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The Apple Vision Pro is entering its inaugural holiday season, and it comes with an exciting update: VisionOS 2.2. This update does not introduce Apple Intelligence, but it brings significant enhancements to the user experience.
First highlighted during the June 2024 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, this upgrade notably improves the Mac Virtual Display functionality, adding new display sizes, including an impressive ultrawide curved monitor view. This feature has always been a key attraction of the $3,500 Spatial Computer, enabling users to stream content from M-series Macs directly to their Vision Pro with minimal lag.
Whether you’re navigating a cramped airplane seat, seeking a larger screen alternative, or working from the comfort of home while desiring a more extensive workspace, the Mac Virtual Display on Vision Pro has proven itself effective. However, until now, users were limited to a flat display experience.
This limitation has now been addressed. In a recent demo, I experimented with the game Lies of P streamed from a 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M4 Pro chip while also engaging in daily tasks utilizing macOS Sequoia on a Mac mini with M2 and a 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring M3. This demonstrated a remarkable evolution in the user experience.
Wide or Ultrawide: A New Dimension for the Vision Pro
During the demo, I settled into a comfortable chair and selected the Mac Virtual Display by simply gazing at a 16-inch Space Black MacBook Pro. This action prompted a sub-menu that allowed me to choose from three display sizes: standard, wide, or ultrawide.
The standard option, which many users are familiar with, has been enhanced with a 5K resolution and a slight curve to promote a more natural viewing experience.
The wide display options, rated at 21:9, offer a significant improvement, but the ultrawide option truly stands out at 32:9, effectively simulating two displays side-by-side at a 5K resolution.
This enhancement provides a sharp and immersive visual experience that feels like it wraps around the user. Just as with any window in VisionOS, resizing is intuitive – simply look at a corner and pull with pinched fingers. This fluid resizing ability contrasted sharply with the constraints of conventional curved monitors, allowing for a tailored user experience.
I enjoyed expanding the virtual monitor to a massive curved screen that enveloped my view during intense gameplay in Lies of P, with the option to reduce the size for a more standard viewing experience or even create an evening ambiance reminiscent of a moonlit night. This immersive quality is particularly advantageous for gamers, especially with audio streaming seamlessly from the Mac through the Vision Pro’s Spatial Audio speakers or AirPods Pro.
The update elevates the Vision Pro’s compatibility for enhancing the capabilities of various Macs—be it the Mac mini, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. Most M-series Macs can handle AAA gaming titles and a wide array of Apple Arcade games, but the Vision Pro also provides an exceptional environment for productivity. In fact, I drafted this article using the ultrawide display.
It’s essential, of course, for users to feel comfortable wearing a headset and consider investing in the Vision Pro, which starts at $3,500. Speculations continue about a potential standout application or experience that will leverage the Vision Pro’s unique capabilities.
Previously, my colleague Lance Ulanoff examined the first year of Apple’s Spatial Computer and hinted at the need for compelling applications. However, the experiences offered by this latest Mac integration are genuinely impressive. Additionally, excitement surrounds rumors of a possible collaboration with Sony PlayStation, which could bring more supported controller types and expand the range of games available for the Vision Pro.
Though the journey to a complete VisionOS 2.0 launch was extensive, VisionOS 2.2 successfully enhances the Mac Virtual Display experience with the addition of two new sizes, ensuring an even more refined user interaction.
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