Apple’s Metaverse Entry Coming Soon

Credit: Apple

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is set to release its much-awaited mixed reality headset in Fall of 2023. The announcement and unveiling of the headset should come during the spring before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which occurs in June. Called the “Reality Pro,” the headset will allow users to experience full virtual reality simulations, along with augmented reality projects on the environment.

Among the specs for the Reality Pro headset are a chip more powerful than the M1, built-in cooling, eye-tracking, passthrough, and prescription lenses for glasses-wearers. In addition, rumors are circulating that the headset will have an outer shell of aluminum, glass, and carbon fiber, along with a dedicated passthrough switch to allow the user to change from VR to AR.

The Reality Pro headset is Apple’s precursor to the Apple Glasses, a standalone set of AR glasses that projects information onto the lenses. It marks Apple’s first foray into the VR space and puts it into direct competition with Meta, which has released VR headsets at different price points. Many observers expect the Reality Pro headset to command a price between $2,000 and $3,000. As such, Apple plans to target the headset at developers and high-end customers.

Although virtual reality technology is one of the pillars of the metaverse, allowing users to have an immersive virtual experience, Apple has been careful to not use the buzzword, with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook saying that most people, if asked, would not be able to describe what the metaverse is. But, for the public, Apple’s new headset could revive interest in virtual worlds, which have struggled since the start of the crypto bear market.

VR Makes News in 2022 and 2023

Although we normally cover NFTs and the metaverse, virtual reality has made an appearance quite a few times in our coverage. And for good reason: It is the underpinning technology for the metaverse, and more and more companies are getting involved in it. Here are three stories involving VR from 2022 and 2023.

First, yesterday, Niall Dailly, also known as DJ Plus One, revealed he is launching an NFT project based on his album “Metamorphic.” In an interesting twist, the NFT collection will come with an accompanying VR experience and holders of the NFTs will be able to decide whether to privatize the experience.

Next, last week at CES 2023, HTC, a Taiwanese tech firm, showcased its new mixed reality headset — the HTC Vive XR Elite. The company is billing the headset as a “gateway to the metaverse.” It comes with four wide FOV cameras and two controllers with hand tracking and sensing features.

Lastly, at Art Basel in Miami during December 2022, Meta and Superblue teamed up to launch a virtual reality tasting experience. The experience, dubbed “Aerobanquets RMX,” allowed users to “see” the textures and flavors of the food in virtual reality. It also came with narration from a top chef.

Apple’s new mixed reality headset is big news and could spike interest in the metaverse. Here at Rarity Sniper, we’ll pay attention for further developments in the story.