Of Course the Apple Vision Pro Isn't Selling
It's not supposed to, and you know it
Hello readers! We’re coming off back-to-back weeks without a newsletter. My apologies for not mentioning it in advance: I was on a lovely holiday in Iceland, and then I came home to a less-than-lovely cold, so I’ve been a bit out of sorts. Lucky for you I neither fell into a volcano nor succumbed to the frailties of this corporeal form, so I’m back! And wooooooow, what a few weeks we missed. My musings on some of it below.
Last month The Information reported that Apple had greatly scaled back production of the Vision Pro, and could end it before the end of the year, reinforcing the narrative that the device’s launch has been an absolute disaster.
Chicken Little Tim Cook, the sky is falling.
Even before it launched, everyone in the know agreed that the first iteration of Apple Vision Pro was going to be a commercial flop. It’s too expensive, too lacking in content, and ultimately falls short of feeling like the “next step” in XR headwear. But being a top-selling device was never the goal here — Tim Cook wants to paint a picture of the future that shows how XR spatial computing can fit into our everyday lives, and on that front I think it has succeeded incredibly well.
While I appreciate that anecdotal evidence is typically as weak as sales of the Vision Pro have been, I’m going to share an anecdote with you anyways because, heck, I like stories.
A few months back, my teenage daughter and I were in an Apple Store sorting out a new iPhone. Despite my love for XR (or possible in spite of it, because TEENAGERS), she has never expressed even an ounce of interest in putting on a headset. But she was also very cool about me wanting to stick around an extra 30 minutes to do the Vision Pro demo. And then she said she’d sign up for a demo as well.
There are three things worth noting here:
She wasn’t interested in XR until Apple gave it a seal of approval
She saw the non-gaming uses (she doesn’t like video games — don’t worry, I’ve sent away for a paternity test) and began to understand the appeal
As we left the store, she said “we’re buying one of these, right?”
You could see her heart break a little when I told her that, no, I wouldn’t be buying the first gen device but I’d be getting something a few years down the road. “Besides, we have a wonderful Quest 3 at home, and you can try that any time you want.”
From a technical and commercial standpoint, it was way too early to release the Apple Vision Pro. But from the perspective of consumer aspiration / industry validation? It was an absolute necessity. Failing to hit sales targets and slowing production is meaningless for the gen 1 iteration. Don’t let the naysayers convince you otherwise.
On the content front, we’ve actually seen some positive movement since the news of lowered production plans broke last month:
Resolution Games1 (who also created the AVP launch title Game Room) announced a new Vision Pro exclusive this week, Gears & Goo
nDreams is bringing a new version of Little Cities to the headset next month
While it’s not gaming, The Weeknd’s new Vision Pro-exclusive music video debuts today and early reviews say it’s out of this world
So while we’ve seen a real dry spell on exciting Vision Pro content since launch, we may finally be entering a period where cool stuff will give us a much needed dose of FOMO.
What Else Is Happening?
OpenAI is maybe exploring AR — though that all hinges on hearsay and conjecture (see Fig 1 above) around the hiring of Caitlin Kalinowski, former head of AR hardware at Meta to lead OpenAI’s consumer hardware division (The Immersive Wire)
Last Call for PSVR1 PS5 Adapters — Have you been dragging your heels on getting the PS4 camera adapter for the PS5 so that your O.G. PSVR can run on the latest hardware? It’s time to get off your butt — Sony’s going to discontinue the adapter on November 26. Don’t bother with the Sony website that distributes them, which is hit or miss depending on your region. The surefire way to get one for free by calling PlayStation support on the *gasp* telephone. (Road to VR)
AR for your ears is coming — and honestly, it’s about time. I love how haptics and sound can modify our daily experience. This specific effort comes from Hopscotch Labs, the latest company from FourSquare founder Dennis Crowley — which is probably why its so focused on locationally-aware software. Will somebody get Denny on the phone and tell him about games please? (Lowpass)
What to Play Next?
Holy moly, you guys. My stack of unplayed new games has grown dangerously tall over the last month. I’m only just now making a dint in Batman. And yep — next week is only going to make that stack bigger.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is getting VR support on day one, which is great if you want to see what it’s like to soar over the 3D-rendered wonders of your hometown and then fail to stick the landing. (November 19 on Game Pass, Xbox Store)
Wall Town Wonders brings mixed reality magic to your home with a little bit of city-building and a little bit of people management. This has honestly turned out to be a great fall for MR releases, and Wall Town Wonders is definitely one of the ones I was looking forward to the most. (November 21 on Meta Quest)
Thrill of the Fight 2 delivers a sequel to one of the most popular punching apps of all time. The original’s MR is fantastic and has left me with sore arms and wounded pride more than once. I’m anticipating similar results for Round 2. (November 21 on Meta Quest)
Ember Souls is essentially Prince of Persia: Sands of Time in VR, but without all that pesky IP negotiation to call it that. You’re welcome. (November 21 on Meta Quest)
Bounce Arcade asks the question “why play pinball when you can BE pinball?” Take the place of the flippers in this action-gaming twist on every dad’s most wishlisted “man cave” accessory. (November 21 on Meta Quest)
Augmented Empire was a strategy game from the Oculus Go era that I unfortunately missed — but it’s back! The team at Coatsink have resurrected it and improved it for modern play. As a strategy nerd, this is definitely going in my “to play” pile. I just need to get through Triangle Strategy first. (November 21 on Meta Quest)
Starting next week (and probably until EOY), I’ll play around with this section a little to see what other approaches to highlighting games you might enjoy. I miss talking about what I’m playing, so …maybe more of that? Not sure! Stay tuned and we’ll find out together.
Still reading? Bless you. 🙏
If you have any predictions for XR gaming in 2025, let me know! Feel free to drop me a DM on LinkedIn or shoot me an email here. I might just include them in an upcoming newsletter as we head into the new year.
Now stop reading this and play more games. :)
- Jim
DISCLOSURE: Resolution Games is a client of mine. This inclusion was not requested nor vetted by them — I just think it’s cool news worth pointing out!