Apple announces new features, ‘grounding entertainment experiences’ for the Vision Pro

Apple has announced a series of “groundbreaking entertainment experiences” that will be available on Apple Vision Pro beginning Friday, February 2.

With more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye, combined with an advanced Spatial Audio system, Vision Pro enables users to watch new shows and films from streaming services including Apple Originals from Apple TV+, transport themselves to landscapes with Environments, and enjoy all-new spatial experiences that were never possible before, like Encounter Dinosaurs.

Apple Vision Pro features dual-driver audio pods that deliver Personalized Spatial Audio to each ear with support for Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.

“Apple Vision Pro is the ultimate entertainment device,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing says in the press release. “Users can turn any place into the best seat in the house, enjoy personal concerts and adventures with Apple Immersive Video, interact with lifelike prehistoric creatures in Encounter Dinosaurs, and even land on the surface of the moon using Environments. It’s unlike anything users have ever seen before and we can’t wait for them to experience it for themselves.”

“At Disney, we’re constantly searching for new ways to entertain, inform, and inspire by combining exceptional creativity with groundbreaking technology to create truly remarkable experiences,” said Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger. “Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary platform that will bring our fans closer to the characters and stories they love while immersing them more deeply in all that Disney has to offer. We’re proud to once again be partnering with Apple to bring extraordinary new Disney experiences to people around the world.”

In the press release Apple says:

° Users can also transform their space with Environments: beautiful, dynamic vistas with realistic soundscapes that can automatically evolve based on the time of day. Users can open apps within Environments, so they can stream music, audiobooks, or podcasts as they look up at a starry night sky from Yosemite, surf the web from Haleakalā, or settle in for a movie during a storm on Mount Hood.

Apple Vision Pro users can transform their space with Environments — beautiful, dynamic vistas with realistic soundscapes that can automatically evolve based on the time of day.

° With SharePlay, Vision Pro users can watch TV shows and movies, listen to music on Apple Music, and play games from the App Store and Apple Arcade with users on other Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

° Users can enable Travel Mode to stabilize visuals for use on planes, and Guest User to share specific apps and experiences with family and friends, such as Photos or Safari.

° When a user begins watching a video, the lights around them automatically dim as the content moves closer to them. Videos can be positioned anywhere in their space or placed in an Environment for the most cinematic experience.

° With Environments, users can scale videos beyond the dimensions of their room, so the screen feels 100 feet wide, all while preserving the frame rate and aspect ratio. And there is no need for a remote: Users simply invoke controls with their eyes, hands, or voice.

° At launch, Apple Vision Pro users can watch more than 150 3D movies from top studios, including all-time favorites and recent releases, such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Dune, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

° Users can access 3D versions of eligible movies when they become available to rent or purchase from the Apple TV app, and users who own or purchase movies with a 3D edition will be able to access that version on Apple Vision Pro at no additional cost.

Apple Vision Pro users can watch more than 150 3D movies from the world’s top studios.

° With Apple Vision Pro, users can experience Apple Immersive Video, a remarkable new entertainment format pioneered by Apple. Apple Immersive Video features 180-degree 3D 8K recordings captured with Spatial Audio to transport viewers to the center of a place, moment, or story. At launch, users can enjoy a curated selection of immersive films and series on the Apple TV app at no additional cost.

The Apple Vision Pro will be available on Friday, Feb. 2, starting at US$3,499 with 256GB of storage. ZEISS Optical Inserts will be available: $99 for reading lens and $149 for prescription lens.

Pre-orders will be accepted starting on January 19 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Orders are limited to the United States for the time being, and Apple hasn’t provided details on when the headset might be available in other countries.

The Vision Pro comes with a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band — giving users two options for the fit that works best for them. Apple Vision Pro also includes a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, an Apple Vision Pro Cover for the front of the device, Polishing Cloth, Battery, USB-C Charge Cable, and USB-C Power Adapter.