Apple Vision Pro safety concerns limit 'fully immersive' apps

Posted:
in Apple Vision Pro

Developers can create Apple Vision Pro apps that take over a user's whole vision, but if that user moves a certain distance, Apple will switch off the app.

An example of a fully immersive Vision Pro app. (Source: Apple)
An example of a fully immersive Vision Pro app. (Source: Apple)



Apple doesn't tend to talk about fully Virtual Reality (VR) in regards to its Vision Pro headset, but the device is capable of it. What it's more likely to be used for, though, is what Apple calls a "fully immersive experience."

That's when nothing of the outside world is visible to the wearer at all, and absolutely everything they see is generated by the headset. That might, for instance, include certain games, or perhaps even movies could entirely fill a user's view.

Whatever such a fully immersive app does, Apple has provided guidelines for how developers use it -- and specifically how to best launch or quit the experience. Among the details in this new developer documentation, though, there is one warning.

When you start a fully immersive experience, visionOS defines a system boundary that extends 1.5 meters from the initial position of the person's head. If their head moves outside of that zone, the system automatically stops the immersive experience and turns on the external video again. This feature is an assistant to help prevent someone from colliding with objects.



That's got to be adequate for any use of Vision Pro where the wearer is sitting down. It's likely to be adequate for practically any app that Vision Pro users can work with.

Plus Apple does say that it switches off the app when the person's head moves 1.5 meters from the initial position. That means the app can operate as a fully immersive one within a circle with a radius of 1.5 meters.

What's more, this is solely for these fully immersive apps. When using AR, where digital objects are shown in the real world, there is no issue about people bumping into things. And therefore, there's no Apple-imposed limit.

But for fully immersive apps, it is a specific limit that is outside developers' control. And it does mean that developers can't make room-sized VR environments using Vision Pro.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    jgreg728jgreg728 Posts: 105member
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    williamlondongrandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 20
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,083member
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    JP234 said:
    That's a Mickey Mouse solution to a T-Rex problem.
    Yes, you’re right. It will be an utter failure. 
    And until there is a better solution, I think it’s a perfectly good solution. It’s nice to know apple is even thinking about it. 
    williamlondonlolliverbaconstangwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 20
    geekmeegeekmee Posts: 646member
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    Yes, it will be a utter failure…
    just like Apple’s other failures.
    williamlondonStrangeDaysMacProbaconstangFileMakerFellerJP234watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 20
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,687member
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.

    Not sure how you came to that conclusion? Do you think it's a good idea to blindly walk around while inside a fully immersive VR world?

    Have you seen all the YouTube videos?

    Furthermore, this is not a limitation of the technology or device, it's a limitation Apple is currently putting on software.
    edited June 2023 StrangeDayslolliverbaconstangFileMakerFellergilly33watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 20
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,283member
    So insured more Apple shares for me……..
  • Reply 6 of 20
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,695member
    This explains Apple's rationale quite clearly:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W19mLb-9JM

    By the way, 1.5 meters is 5 feet. Since when did Apple, a US company, start using metric?
  • Reply 7 of 20
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,050member
    This explains Apple's rationale quite clearly:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W19mLb-9JM

    By the way, 1.5 meters is 5 feet. Since when did Apple, a US company, start using metric?
    They’re a global company, and why shouldn’t they?
    lolliverbaconstangFileMakerFellermuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 8 of 20
    This explains Apple's rationale quite clearly:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W19mLb-9JM

    By the way, 1.5 meters is 5 feet. Since when did Apple, a US company, start using metric?
    It’s an engineering company, they probably use SI units more often than not.
    baconstangFileMakerFellerwilliamlondonwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 9 of 20
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,417member
    geekmee said:
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    Yes, it will be a utter failure…
    just like Apple’s other failures.
    You mean like...
    • Pippin
    • Hockey Puck Mouse
    • Butterfly Keyboards
    • Lisa 1 with Twiggy Drives (even though UI elements of the LISA OS made their way into the Mac)
    • Apple III
    • eWorld
    • Newton & eMate (no, it did NOT evolve into the iPhone)
    • Macintosh Portable (totally different from the PowerBooks which came later)
    • iTunes PING
    • AirPower (hyped, but never released charging pad)
    • Pretty much the entire PERFORMA line
    • Copland, Cyberdog, Open-Doc, QuickDrawGX, and...
    • QuickTimeVR, which I always felt was outstanding tech, but where is it today?

    I do not say this to suggest VisionPro will fail.  I say this to combat flippant replies.  There are people who, without using their brain at all, casually claim VisionPro will fail, and then you have the opposite extreme who mock and say it absolutely will not.

    NONE OF US KNOW FOR SURE!  

    That's the point.  I hope VisionPro will succeed in the market where others like Meta and Microsoft have failed.  Apple certainly has the reach and the money to do something other big companies cannot.  But in the end, consumer acceptance and sheer sales will define it as a success or failure, just like all the other items I just listed.

    WE SHALL SEE.
    lolliverFileMakerFellermuthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondongrandact73appleinsideruserwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 10 of 20
    This explains Apple's rationale quite clearly:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W19mLb-9JM

    By the way, 1.5 meters is 5 feet. Since when did Apple, a US company, start using metric?
    It’s an engineering company, they probably use SI units more often than not.
    They're also pretty ruthless about abandoning the old in favour of the clearly better. :wink:
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 20
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,448member
    How will in work on a plane if it kills apps when you move more than 1.5m a 100 times a second?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 20
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,305member
    mattinoz said:
    How will in work on a plane if it kills apps when you move more than 1.5m a 100 times a second?
    Or riding as a passenger in car,  bus, or train?
    edited June 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 20
    As I've said elsewhere, 1.5 meters doesn't exclude the use of an omnidirectional treadmill or motion-controlled cockpit, so this won't severely dent uptake.

