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Apple is heavily rumored to reveal its long-awaited mixed reality headset in just a couple of months, but that reveal seems to be arriving at a time when demand for high-end VR is actually quite low. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
According to a new blog post from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, some of the biggest recent bets in VR have largely flopped<\/a>. Kuo reports that:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sony has cut its 2023 production plan for the PS VR2 by about 20 percent.<\/p>\n The product lifecycle shipment for Meta\u2019s Quest Pro is only around 300,000 units.<\/p>\n Pico (China\u2019s largest AR\/VR headset brand) shipments in 2022 were more than 40 percent lower than expected.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n There have already been some signs that high-end VR isn\u2019t taking, especially Meta\u2019s decision to cut the Quest Pro\u2019s price from $1,500 to $1,000<\/a> just over four months after the product first launched. But given that Apple\u2019s headset is rumored to cost around $3,000 \u2014 double the Quest Pro\u2019s starting price \u2014 the iPhone maker could have a steep road ahead as it tries to get traction for its headset.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Apple\u2019s headset will apparently be a monster of a device<\/a>, which could be part of the reason it might cost so much. It will reportedly have advanced hand tracking, won\u2019t require a controller, and can apparently recreate somebody else\u2019s full body in VR in one-on-one FaceTime calls. But it will also apparently rely on an external battery pack for power, which, to me, seems like it won\u2019t totally track with Apple\u2019s usual streamlined aesthetic. The higher price might also be an indication that Apple is targeting developers to start, not the mass market, so it may be looking for a different pool of buyers than devices like the PSVR 2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s also not totally clear why<\/em> we need an Apple headset right now. In a recent interview, CEO Tim Cook argued that augmented reality could enhance<\/a> \u201ccommunication\u201d and \u201cconnection,\u201d and the headset itself is apparently focused on \u201ccopresence.\u201d<\/a> But those are pretty similar to the arguments that Meta made for the unpopular Quest Pro.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And those low Quest Pro sales happened even after years<\/em> of investment from Meta to build an ecosystem. While we don\u2019t yet know if Apple has an easy way for developers to bring apps on other Apple platforms to the headset, I\u2019d guess there will only be a few headset-specific apps available to start.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n