Before a new kind of window onto the world reaches shoppers on February 2, a reviewer stands in a digital Avengers Tower and finds the Apple Vision Pro's promise both delightful and unfinished. Its eyes-and-pinch control feels natural, its spatial photos and videos carry real depth, and its ambitions are plain, yet typing without touch and a headset that grows heavy with time remind us that every new medium must first earn a place in ordinary hours. At $3,499, the question it leaves is whether people will choose to spend those hours inside it, and whether the software worlds that give it meani
Hands-On With Apple Vision Pro: Dazzling Interface and Spatial Video, But Typing, Weight and Thin App Library Give Pause
Half human and half avatar
Mark
What's the main takeaway from this hands-on?
Mimi
The reviewer was won over by the interface, spatial video and Immersive Video, but has real questions about weight, typing and how many apps are built for the headset.
Mark
How does control actually work?
Mimi
Your eyes are the cursor and a pinch of finger and thumb is the click. You don't have to lift your arm, and scrolling and zooming use hand motions.
Luke
Worth saying this is one reviewer's demo, and a guided one. It isn't a long-term test.
Mark
And typing?
Mimi
A floating keyboard works, but with no haptic feedback it feels odd at first. Siri voice input is the alternative.
Mark
Which experience hit hardest?
Mimi
The personal ones. Spatial video, like the girl popping bubbles in a field, and a redwoods panorama that filled the whole view.
Luke
The Disney environments were also curated demos. The reviewer wanted lightsaber and Iron Man experiences, but those would need separate apps, and nothing confirms they're coming.
Mark
What about comfort?
Mimi
With the Dual Loop Band, the reviewer could manage an hour at a clip but felt the weight after a while.
Luke
So multi-hour comfort is unknown. The reviewer says as much and is only curious, not reporting a result.
Mark
What decides whether this takes off?
Mimi
Price at $3,499, developers building native apps, and whether people can wear it for long sessions.
Le Pouls
- Eyes act as the cursor and a pinch selects, so the interface feels intuitive yet still asks users to learn a new rhythm.
- Typing on a floating keyboard with no haptic feedback feels strange, pushing users toward voice commands through Siri.
- Spatial video and panoramic photos stand out as the most compelling moments, with depth that feels almost physically real.
- Disney+ environments impress but lack dedicated apps, leaving the reviewer hoping developers will build the experiences they imagined.
- At $3,499 and with a weight that wears on the head after a while, adoption hangs on developers and on whether multi-hour sessions stay comfortable.
Before a new kind of window onto the world reaches shoppers on February 2, a reviewer stands in a digital Avengers Tower and finds the Apple Vision Pro's promise both delightful and unfinished. Its eyes-and-pinch control feels natural, its spatial photos and videos carry real depth, and its ambitions are plain, yet typing without touch and a headset that grows heavy with time remind us that every new medium must first earn a place in ordinary hours. At $3,499, the question it leaves is whether people will choose to spend those hours inside it, and whether the software worlds that give it meaning will arrive in time.
The reviewer stands inside Tony Stark's virtual Avengers Tower, turning slowly to take in the Iron Man suits, Doctor Strange's floating cloak and Captain America's shield. It is one of several demos Tom's Guide has been given of the Apple Vision Pro before its February 2 launch at $3,499. This is not the reviewer's first time with the device; an earlier look came at WWDC 2023, and this session revealed more of spatial video, new Environments, 3D movies, and EyeSight, the rendering of the wearer's eyes that people nearby can see. The reviewer finds EyeSight creepy but impressive.
Control wins the first praise. Cameras track the hands, so the eyes act as a cursor and a pinch of finger and thumb selects, with no need to raise an arm. The reviewer compares it to an iPhone without the glass. Typing is stranger: a floating keyboard works for a web address, but without haptic feedback it feels odd at first, and Siri offers the alternative.
The most moving moments are personal ones. A panoramic photo of redwoods fills the whole field of view, making the reviewer feel as though they stand on an ancient tree. Spatial video impresses even more, with a clip of a girl popping bubbles that carries real depth. Super Mario Bros. in 3D made the characters seem to leap off the screen. Immersive Video in 8K and 180 degrees offered a studio session and a view from a goalkeeper's position, and the reviewer imagines choosing any seat at a live game.
