Apple really wanted the Apple Vision Pro to take over the VR landscape when it released earlier this year, but after months of returns And rumors of delays for follow-upsIt is clear that demand does not quite live up to expectations. A potential reason for the problem? Well, the $3,500 price tag. But apart from that? The Vision Pro has yet to prove itself as a gaming device.

VR headsets and gaming go hand in hand

Since the launch of the very first Oculus Rift in 2016, current consumer VR technology has always been deeply tied to gaming. One of The most important VR headsets in the sector at the moment are PlayStation brandedand despite Meta’s attempts to promote the Quest family of devices as being useful for everything from work has aptitudethe company’s headsets still feature motion tracking, console-style controllers, and many more exclusive big budget games.

This type of support helps give the headset a broader appeal and the appearance of having “killer apps” that give you a reason to wear it outside of plane travel or other niche situations. But the Vision Pro is, by design, much less capable of supporting gaming. That’s because Apple chose not to ship it with controllers.

There are two sides to this. The first is that Apple’s hand tracking is quite good, making casual scrolling through the Vision Pro’s interface not much different from using an iPad. This also makes the Vision Pro perhaps a little more accessible to non-gamers, which again fits less with its brand as a gaming device than as, in Apple’s words, a “space computer”.

But unfortunately the lack of controllers also means that in those odd situations where you want to play, your inputs are seriously limited. Despite Apple’s hand tracking accuracy, there’s still a big lag for twitchy actions, and the lack of dedicated buttons means developers are limited in how they can use the device.

It’s a shame, because armed with beautiful screens, an easy-to-navigate interface, and an M2 chip, the Vision Pro definitely has the hardware to support more experiences than it has. It could be the best default gaming headset if it just supported motion controllers. Unfortunately, we are left with much lighter experiences, sacrificed on the altar of fashion.

Still, let’s say you’re not interested in big-budget VR games, but just want to play in VR or AR while you’re at it. Is the Apple Vision Pro good for casual gaming? Well, yes, but with some big asterisks.

Gears and Goo on the Apple Vision Pro

Credit: Apple

Recently, I was able to test a first version of Gears and Goonext one Apple Vision Pro Exclusive by veteran VR and AR developers Resolution Games. The game is a sort of cross between a real-time strategy game and a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), in which you lead troops to destroy an enemy fortress. It’s a smart choice for the Vision Pro, and it’s probably as impressive as a headset game could be (previous experiences have generally been lighter than that), but nevertheless, I felt the developers trying hard to resist the limitations of the device. If this is Apple’s best, that’s a worrying sign.

First, the good. The graphics here are truly immersive and nothing seems blurry or difficult to follow. The AR effect here sells particularly well, with the game’s tiny cartoon creatures feeling like they’re sharing the same space as you. The control was also surprisingly intuitive for a hands-only game, with your hands essentially replacing a mouse when commanding troops. There’s plenty of charm to be found here as you play through the game’s silly setting where rival alien soda companies engage in a real corporate war.

But once the pomp of the first impression wears off, the parlor-gimmick feeling begins to take hold. Although the game presents itself as an RTS, with you spawning troops and choosing how to build your home base, it is more limited than most games in the genre. You quickly realize that you have no direct control over your troops: once they are deployed, the only decision you can make with them is which “lane” of the battlefield you want them to attack – This is where the MOBA elements are located. enter. Likewise, you can only build on a very small square directly in front of you.

There are items you can interact with on the map, like bombs you can click on to detonate enemies as they pass by them, but even though the game tries to make you feel like a commander, the truth is that you mainly command the type of army you’d like to see on the menu and watch them do all the work for you.

This in itself isn’t a bad thing and works for the small mobile game style levels presented to you. But it’s also clear that the restricted gameplay is due to the Vision Pro’s lack of controllers.

It’s likely that you can only build your base in a very small area in front of you, as this is easier on the device. Same thing with not being able to directly command the troops. And the choice of genre is almost certainly made so that players can play seated, without needing to use room-wide tracking. Again, it’s a smart choice, but not exactly ambitious.

Essentially, nothing is done here that can’t be replicated outside of VR, meaning it’s essentially an iPad game with a three-dimensional coat of paint. In fact, the game would probably be better on this platform, as more precise control would likely mean fewer restrictions on gameplay.

I’ve only played a few levels, so it’s possible it will get more complex later, but as it stands, it’s not a good first impression of what the Vision Pro could offer with its exclusives in the future, and this is certainly not the case. This doesn’t bode well for continued support for third-party VR games. This should be a fun distraction for people who already own the headset, but unlike Meta-exclusive games like Batman: Shadow of Arkhamit’s unlikely that anyone who doesn’t already own a Vision Pro will rush out and buy one. Even if you don’t like more “hardcore” games, there’s not much unique here at the moment. Not only are you just fine with an iPad, but you’ll probably do better with one too.

What about more traditional games?

So, VR gaming on Apple Vision Pro might seem more of a novelty at the moment, but what about using the headset as a monitor to play 2D games? This worked better in my demo, where I was able to experience the game on console. Lies of P in the Vision Pro, but I have two issues that prevent me from recommending it.

Again, let’s start with the positives. During my experience, I was able to play the game, a more traditional hack-and-slash RPG similar to Dark soulsusing the Vision Pro as an external monitor for a MacBook running the game. The connection was smooth, gameplay was responsive, and the ultra-wide beta mode I was able to test with allowed me to replicate a type of monitor that the Most people don’t have it in real life.

And yet, I feel like Apple is doing the bare minimum here. Case in point: If the Apple Vision Pro is supposed to be a “space computer,” why do I need a MacBook to stream the game? Released for Mac last year, just a few months after the M2 hit the market, Lies of P is fully capable of achieving solid performance on an M2 chip, so it would make sense to expect Vision Pro to run it natively. Instead, you need an external computer communicating with it wirelessly, and in a situation like a theft, that just adds extra bulk and more potential points of failure.

In the meantime, I’m wondering why you would want to use Vision Pro to play this game anywhere other than in flight or in some other situation where you can’t access a TV or large monitor. Indeed, while the big virtual screen was certainly nice, I’m not sure wearing the Vision Pro for an entire gaming session is feasible.

This headset is premium, which means all-metal construction, which weighs heavily on your face. I only wore the Vision Pro for about 45 minutes and in the end I was happy to take it off. In the meantime, I can usually use my Meta Quest 3’s plastic build for a few hours before getting tired. A cheaper Apple Vision product can’t arrive fast enough, and that’s for more reasons than price.

So while the Apple Vision Pro works for non-VR games, I don’t see myself using it for them outside of situations where I have few other options. And even then, the experience could be better.

Should gamers get the Apple Vision Pro?

With its power, the Apple Vision Pro should be a contender for the title of best gaming headset, but the baffling decision to opt out of controllers prevents it from holding that status. Right now it’s one of the worst headsets for gaming, and with gaming still holding such a large share of the overall headset marketThis leaves the Vision Pro in a tough situation overall.

I still think it’s possible that Apple will release Vision Pro controllers in the future, as they start to adapt more to the reality that VR headsets are specialized devices with a specific appeal that the general public cannot not be obliged to like, and, therefore, cannot be sold in the same minimalist and luxurious approach as a MacBook. But until then, the Apple Vision Pro will continue to be a very powerful piece of hardware without any real experience pushing it to its limits. For now, you can still get a better gaming experience at a lower cost.