When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset at WWDC on June 5 it announced something called Environments, a feature that will allow wearers to block out the real world and replace it with a virtual one. Now we're learning more about which worlds will be offered up at launch.
Apple has now released the first build of visionOS which can be emulated on a Mac, and that means that we're now learning more about the headset and its software than ever before. That includes a full rundown of the Environments that will be included, with a total of 13 available on day one.
Choosing how much of the real world bleeds through is a simple case of rotating the Digital Crown and when you do, these are the virtual environments that you'll see.
13, Apple's lucky number
The full list of 13 Environments includes Haleakala, Yosemite, Sky, Joshua Tree, Lake Vrangla, Mount Hood, The Moon, Beach, White Sands, Winter Light, Fall Light, Summer Light, Spring Light.
▶️ Play with the spectrum of immersion using passthrough to blend virtual & real worlds. pic.twitter.com/XZ8vVIwuIwJune 22, 2023
Developer Steve Moser also shared a clip that highlights how the real world can be blended into a virtual one using visionOS Environments. The effect is a smooth and impressive one, as well it perhaps should be for a piece of $3,499 hardware that sits at the very edge of what's possible with these kinds of headsets.
The Vision Pro headset isn't expected to go on sale until some point in early 2024, so developers have plenty of time to put the new visionOS SDK to good use and get their apps ready.
Don't plan on picking up a headset next year? There are plenty of other ways to give Tim Cook your money and our list of Apple Prime Day deals could help you save some money in the process. Maybe you could put some of that cash toward a Vision Pro headset in the future, too.
