![]() With its $3,500 Vision Pro headset-lighter and more sophisticated than Meta’s Quest devices- Apple has chosen a different course. Nonetheless, the company is spending billions in research to improve the technology, convinced its approach is the right one. Last year, a Meta executive had to scold employees for not using it for their meetings. But Meta’s flagship social app, Horizon Worlds, is still clunky and tiring. Silly as this is, I’ve found that these avatars can actually foster a semi-lifelike sense of connection. Zuckerberg’s path to change is paved with immersive activities like gaming, fitness, and VR social spaces where people are represented by cartoonish avatars. Meta’s headsets, dubbed Quest, are the most popular VR rigs, but they’re far from ubiquitous. When I spoke recently with its CEO, Satya Nadella, he reaffirmed his commitment to the pursuit of “presence.” (Then we continued talking about AI.) ![]() Other players in the field will choose between these paths. But Apple’s splashy entry has revived interest-and challenged the way that one-time undisputed king of the metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg, is pursuing mixed reality. Disappointing sales and the rise of generative AI shunted that discussion to the background. Every company seemed to have a strategy for this upcoming paradigm. Only a year ago-in those palmy days when we weren’t fixated on AI writing our essays and maybe wiping out humanity-tech’s big obsession was the metaverse. But there’s a clear split in philosophy over the role these mixed-reality devices will play. ![]() Multiple tech powers-and some rising upstarts-are developing headsets and other gizmos to digitally augment or replace the world our raw senses perceive. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input’s editorial team.As the pixels settle after Apple’s meticulously planned rollout of its Vision Pro headset, battle lines have solidified in the war for a new reality. Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. If you have a partner who’s willing to be experimental and deal with some extra setup, these VR apps and experiences could be great for your Valentine’s Day or your next remote date. Now there’s nothing casual about a VR headset like the Quest 2, and I’m loathed to push it as some kind of solution, what with wild speculation on the “metaverse” frothing in the background and plenty of diehard VR users valuing their in-person hangs just as much as their virtual ones.īut there’s a certain je ne sais quoi to VR “ presence.” Being someplace with someone else, even if it’s virtual, and having an activity that can take your mind off things is one of the fastest ways to have a good conversation. VR provides the opportunity to engage in what I consider to be one of the most important kinds of quality time you can spend with the people you love: loosely structured casual conversation. Valentine’s Day can be particularly hard, especially if you’re already in a long-distance relationship, but there are ways to connect remotely that don’t have to look like a buggy FaceTime call or a Zoom meeting with a 45-minute cap. Or maybe because it’s always easy to feel lonely in The New Normal. ![]() Maybe it’s because they’re some of the few times of the year where the walls are expected to come down - and even with all the consumerism - we spend quality time with other people. ![]()
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