Apple Vision Pro reportedly still on track for PSVR 2 controller support
Apple and Sony are still working on PSVR 2 controller support, writes Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman wrote in early December that Apple is working with Sony to make Apple Vision Pro compatible with the Playstation VR 2's Sense controllers. The plan is primarily aimed at supporting games, but should also enable more precise navigation in visionOS using the VR controllers.
Two months later, Gurman writes that Apple and Sony are still committed to this project.
"All signs point to this project still being in development. I expect a software update later this year to support the feature. I don’t think it’ll do anything to turn around the Vision Pro’s sluggish sales, but it would be a nice step for Apple to show that it still cares about gamers."
Display glasses for Macs canceled
On Friday, Gurman also reported that Apple had canceled a glasses project that same week. The shelved product, codenamed N107, would have looked like a normal pair of glasses but would have included built-in displays that could have shown information, images, and video for each eye and would have required a connection to a Mac, according to Gurman's sources. Gurman does not say specify whether the connection was wired or wireless.
The product was planned for 2027, but reportedly performed poorly during reviews with executives and was ultimately shelved. An earlier version was designed to connect to an iPhone instead of a Mac, but it ran into problems over how much processing power it could provide and how it affected the iPhone’s battery life.
Although Mark Gurman writes about AR glasses, the product may actually have been simple display glasses, similar to the Xreal products Gurman compares it to. In fact, the reporter writes that one of the use cases for the glasses was to display a large virtual Mac screen, similar to what the Vision Pro can do, but in a much smaller form factor and weight. Prototypes of the device were light enough to not require a strap to wrap around the wearer's head, Gurman writes.
Gurman goes on to write that the project's failure is hurting morale, and that Vision Products Group (VPG) employees believe there's a lack of focus and clear direction within the team. This is the second time Apple has abandoned work on AR glasses, Gurman reports. However, the company is still working on key AR technologies, including MicroLED displays. Work is also continuing on successors to the Apple Vision Pro and a revision of the original, which launched a year ago.
Meanwhile, competitor Meta has an ambitious roadmap for smart glasses and AR glasses, reportedly planning to launch its first consumer AR glasses in 2027. Samsung and Google are also working on AR wearables, raising the question of whether Apple could fall behind in the coming years.
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