visionOS can finally be tested in augmented reality!

• visionOS can now be tested in three dimensions
• Until now, you had to use a Mac, in 2D only
• The new method uses the Quest Pro headset from Meta

For several days, Apple has been offering developers who wish to test visionOS, the Vision Pro operating system. But the platform that equips the mixed reality headset can only be downloaded to a Mac, via the xCode software. Not very practical, since it is above all a question here of a three-dimensional interface, to be displayed in VR or superimposed on the user's real environment. In any case, it was without counting on a just-released alternative, which deploys visionOS via the Quest Pro.

To achieve this little feat, you just need to go through the frameworkNova UI. A trial version is available for free on the Unity app store. But as one might suspect given Apple's habits in this area, it is not possible to take 100% advantage of visionOS features. Not at all, even.

Very limited assets

Nova UI thus certainly allows you to navigate between the different pages of the visionOS home screen, equivalent to Launchpad on Mac. To do this, simply make a pinching gesture with your finger, in the same way as with the Apple Vision Pro. You can also choose to click, but unfortunately no icon will launch the associated app.

Neither Keynote, nor Photos, nor Safari are functional here. It is therefore a simple, very limited demonstration, but which still has the merit of existing. We still don't know when the potential Vision Pro developer kit will be released. However, rumors suggest that the month of July will correspond to its release date, but the price, for its part, still remains unknown to those interested.

Quest Pro pricing and availability

The Meta Quest Pro mixed reality headset is now available in France at a price of 1,199.99 euros. The device is announced with a battery life of two hours, like the Apple Vision Pro. But here, controllers are included, which is not the case with the Cupertino headset, which can currently be controlled viaother wayslike voice or eye tracking.

At Meta, the brand newQuest 3. Its price is much more affordable: count on only 569.99 euros in France. For comparison, the Apple Vision Pro will cost no less than $3,499 in the United States. The equivalence in euros has not been specified by the manufacturer, for the moment.