-
All available comprehensive video launch content is placed in a small bar in the TV app.
Samuel Exon
-
The first few videos were marked as episodes of a series, but subsequent episodes were not
Tonight Apple will unveil some new immersive video content for the Vision Pro headset, the first sporting content for the device. After two months of no new content, it doesn’t seem like it.
Beginning at 6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET, Vision Pro users can watch sports films recorded in the platform’s proprietary Universal Video format. The video is a series of highlights from last year’s MLS playoffs and will be accordingly six colors, it only lasts for five minutes. It will be free for all Vision Pro users.
On February 2nd, Apple released the first of three immersive video series: adventure, Prehistoric planetAnd wildlife. Both debuted alongside the Vision Pro launch with a single episode titled “Episode One” of “Season One”.
However, almost two months have passed and none of these series have received new episodes. The only other extensive video content is Alicia Keys’ performance video, which also premiered on February 2nd. Most of these videos were only a few minutes long.
That means this short soccer video, showcasing game moments from 2023, will be the only new immersive video content Apple has released since the device launched in early February.
When I tested the Vision Pro as an entertainment device, I praised its movie playback and 2D video capabilities, but I also raved a bit about its 3D video capabilities. That said, the first installments of Apple’s original 3D content look promising, and I look forward to future installments. Since it’s categorized in TV apps like the Apple TV+ series, I assumed there would be a weekly cadence. More episodes coming.
It’s worth noting that with the Vision Pro, Apple didn’t include a first-party app for playing 3D videos downloaded from the Internet, though an independent developer filled the gap with an app called Reality Player. There are some 3D video streaming or downloading services in the VisionOS app store, but the selection is limited compared to what you can achieve with other headsets.
Apple doesn’t call the Vision Pro a VR headset, opting instead for the term “spatial computing” — which makes sense, since it can do so much more than most VR headsets.
However, if you’re looking for a new example of passive display content that you can enjoy on other headsets, the Vision Pro still lags behind the competition after a few months.
The device can display a significant amount of 2D video content, but it underlines the basic idea that the Vision Pro is intended to display flat 2D content as a window into 3D space. The situation is not that bad in terms of apps and games, as a few new Jio apps have hit the market in the past few weeks in this category.
Most apps work similarly to iPad apps, except that the content has a 2D viewport; You can place these display ports anywhere in the room around you. Most video content is also 2D.
There are situations where it would be better to do this, but it’s surprising that Apple hasn’t invested more in true 3D content so far. As far as new stuff goes, this short football video showing tonight is all we have right now.
Listed photos by Samuel Axon
