Apple Vision Pro Optical Inserts pairing process and other details revealed

AppleInsider

A code sleuth has found new details about how Apple Vision Pro Optical Inserts will need to be set up and paired, and the process is a little involved.

Apple Vision Pro Optical Inserts

Apple Vision Pro is a tight fit, so users will need to get prescription lenses to use the device without glasses. These lenses attach magnetically, but there is a pairing process within the software too.

According to an X post thread from code sleuth @M1Astra, Apple Vision Pro Optical Inserts will need to be paired and there are a few steps to getting this done. The poster goes on to share a few code snippets to show how this process might work.

Here are basic summaries of the kinds of pop-ups that could appear during Optical Insert setup:

• Restart Apple VisionPro with Optic Inserts installed, have a code or order confirmation ready


• Enter the passcode to enable Optic ID with the newly inserted Optical Inserts.


• After a test to verify the user can look at a set of dots, the user will need to look at the pairing code.


• A warning could appear stating that incorrectly installed or dirty Optical Inserts will affect input accuracy.


• Setup may ask for what inserts are being used or to find Optical Insert pairing code in the Health app.


• Setup may ask the user to ensure no Optical Inserts are installed before setup.


• Users can choose to continue setup even if issues are detected.

These prompts were provided by the X user in no particular order in a thread. It seems some have to do with the initial pairing process, while others may hint at user switching and changing out Optical Inserts.

Whatever the case, Apple Vision Pro obviously needs to know exactly what Optical Inserts are being used in order to calibrate properly. Just like setting up a VR headset for different users, it won't be as simple as taking the headset off one person and putting it on another.

User @M1Astra has posted a few other threads about discovered code referencing Apple Vision Pro, like how the headset is intended for users over the age of 13. Another set of snippets discusses how Spatial Persona is in beta, which means it may not make it to the initial visionOS release.

Apple Vision Pro will be available for purchase in early 2024 and costs $3,499. Developers are currently building apps for the product and can attend in-person labs to get help directly from Apple.

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sloaah

Sadly this confirms what I had suspected - the Vision Pro will essentially be unusable in any film festivals, exhibitions, immersive experiences etc.

It’s a big deal because I think the majority of people’s engagement with VR and immersive AR over the next ten years will be in these formats. A VR/AR immersive experience in an exhibition venue will always have the advantage of more immersive environments, by allowing users to walk around, interact with physical objects, wear haptic backpacks etc. 

isaiahmontoya

sloaah said:

Sadly this confirms what I had suspected - the Vision Pro will essentially be unusable in any film festivals, exhibitions, immersive experiences etc.

It’s a big deal because I think the majority of people’s engagement with VR and immersive AR over the next ten years will be in these formats. A VR/AR immersive experience in an exhibition venue will always have the advantage of more immersive environments, by allowing users to walk around, interact with physical objects, wear haptic backpacks etc. 

It will still be used at events regardless. If you have perfect vision or you wear contacts, optical inserts aren’t even necessary. The option to wear optical inserts for people who wear glasses is a luxury we haven’t have at these types of events in the past. Thankfully it sounds like they’re working on adaptive liquid lenses for a future version of the device which adjust to your vision without the need for optical inserts.

tht

sloaah said:

Sadly this confirms what I had suspected - the Vision Pro will essentially be unusable in any film festivals, exhibitions, immersive experiences etc.

It’s a big deal because I think the majority of people’s engagement with VR and immersive AR over the next ten years will be in these formats. A VR/AR immersive experience in an exhibition venue will always have the advantage of more immersive environments, by allowing users to walk around, interact with physical objects, wear haptic backpacks etc. 

Why would you conclude this?

If someone is setting up a XR experience where they need to wear goggles, they will have a bunch of optical inserts to match a user's prescription, and light seals to match a user's head. Apple will have this at most retail Apple Store locations by late 2024. It's just going to be the same for any other type of public serving XR application.

What is described above is an onboarding process for Optic ID, which I assume will be turned off for public-style use cases, where a lot of people are using the same set of hardware. Optic ID serves the same biometric functionality as Face ID and Touch ID. It's user identification. That's not going to be used for public applications. Heck, for public AR use cases, everyone will need to setup EyeSight, which would involved everyone having the Vision device scanning their faces.

sloaah

isaiahmontoya said:

It will still be used at events regardless. If you have perfect vision or you wear contacts, optical inserts aren’t even necessary. The option to wear optical inserts for people who wear glasses is a luxury we haven’t have at these types of events in the past. Thankfully it sounds like they’re working on adaptive liquid lenses for a future version of the device which adjust to your vision without the need for optical inserts.

You underestimate the number of people who wear glasses. 74% of people have some form of vision impairment; 64% wear eyeglasses some of the time. Over half of those wear glasses all the time, and only a quarter of those wear contact lenses. 

 It means every experience will need to have dozens of custom lenses, with devices to check existing prescription of glasses. And that every headset will need to be rebooted to calibrate to the new lenses. 

 It just won’t happen. No large scale experience will use it, where you have 60-100+ people per hour partaking in the experience. 

 I say this as a VR professional with direct experience of this field.

Applejacs

Hmm, the cost of the Vision Pro unique prescription lenses divided by what I pay for each set of my custom contacts that I have had for years tells me that I’ll be able to use my Vision Pro for years before I might need to buy the Vision Pro optical lenses in my prescription at all.

22july2013

sloaah said:

isaiahmontoya said:

It will still be used at events regardless. If you have perfect vision or you wear contacts, optical inserts aren’t even necessary. The option to wear optical inserts for people who wear glasses is a luxury we haven’t have at these types of events in the past. Thankfully it sounds like they’re working on adaptive liquid lenses for a future version of the device which adjust to your vision without the need for optical inserts.

You underestimate the number of people who wear glasses. 74% of people have some form of vision impairment; 64% wear eyeglasses some of the time. Over half of those wear glasses all the time, and only a quarter of those wear contact lenses. 

Roughly speaking, at age X, X% of people wear glasses. So 10% of people at age 10 wear glasses, 20% at age 20, .... up to 90% at age 90. Of course, age groups always decrease in size as you go up in age. But very few people under the age of 10 will ever own an Apple Vision Pro, so that age group can likely be ignored.

beowulfschmidt

Leave it to Apple to make a simple, inexpensive process complex and expensive.

Justin555

The vision pro will be available later this year. But will people wearing glasses will be able to see the shows or videos while wearing vision Pro?

tht

Justin555 said:

The vision pro will be available later this year. But will people wearing glasses will be able to see the shows or videos while wearing vision Pro?

Early next year. Probably March. People will need to get prescription lens inserts that magnetically attach.