Apple reportedly collaborating with Sony to bolster VR gaming on Vision Pro

According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletterApple is planning on supporting typical VR game controllers on Apple Vision Pro, and has apparently approached Sony to get going on this. This will hopefully make Apple Vision Pro more appealing for gaming, something that the product doesn’t currently do super well.

Gurman reports that a future version of visionOS will support third-party hand controllers, though a more specific timeline isn’t provided:

Apple is now working on a major effort to support third-party hand controllers in the device’s visionOS software and has teamed up with Sony Group Corp. to make it happen.

Reportedly, Apple is also interested in working with Sony to integrate the PlayStation VR2 controllers, and they’ve been making progress on that partnership:

Apple approached Sony earlier this year, and the duo agreed to work together on launching support for the PlayStation VR2’s hand controllers on the Vision Pro. Inside Sony, the work has been a monthslong undertaking, I’m told. And Apple has discussed the plan with third-party developers, asking them if they’d integrate support into their games.

It hasn’t been perfect, however. Apple and Sony apparently aimed to announce this support last month, but the feature has apparently been postponed. Gurman reports that we should still expect the introduction, “unless it gets abruptly scrapped.”

Apple also apparently prototyped a “wand” for Vision Pro, something like an Apple Pencil for more precise control.

Apple Vision Pro currently supports traditional gaming controllers from Xbox and PlayStation for Apple Arcade games, but Apple has never supported normal VR controllers, making it hard to experience most VR games on the headset.

According to the report, Apple has only sold “fewer than half a million units” of Apple Vision Pro, and that most Vision Pro owners are using it less than Apple would’ve hoped. Hopefully, proper support for VR gaming would potentially boost sales.

Despite the disappointing sales, Apple will still continue to invest in the Vision Pro product category. We shouldn’t expect a discontinuation any time soon, though we probably shouldn’t expect bulky headsets to last forever.

Featured image: Simply Piano for Apple Vision Pro

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