Tracey Truly / Digital Trends
The Vision Pro is telling , but it ’s not for everyone . That ’s whysome people are already returning their ordersjust two weeks after the $ 3,500 intersection first set up . luckily , if that ’s you , or if you like the concept of Apple ’s Vision Pro , but are n’t positive it ’s a match for your demand , there are several alternatives to consider . alike alternative come out at $ 500 and mount to $ 3,900 .
Some ofthe near VR headset available nowoffer many of the same capacity , but requirea VR - quick Windows gaming personal computer . Others fall short of the Vision Pro ’s specifications , but are still with child choices at a much downcast price . Either way , it ’s a great metre to review what Vision Pro option you’re able to grease one’s palms right now and what ’s come in the approximate time to come .
Tracey Truly / Digital Trends
Meta Quest Pro
If you ’re face for the freedom to move around , being tethered to a computing machine is very limiting . Even with the portability of a laptop computer , you still have to concern about stepping on the HDMI cable that provides power and video to a microcomputer VR headset .
That ’s part of the grounds standalone headsets from Meta are so popular . They ’re comparatively lightweight , well-situated to carry , do n’t demand a computer at all , and are usually much less expensive . Meta debuted the Quest Pro at $ 1,500 , which was a shock after years of the budget - price Quest and Quest 2 VR headsets . A few month subsequently , Meta cut a third off the price . At $ 1,000 , the Quest Pro is a buy .
The Quest Pro ’s resolution of 1800 - by-1920 picture element is comparatively low and the miniskirt - LED backlighting is n’t as good as some high - oddment headsets . Still , you get the eq of multiple 1080p displays when using the headset forspatial computer science .
Meta has been rectify VR headsets for many years and the Quest Pro ’s hand- , eye- , and face - tracking challenger that of the Vision Pro . The sundry - realness quality is in people of colour , but has haphazardness and artifacts that detract from the experience .
Where it shines is the plan . The Meta Quest Pro does n’t roost a Ezra Pound or more of weight on your impertinence , which is astonishingly rare for a VR headset . Instead , the headset hovers in front of your eyes , with the exercising weight balanced between a rearward battery and the headset in a gloriole shoulder strap that rest against your os frontale and cups the back of your head .
Meta Quest 3
The $ 500 Meta Quest 3 might fathom like a preposterous suggestion for anyone looking for an alternative to Apple ’s Vision Pro , but it ’s not . This little headset is a beast , andin some ways , it ’s the Vision Pro ’s most direct rival .
It ’s a standalone VR headset with cracking helping hand - trailing and skillful interracial - realness lineament . The Quest 3 ’s Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipcan’t compete with the Vision Pro ’s M2 , but it seems to have plenty of carrying into action to propose great helping hand - tracking , play , and the ability to watch 3D picture show and browse the web .
For more performance , standalone headsets like the Quest 3 can unite to a computer . In this suit , the Quest 3 beats the Vision Pro . Meta Horizon Workrooms supports up to three virtual sieve , while the Vision Pro has only one . The Quest 3 can connect to Windows and Mac computers , while the Vision Pro supports only the Mac .
The Vision Pro wins in display resolving and eye - tracking . The Quest 3 does n’t have oculus - tracking and has a showing resolution of just 2064 x 2208 pixels per oculus . On the other hand , the Quest 3 ticks all the boxes of a capital VR headsetand has a monolithic library ofimmersive game that the Vision Pro lacks .
Varjo XR-4
The potential to handle professional appsgives the Vision Pro an advantage over standalone VR headsets . However , high - close personal computer VR solution can connect to powerful Windows PCs with discrete graphics card , supply enough CPU and GPU performance to outpace even the speedy Vision Pro .
Varjo shit VR headset for initiative solutions like 3D design , simulation , and training . In January 2023 , I brush up one of its least expensive headset , the $ 2,000 Varjo Aero , and was awe by the crisp visuals and dynamic range .
The Aero has been discontinued , but in November 2023 , Varjo announced its best VR headset yet , the XR-4 series . Its 3840 x 3744 - pixel screen resolution outgo Apple ’s ultra - sharp 3660×3200 - picture element displays . Apple believably offers better dynamical range since it use OLED technology , while Varjo relies on the less precise mini - moderate backlighting of LCD .
start at $ 3,990 , we would n’t have admit this VR headset in a consumer - oriented clause , butApple ’s $ 3,500 Vision Prois only a few hundred dollar mark less . The Varjo XR-4 might also beat Apple in interracial reality fidelity as it features a lidar sensing element and two 20MP cameras that , accord to Varjo , render real - time , photorealistic passthrough .
You ’ll need an expensive Windows microcomputer and forward-looking software to take reward of the graphics power of such a demand VR headset , adding to your bill . Varjo is place enterprise customers , but if you ’re considering spend several thousand dollars on the Vision Pro , the Varjo XR-4 might be within reach .
Pimax Crystal
Last summer , Pimax launched its good PC VR headset , the Crystal . While this headset has a standalone mode , the most telling results come when you connect to a PC with a high - performance Nvidia GPU .
The Pimax Crystal trails Apple ’s Vision Pro in terms of keenness and dynamic range , but it ’s among the best VR headset available , boasting eye - trailing , foveated rendition , and 2880 x 2880 - picture element displays with mini - LED backlighting .
It ’s good enough to replace the Varjo Aero , andthe Pimax Crystal well overshadow my Meta Quest 2and Quest Pro headset in show tone . At $ 1,599 , Pimax ’s best is inexpensive equate to the Vision Pro ’s $ 3,500 price , but still expensive compare to standalone answer .
Upcoming Vision Pro alternatives
Other manufacturers have n’t been sit still while Apple work on the Vision Pro . While Apple ’s headset was kept secret , everyone know it was occur thanks to insider leaks and Apple ’s letters patent filing .
Immersed Visor
A surprising competitor to the Apple Vision Pro comes from VR package developer plunge . Its Visor headset will reportedly oppose the Vision Pro ’s 4 green resolution and depend - and - hint exploiter interface while weighing about as much as a phone and costing about $ 1,120 .
It ’s power bythe same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 + Gen 2 scrap that Samsung will usein its XR headset , but is optimized for super - quick Mac and PC connections as well .
steep specialise in remote virtual desktopsand offer a better solution for VR headset than Meta as it supports up to five virtual screens and your phone , with complete freedom in adjusting their size and position . The Immersed app is built into the Visor , but it ’s useable for many VR headset and will be coming to the Vision Pro .
engulf had some playfulness with a YouTube picture comparing the Visor to the Apple Vision Pro .
The Immersed Visor will set forth ship this summer . Preorders start at $ 400 , but demand a one - year subscription to Visor Plus , a productivity - focused upgrade to the included Immersed software . At the end of the year , you could stop over the subscription and continue to apply the core group feature of the machine and software system .
Sony, Samsung, and Meta
Sony and Samsung have already announced approaching Vision Pro competitors . Sony has shared many details and it ’s unclouded their XR headset is meant for enterprisingness work . Samsung has only taunt work on an XR headset .
Meta has n’t tell anything about a vie solution and cite the Quest 3 as a good alternative . However , there are indications a Quest Pro 2 is come presently . We dug intothe Vision Pro rivals expected from Sony , Samsung , and Meta , and you might require to learn more before ordering a Vision Pro .
