Apple Vision Pro: My Virtual Avatar Finally Looks Amazing
▼ Summary
– Apple’s Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed reality headset launched in 2024, initially failed to gain public interest but continues to receive updates, including the upcoming visionOS 26.
– The Persona feature, which creates a 3D avatar of the user, has been significantly improved with more natural textures, better hair and skin details, and the ability to add virtual glasses.
– Despite improvements, Personas still exhibit some uncanny valley effects, such as rigid facial expressions and eye movements, but they are now usable for video calls and remote virtual interactions.
– The new Widgets feature allows users to place virtual items like clocks and calendars in their physical space, with the headset remembering their locations even after rebooting.
– Apple encourages users to integrate the Vision Pro into daily life, despite social awkwardness, by creating a virtual environment that mirrors their physical home with apps and widgets.
Apple Vision Pro’s latest software update brings significant improvements to virtual avatars and introduces spatial widgets, making the high-end headset more practical for everyday use. The $3,499 mixed reality device, which initially struggled to capture mainstream attention, is evolving with visionOS 26, a rebranded operating system aligning with Apple’s new naming convention announced at WWDC.
Two standout features redefine the experience: enhanced Personas and spatial Widgets. Personas, the headset’s 3D avatars generated through its cameras, have undergone a major overhaul. Early versions were stiff and unnatural, often drawing unintentional laughs during video calls. Now, they appear far more lifelike, with improved hair textures, skin tones, and even accurate side profiles. Virtual glasses can be added seamlessly, matching real-world frames without awkward clipping. While facial expressions still feel slightly robotic, the progress is undeniable, these avatars are now viable for professional meetings or casual chats in shared virtual spaces.
The second game-changer is Widgets, which anchor digital tools like clocks, calendars, and music players to physical spaces in your home. Using a private map stored on the device, the Vision Pro remembers widget placements even after rebooting. Imagine walking into your living room to see a floating calendar, then moving to the kitchen where a music widget awaits, all persistent across sessions. A digital photo frame acts like a virtual window, revealing more detail as you approach. This transforms the headset into a personalized command center, blending apps seamlessly with your environment.
Apple’s vision remains bold: it wants users to live inside this digital layer, interacting with spatial interfaces and communicating through hyper-realistic avatars. Early skepticism, like the viral mockery of a dad recording spatial videos while ignoring his kids, hasn’t deterred the company. Even if the idea of strapping on a headset at home feels odd today, these updates edge the Vision Pro closer to becoming an intuitive extension of daily life, minus the dystopian overtones of Ready Player One.
(Source: WIRED)
