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The recently released development tools for the Apple Vision Pro have brought to light a potentially problematic detail for virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts. The "fully immersive experiences" offered by the system may stop mid-game and display the outside world if users move beyond a certain boundary.
According to Apple's documentation, this boundary is an invisible zone that extends 1.5 meters from the initial position of the wearer's head. If the user's head moves outside of this zone, the VR experience automatically stops and passthrough returns to assist the user in avoiding collisions with objects in their physical surroundings.
This boundary system may pose a challenge for VR applications, as it can interrupt the VR experience even earlier than the 1.5-meter boundary. In fact, the system will automatically make all displayed content transparent once the user moves more than one meter away from the starting point. This is done to facilitate movement through the real environment. Additionally, the system can also interrupt the VR experience if the user gets too close to a physical object or moves too quickly. These safety measures are a feature of the new operating system visionOS and seem to be globally active.
The upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset focuses on Mixed Reality, which Apple refers to as Spatial Computing. The outside world is captured by cameras and sensors, and computer graphics are added to create an experience where browser windows, apps, or spatial game objects seem to float in the living room. However, the use of hand and eye tracking instead of conventional VR controllers makes it difficult to port existing VR games to the system.
The restrictive boundary system further limits the application of VR games on the Apple Vision Pro. This could be especially problematic for motion-intensive applications such as fighting or fitness games, as the boundary system could severely disrupt the game's flow.
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