    My guess is that Apple may eventually provide a way for developers to turn off or extend the distance limits depending upon the VR scenario. For example, a developer building a dungeon-like environment (any UK readers remember the kids TV series "Knightmare"?) could potentially unlock the VR limit and instead use Bluetooth beacons to track and limit walking around in an open warehouse.

    watto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 14 of 20
    AppleZuluAppleZulu Posts: 2,140member
    hexclock said:
    mattinoz said:
    How will in work on a plane if it kills apps when you move more than 1.5m a 100 times a second?
    Or riding as a passenger in car,  bus, or train?
    I’m going to go ahead and bet that 1) the device’s sensors can tell the difference between riding in a vehicle that’s in motion and walking around in a room, and 2) the designers of this thing thought of that before the message board peanut gallery did. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 15 of 20
    Existing devices use a virtual "guardian" system, where you use the headset and controls to set up a boundary in your work/play space.  When you get close to that boundary, it lights up a grid or other indicator that shows how far you have to go.

    The "1.5 meters from the initial position of the person's head" method works well if the room is larger than 3 meters squared (my office is not that large), and the person starts out in the middle, but not so good if the room is smaller, or you start nearer the wall than 1.5 meters.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 20
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,687member
    jdw said:
    geekmee said:
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    Yes, it will be a utter failure…
    just like Apple’s other failures.
    You mean like...
    • Pippin
    • Hockey Puck Mouse
    • Butterfly Keyboards
    • Lisa 1 with Twiggy Drives (even though UI elements of the LISA OS made their way into the Mac)
    • Apple III
    • eWorld
    • Newton & eMate (no, it did NOT evolve into the iPhone)
    • Macintosh Portable (totally different from the PowerBooks which came later)
    • iTunes PING
    • AirPower (hyped, but never released charging pad)
    • Pretty much the entire PERFORMA line
    • Copland, Cyberdog, Open-Doc, QuickDrawGX, and...
    • QuickTimeVR, which I always felt was outstanding tech, but where is it today?

    I do not say this to suggest VisionPro will fail.  I say this to combat flippant replies.  There are people who, without using their brain at all, casually claim VisionPro will fail, and then you have the opposite extreme who mock and say it absolutely will not.

    NONE OF US KNOW FOR SURE!  

    That's the point.  I hope VisionPro will succeed in the market where others like Meta and Microsoft have failed.  Apple certainly has the reach and the money to do something other big companies cannot.  But in the end, consumer acceptance and sheer sales will define it as a success or failure, just like all the other items I just listed.

    WE SHALL SEE.

    You listed three things from this century (you forgot the iPod HiFi speaker and G4 Cube) and they are relatively minor failures, not entire product lines such as, iPod, iPhone, iPad, watch, TV, M-series Macs... all of which were/are huge hits. The Vision Pro is a new product line. It is the first and it will fail just as much as the original iPhone.
    tmaywatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 20
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,481member
    jdw said:
    geekmee said:
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.
    Yes, it will be a utter failure…
    just like Apple’s other failures.
    You mean like...
    • Pippin
    • Hockey Puck Mouse
    • Butterfly Keyboards
    • Lisa 1 with Twiggy Drives (even though UI elements of the LISA OS made their way into the Mac)
    • Apple III
    • eWorld
    • Newton & eMate (no, it did NOT evolve into the iPhone)
    • Macintosh Portable (totally different from the PowerBooks which came later)
    • iTunes PING
    • AirPower (hyped, but never released charging pad)
    • Pretty much the entire PERFORMA line
    • Copland, Cyberdog, Open-Doc, QuickDrawGX, and...
    • QuickTimeVR, which I always felt was outstanding tech, but where is it today?

    I do not say this to suggest VisionPro will fail.  I say this to combat flippant replies.  There are people who, without using their brain at all, casually claim VisionPro will fail, and then you have the opposite extreme who mock and say it absolutely will not.

    NONE OF US KNOW FOR SURE!  

    That's the point.  I hope VisionPro will succeed in the market where others like Meta and Microsoft have failed.  Apple certainly has the reach and the money to do something other big companies cannot.  But in the end, consumer acceptance and sheer sales will define it as a success or failure, just like all the other items I just listed.

    WE SHALL SEE.
    Outside of the AirPower which wasn’t a failure because it was never released and Ping which was less of a product and more of a feature in iTunes, everything you mentioned was before the iPod was released. Most before MacOS in 2000. Sound like a great track record to me. 
    tmaywatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 20
    byronlbyronl Posts: 372member
    mjtomlin said:
    jgreg728 said:
    And here is a major reason why this technology will not be replacing any current devices anytime soon.

    Not sure how you came to that conclusion? Do you think it's a good idea to blindly walk around while inside a fully immersive VR world?
    of course not but we should be able to set our own boundaries, just like the Quest. 
  • Reply 19 of 20
    byronlbyronl Posts: 372member
    "How will in work on a plane if it kills apps when you move more than 1.5m a 100 times a second?"

    Mike Rockwell said that the device anchors the UI based on the surroundings in a plane, at WWDC 2023 Talk Show by Gruber. 
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