10 VisionOS features I’d like to see Apple announce at WWDC this week

He Apple Vision Pro It has been available since February. While it is an impressive device, it is also somewhat challenging and annoying to use. Some of that is inevitable in the first product of a new category, such as the weight of the device and the rather small field of view. But many annoyances can be fixed in the next version of VisionOS.

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Apple traditionally announces new operating system features at WWDC this week and releases them with its new products in the fall. While I would find it difficult to believe that a new Vision Pro will be released so soon, it is almost a foregone conclusion that we will see a substantial update to the device’s operating system.

Here are my 10 suggestions for what I would like to see in VisionOS 2.0.

1. Mouse holder

I already showed it before how to connect a trackpad and keyboard to the Vision Pro, but noted that there is no mouse support. Trackpads are nice, but many of us prefer to use mice.

I would like to see Apple introduce full mouse support in the Vision Pro. And, Apple, don’t limit it to the not-so-Magic Mouse or magic mouse 2. Since Apple still offers a suboptimal mouse design from 2009, only slightly updated in 2015, many users have moved on to better models, such as the various logitech devices.

2. Better Bluetooth support for non-Apple devices

Can Easily pair your AirPods with Vision Pro. But when I tried to pair a pair of inexpensive, non-Apple Bluetooth headphones with the Vision Pro, I couldn’t get it to work. However, those headphones worked with my iPhone and iPad, so they’re good enough.

But apple says that “Apple Vision Pro’s compatibility with third-party Bluetooth devices and accessories is not guaranteed.” This needs to change and I hope Apple fixes the issue in VisionOS 2.0.

3. Keyboard Pass

Working in any of the virtual environments (I prefer Mount Hood) is great, but the immersive environment hides my keyboard. Digital Crown allows users to open the side view of the virtual space, but the center is still blocked.

I would like the ability to create a walk-through that allows me to see the keyboard and mouse (and I wouldn’t mind one that also allows me to see my coffee cup) while in the virtual space. Ideally, an AI would be smart enough to recognize my keyboard (even if it’s not Apple-branded), but a reasonable first step would be to simply allow users to define hand-step zones in the Vision Pro.

4. Less draconian restrictions on the media

Apple Vision Pro does not allow screenshots of entertainment media. Period. Do I want to show you a screenshot of the impressive rhino sanctuary or immersive Parkour videos? If I can? No. No screenshots, no videos. I also can’t mirror any video to Apple TV from Vision Pro.

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That rules out using Vision Pro’s mirroring feature on Apple TV to help a person trying Vision Pro for the first time, because as soon as they enter an entertainment app, it’s no longer possible to see anything they’re doing. . It also prevents family members from watching Apple TV+ together, one on Vision Pro and the others on Apple TV.

Look, I understand the whole piracy thing. But limiting even a single screenshot is overkill. Apple, please fix this. It makes it much more difficult to help you sell your products. Shutting down the ability to mirror any Apple TV+ content from the Vision Pro to the Apple TV is baffling. For example, I subscribe to the Apple One Premier plan, which allows us to use Family Sharing to share between up to five people. So why is Apple blocking this capability in the Vision Pro?

5. More native space apps

Apple still includes Books, Calendar, Clock, Home, Maps, Podcasts, Reminders, Shortcuts, Stocks, and Voice Memos in the Compatibility Mode folder. While some of them, like Podcasts, won’t benefit much from spatial conversion, others will. Maps, for example, would be the obvious beneficiary of a spatial upgrade, as the app itself attempts to present 3D projections on a 2D screen.

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But I also think it would be nice to have some clocks that you can place in mixed reality or a calendar that you can hang on the wall. And where could Books go if the interactive features that are already so great in Books could be extended to a fully 3D world? Oh, the stories we could show and tell!

6. More environments and third-party environments

Apple currently allows only a few fully immersive environments. While the surface of the moon and Mount Hood are quite nice, they get boring after a while. My immersive environment in Mission 3 It is an old mining town. The Quest 3 offers many immersive environments, including indoor and outdoor locations.

I would love to see more immersive environments for the Vision Pro. There is a category of full-length videos on YouTube called “environmental videos.” They consist of cozy animated scenes with some background music such as this quiet cafe. How nice would it be to be able to work virtually in a coffee shop like this, relax and be productive? I see a huge market for applications for well-designed third-party environmental environments. Heck, I’d pay a couple of bucks to work in a selection of lovely coffee shops!

7. Limit of largest play space

At this time, Apple limits the Total physical play space for virtual experiences up to a limit of 1.5 meters. around the initial position of the user’s head. As a person approaches the limits of that boundary, the virtual world recedes and passage through the environment is activated.

For many people, that limit of about 5 feet is enough. My space isn’t even close to that. But many people can use Vision Pro in a much larger physical space, so it doesn’t make sense to set such a strict limit.

Also: How to use your Meta Quest in a moving car (as a passenger!)

There is more flexibility in Quest 3. Using a quite dangerous optional configuration, the Quest 3 allows you to completely eliminate the limit. A safer approach is What does this youtuber do? to allow your entire apartment to be included in your Quest 3 game space.

Perhaps, with VisionOS 2.0, Apple will allow some flexibility in the size of the gaming space boundaries.

8. VR controller support

While I wouldn’t say the Quest experience beats the Apple Vision Pro experience, some things just work better on the Mission 3. Key to this is the fact that the Quest 3 has controllers and the Vision Pro relies entirely on hand gestures. It’s time for Vision Pro to add controller support.

I will give you an example. I really enjoy the game Puzzling places in Quest 3. But the game on the Vision Pro It’s much more limited because hand gestures on the Vision Pro don’t provide the level of control over 3D models that the Quest 3 allows.

Also: Who is afraid of virtual reality? I was, until I tried Meta Quest 3.

This situation was also evident in Marvel What… if? immersive experience I just explored. I found that the hand gestures, while fun, had some lag. Tested by Adam Savage experienced the same problems.

Chances are Apple will one day introduce its own drivers, if only to fill some large-scale, special-purpose business need. But since Meta has added support for Apple’s spatial videos to the Quest 3, it seems only fair that Apple add support for Quest controllers. I didn’t find Quest 3 drivers available separately, but since the Quest 2 is only $199people could buy it and get the Quest 2 controllers. Hey, for $199, it’s the same price as a Vision Pro replacement battery either Vision Pro Carrying Case.

9. Better and more accurate eye and hand tracking

While many reviewers have described the Vision Pro’s hand and eye tracking as “magical,” I found eye tracking so difficult that I had to do it. replace it with wrist tracking using accessibility mode. As I mentioned above, some latency from hand tracking seems to disrupt gameplay, and I found that the Vision Pro has difficulty recognizing hand tracking at the edge or bottom of the visible screen.

This needs improvement and I hope to see an update in VisionOS 2.0.

10. Find my support

It’s strange, but there is no Find My app for Apple Vision Pro. You can’t even download it. It’s just not there. Now, given how important it is to be able to use AirPods with the Vision Pro When I’m around family members, I think Find My (which regularly helps me find one or another of my dropped AirPods) would be a necessity. But it is not available.

Even more interesting would be a head-up display version of Find My that places an arrow in your field of view while you search for what’s missing.

Bonus: better characters

Wow, those things are creepy. We need to get them out of the uncanny valley. ‘Nuff said.

Looking forward to VisionOS 2.0

What about you? Have you been using Vision Pro? What would you like to see in VisionOS 2.0? Let us know in the comments below.

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