virtual reality headset for iphone reviews

#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews android
#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews pro
#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews series

“For AR, you really need hardware, software, and silicon working together,” Hu says, a feat that Google has only recently accomplished.

#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews android

Hu says everything the team has built relies on specific technologies in the iPhone, like lidar, which has yet to debut on an Android phone. However, there’s a whole slice of the market that HoloKit will not work for: Android users. That’s why it’s so easy to share and see someone’s HoloKit X experience with Spectator Mode. But Hu wants there to be a community too. Much of HoloKit feels as though it’s designed to be sitting at museums and spaces like the Web3 Gallery as a means for creative professionals and marketers alike to showcase their art or brand experiences in mixed reality, jumping on the chatter of the metaverse. Eventually you’ll be able to see NFTs and avatars come alive in the real world. Holo Interactive has already partnered with the Web3 Gallery in New York City, where you’ll be able to walk in and demo the HoloKit X. The platform will still heavily rely on partnerships and collaborations.

#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews pro

(You’ll need to take off your case so it will fit.) You’ll get the best experience with an iPhone that has a lidar sensor, which became a staple on the Pro models-starting with the iPhone 12 series. You can use the HoloKit X with an iPhone XS, XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Max. The iPhone’s haptic vibration adds another layer of sensory input, but since the phone is mounted in the headset, it’s only vibrating up near your forehead, so you may not immediately sense it.

Aiding the immersion is the use of spatial audio via any of Apple’s headphones that support that feature, so you can hear a spell whizzing past your right ear. I could even point my wand downward to load a charging bar and trigger a more powerful spell. Lo and behold, I was able to cast spells with mere gestures or a flick of the wrist.

#Virtual reality headset for iphone reviews series

Hu strapped an Apple Watch to my wrist (it works with Watch Series 4 and newer) with the HoloKit watch app installed and running, and gave me a wand purely so I could feel like I was using it to shoot out spells. What I did demo was the ability to use an Apple Watch’s gyroscope as a motion controller, just like a Wiimote. As such, the HoloKit X costs $129, and all you need is a recent iPhone (excluding iPhone Mini and iPhone SE models) to power it. Hu, who has long had a special interest in future computing and new media art, says he wants to “democratize” the world of mixed reality.

These high prices are why the HoloKit X exists. Headsets in Microsoft’s XR platform cost between $600 and $1,000. (This is Apple, after all.) Look at Meta’s newest mixed-reality headset for reference it starts at $1,499. It’s a powerful showcase of what’s possible if Apple ever made a headset using the tech already embedded in its smartphone.Īny such headset to come out of Cupertino would almost certainly cost more than a thousand dollars. Created by Botao Amber Hu, a developer who has worked at companies like DJI, Google, and Twitter and is now CEO and founder of Holo Interactive, this headset relies entirely on existing capabilities of the iPhone to create interactive hands-free augmented reality experiences. If you need evidence that Apple is working on a mixed-reality headset, take a spin with the HoloKit X.