressive.

But these generated spatial images also suffer from some of the same shortcomings as the retrospective portrait mode. This transformation can create strange effects on hair and edges, and if someone in the photo is wearing glasses, the 3D effect will comically break down, making it look like they’re wearing glasses with fake eyeballs taped to the front of the lenses. I tried to capture this in a screenshot, but you have to see this in 3D for it to become obvious.

Another plus: you can now save guest users’ hand and eye data so they don’t have to set it up again. I wouldn’t say it’s an unwelcome adjustment, but it doesn’t go far enough. I really want to be able to save multiple people permanently. Share my expensive headphones! We can’t afford it anymore!

In VisionOS 2, watching video content in Safari is better. Very similar. Most of the time, this includes being able to switch it into immersive mode, turning it into a giant movie screen that floats above your environment and casts light onto the ground or water below. It helps take away the pain of the ongoing lack of native YouTube or Netflix apps, although I still prefer using third-party apps like Juno and Supercut for those services.

Additionally, Safari now supports WebXR by default in visionOS 2, so you can take advantage of web-based VR and AR games and experiences. So far, the games I’ve tried using this feature have either been terrible or don’t work with Vision Pro’s gestures, but I’d love to hear some suggestions. (edge Readers, assemble!

While these changes are nice, I’m not sure VisionOS 2 will turn around Vision Pro sales, with July analysis suggesting sales won’t top 500,000 this year. This is not surprising. People are still hesitant about VR due to reasons such as comfort and price. Maybe Apple’s rumored cheap headphones could change everything in a few years.

Even if you can afford the $3,499 Vision Pro, the visionOS 2 update won’t fix all the issues Nilay Patel mentioned in his article. edge Looking back, loved the narrow field of view and the solitude of using it. But it’s a step in the right direction and shows that Apple isn’t giving up on the Vision Pro.