I use my MetaQuest 3 almost every day, but I wanted to see what the Apple Vision Pro is like in terms of entertainment, gaming and productivity – and what the extra $3000 really got you. Follow my full head-to-head video below to see which I think is the best VR headset overall:
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First impressions of Apple Vision Pro
One of the reasons it took me so long to get to know Apple’s premium headset is that the Vision Pro optical inserts and technical cannot be used with glasses. While there are cheaper options, it will cost you another $149 to get their official Zeiss prescription inserts. That alone is half the cost of the new Meta Quest 3S.
Once I had my inserts, the Vision Pro was surprisingly easy to master. Without traditional controllers, I expected hand and eye navigation to be tricky, but honestly it felt like magic. While I quickly noticed the Vision Pro’s narrower field of view (90 versus 106 degrees on Meta Quest 3), this wasn’t the dealbreaker I heard many people thought it was.
Are you not entertained?
Aside from how polished and snappy the overall experience with the Vision Pro feels, another selling point is its support for some of the top streaming services, including Apple TV (of course), Disney+, Max, and Crunchyroll. The quest 3? Not so much.
Unfortunately, it’s much harder to play your favorite content on the Quest 3. You’re essentially limited to poorly developed Prime Video and YouTube apps. The Quest even recently lost its Netflix app and for the most part you’re best off using the web browser, but the streaming quality and features like downloading for offline are taking a hit.
By comparison, the Vision Pro left me wanting to catch up on shows and blockbusters on the equivalent of a 150-inch screen. Aside from the noticeable sharpness in video, being able to change the environment I was in took things to another level.
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What about gaming?
You’ll quickly appreciate the added horsepower with the Vision Pro. I tested a few games, including Cut the Rope, LEGO Builder’s Journey, and Castle Crumble, where the graphics looked better with less pixelation and anti-aliasing, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
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Sure, the eye and hand controls were cool, but I missed the physical controls. The Quest 3 feels more immersive and fun overall. While the graphics aren’t that impressive, sports and other games that rely on movement have no competition.
The productivity was incredible
The biggest reason I was excited to test the Vision Pro was because of its productivity, especially when working on the go. The way the Vision Pro connects to my MacBook is almost perfect: you just look at it and with one click you’re connected. While the Quest 3 comes pretty close with the Immersed app and (currently) even has the edge with multi-display support and audio pass-through, the Vision Pro ran smoother and felt like an extension of my MacBook.
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In addition to mirroring my desktop, I was still able to use multiple native Vision Pro apps like Apple TV or Photos. But this is where Apple’s ecosystem really comes into its own. My iMessages and photos sync seamlessly, AirPlay and AirDrop work effortlessly, and even my passwords are saved, giving me instant access to all my content. It’s a testament to how easy it is to jump into the Vision Pro and pick up where you left off in your Apple experience.
Ultimately, the Vision Pro is impressive and worth experiencing if you can. But it’s also still very niche, and like many other people who’ve tried it, the magic of it wore off after a few weeks and I found myself using it less and less. I already have a Quest 3, which does most of what it can do, making the extra cost of the Vision Pro hard to justify. For now I’ll stick with my Quest 3.
