What you need to know
- A new report reiterates that Apple VR is a standalone device.
- The Information states it will have 14 cameras for tracking users' faces.
- It will also not be a gaming-focused product.
A new report claims that Apple's VR headset is indeed a standalone device but isn't focused on gaming.
From The Information:
Apple's executives had a critical design decision to make about the company's riskiest product in years. It was 2019, and a growing team of Apple engineers had been working for more than three years on a headset that combined augmented and virtual reality capabilities. Now they had to figure out whether the mixed-reality headset would be a stand-alone device or would require a powerful base station to produce the dazzling digital imagery Apple envisioned for it.
The report says the standalone device had much lower-quality visual performance, but that the executive team sided with Jony Ive, who favored a standalone Apple VR headset over one that required a base station.
Wayne Ma says that Jony Ive continues to consult with Apple on its headset and that he continues to work on aspects including where the battery is placed.
Ma's report reiterates previous information stating the headset will have 14 cameras to track users' facial expressions to help create accurate digital avatars to represent them. According to the report, the headset has been criticized internally for "its lack of focus on gaming", and that Apple isn't developing game controllers for the device.
Apple VR is expected next year but could be announced before 2022 is over. The first half of Ma' report from earlier this week revealed Apple VR was supposed to come out in 2019 and that the very earliest prototypes ran Windows.
