I tried Apple’s Vision Pro headset. First taste of virtual reality was quite the trip | Opinion

On the spectrum of latest and greatest computer gizmos, this child of 1980s Silicon Valley falls equidistant between techie and Luddite.

Receptive to new forms of technology, but never among the earliest adopters.

Comfortable enough using laptops, smart phones, tablets and satellite devices, but nowhere close to a computer whiz.

One new frontier I had yet to explore was virtual reality. To me, normal, everyday reality is compelling, and challenging, enough. No need to set foot in a computer-generated one.

Besides, virtual reality goggles look ridiculous. Whenever I think about Mark Zuckerberg (which isn’t often), the Facebook honcho is wearing those silly things and yammering about a meta verse. It’s not a flattering image.

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So earlier this month when Apple released the Vision Pro, the company’s first virtual reality headset, on sale for $3,500, my reaction was unexpected.

I wanted to try them — enough to sign up for a 30-minute tutorial at the Fresno Apple store at Fashion Fair Mall. And after some initial hiccups (management wasn’t keen on The Bee taking photographs inside the store), a friendly customer service rep named Adam was measuring my eyeglasses so the goggles could be adjusted to match my prescription and ensure my first glimpse of the virtual world wouldn’t be blurry.

Apple calls the Vision Pro “a spatial computer” that blends together the digital and physical, one that is controlled by the user’s eyes, fingers and hands. Not a bad description. Once the goggles were properly fitted around my head, I hit a button that brought up a virtual screen with familiar-looking icons.

(In the interest of full disclosure, my entire Apple arsenal consists of an iPhone 11, a fifth-generation iPad that’s still humming along and a pair of AirPods that I mainly wear while exercising and vacuuming. This qualifies me as an Apple consumer, but well shy of a devotee.)

Unlike other screens I’ve experienced, this one appeared inches in front of my eyes and remarkably clear. The resolution is 8K, which is about seven times the number of pixels my pupils are used to.

Despite this, I could still make out what was happening around me. By fidgeting with a button/dial Apple calls the “digital crown,” the user is able to view the real world while keeping digital apps in the foreground or hide it behind an opaque background.

To get started, Adam suggested I open the photos tab by looking directly at the icon (they sort of twinkle when you do it correctly) and making a pinching motion with my thumb and index finger. Getting the hang of both took a little practice.

Viewing photos in VR is certainly a different experience than viewing them on a physical screen. You feel like you’re actually there. Two stock images, panoramas of the Oregon coastline and an alpine lake below Mount Hood, were stunning. To take in the scenes all the way to their edges, I had to twist my neck 180 degrees.

Dazzled by virtual 3D

Next, Adam asked if I owned an iPhone 15 capable of taking photos and video in 3D and looked a little disappointed by my head shake of a reply. No matter, the demo would continue by showing off that capability.

As someone who has only viewed 3D through paper glasses, I wasn’t prepared for what came next. Suddenly I was at a backyard birthday party with kids playing around a broken pinata and mom spreading bubbles that floated in the air around my head. Then I was in the middle of a youth soccer game — it felt like I was actually on the field — before switching to a jungle river where a woman and a teenage boy were petting a baby rhino on the forehead.

If the 3D photos weren’t immersive enough, next came 3D video. I activated the icon Adam instructed me to and was instantly transported to a fancy nightclub where Alicia Keys performed a few feet away from me. So close I could feel her gaze and see the veins throbbing in her neck as she sang.

Just about the time my head and neck started to become sore, the demo was over. I removed the goggles, Alicia disappeared and the physical world had returned. Instead of a nightclub, I was back in the Apple store surrounded by customers and employees dressed in navy T-shirts.

Being that this was my first taste of virtual reality, it was impossible not to come away impressed. Enough to fork over four grand (including accessories and tax) for Vision Pro goggles?

Don’t be silly. I’m still using an 8-year-old iPad and only recently cut the cord for cable TV. But even these tech-moderate eyes can see the appeal.