The Disney+ Environments, including Tatooine, felt like a drive-in beneath two moons, but the reviewer wanted more: a lightsaber duel or flight in an Iron Man suit. Those experiences need dedicated apps, which the reviewer hopes Disney will build, noting that Meta Quest already offers similar ideas. Augmented reality also showed promise, with a life-size Alfa Romeo F1 car rendered in fine detail, though it was only a small taste.
The reviewer knows the skepticism. The price keeps the device out of reach for most people, and developers need time, though more than a million compatible iPhone and iPad apps will be available at launch. Comfort remains the open question: the reviewer could imagine an hour at a stretch, but the headset felt heavy over time, and it is unclear whether longer sessions will be comfortable.
The reviewer is standing on the Avengers Tower, turning in place to take in Tony Stark's collection of Iron Man suits, Doctor Strange's floating cloak and Captain America's shield at arm's length. It is one of several demos Tom's Guide was given of the Apple Vision Pro ahead of the headset's February 2 launch, at a price of $3,499.
This was not the reviewer's first time in the device. A first hands-on came in June at WWDC 2023. The new session added a deeper look at spatial video, new Environments, 3D movies and EyeSight, the digital rendering of the wearer's eyes that people nearby can see. The reviewer calls EyeSight creepy but impressive.
Control is the first thing the reviewer praises. The headset's cameras track your hands, so your eyes act as the cursor and your hands as the mouse: look at something, then pinch index finger and thumb together to select. You do not have to raise your arm. Scrolling means pinching and moving the hand, and zooming means pulling both hands apart. The reviewer likens it to an iPhone without the glass. Typing is stranger. A floating keyboard works for something like a web address, but there is no haptic feedback, which feels odd at first. Voice input through Siri is the alternative, and Siri can also close all open apps. A long press of the Digital Crown resets your view if you move from standing to sitting.
The most compelling visuals, in the reviewer's view, are the personal ones. A panoramic photo of redwoods expanded to fill the entire field of view, and the reviewer felt like standing on the ancient tree in front of them. Spatial videos impressed more. They can be shot with the Vision Pro itself, which the reviewer calls awkward, or with an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. In one clip, a girl pops bubbles that her mother blows in a field, and the depth felt real. Spatial photos can be captured too.
The reviewer had never seen Super Mario Bros. before, but wanted to keep watching it in 3D, saying the characters seemed to pop off the screen, helped by the headset being tuned to the wearer's eyes. Apple's Immersive Video, recorded in 8K and 180 degrees, came as a sizzle reel that included a studio session with Alicia Keys and a soccer goal seen from the goalkeeper's position. The reviewer sees potential in live sports, since Apple already broadcasts MLB and MLS games on Apple TV+, and imagines choosing any seat in the house.
Two of the new Environments came from Disney for the Disney+ app: a lifelike Avengers Tower and Tatooine from Star Wars. The reviewer watched the A New Hope trailer on Tatooine, which felt like a drive-in from Luke's landspeeder. The scene shifted from light to dark as the trailer began, with a pair of moons in the sky. What the reviewer wanted was more: wielding a lightsaber against Darth Vader or flying in an Iron Man suit. That would take dedicated apps, which the reviewer hopes Disney is building, noting that similar experiences already exist on Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3.
On augmented reality, the JigSpace app placed a life-size Alfa Romeo F1 car in front of the reviewer, with a detailed cockpit and natural reflections on the bodywork. An aerodynamics demo showed airflow around the moving car. The reviewer called the fidelity excellent, though it was only a small taste. In the EyeSight demo, the reviewer spoke with another person wearing a headset and could see their eyes, blinks included, in real time. It still felt like talking to something half human and half avatar. The front display shifts from a shimmer to transparent when the wearer begins speaking, which the reviewer liked.
The reviewer acknowledges the skepticism around the product. The price puts it out of reach for most people, and developers will need time, though more than 1 million compatible iPhone and iPad apps will be available at launch. Apple will include a Solo Knit Band and a Dual Loop Band; the reviewer tried the Dual Loop for a snugger fit over the top of the head. They could see spending at least an hour at a stretch, but the headset felt heavy after a while, leaving open whether multi-hour sessions will be comfortable.
Citations marquantes
The reviewer could see spending at least an hour in the Vision Pro at a clip, but it felt a bit heavy after a while.— Tom's Guide reviewer
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