visionOS 2 Reaction

[thatsmyfish]

I never do betas but given we’re only a couple of days a way I updated to iOS 18 on my ipad/iphone and upgraded to visionOS 2.

For my use case, it’s a game changer!

Bora Bora is exceptional. Glare is more noticeable in night time environments and I usually find myself switching to White Sands at night. Bora Bora’s night time environment is probably my favorite of any environment and I find myself using it into the daytime.

I listen to a lot of Audibles around the house and in the last couple of months my new trend is watching reaction videos to comfort shows, so for copyright reasons I’d need to stream two videos at once. iPad doesn’t allow it and neither does Vision Pro, although Paramount Plus’ Vision Pro app for whatever reason has consistently played audio along with Safari on Vision Pro. For any other streamer I’ve either had to use an iPad/TV, Vision Pro/TV, iPad/Vision pro combo. I like to keep the noise down at night with my wife so I even found myself using two sets of AirPods in mixed reality with my iPad and Vision Pro to line things up and it’s been a pain.

Airplay receiver last night and this morning was a total game changer. Until Apple allows dual audio streams, which it clearly can since it’s slipped through as bugs before, I can do everything I need right from the Vision Pro. If I’m listening to an Audible I can airplay my phone right into the Vision Pro and keep listening and not have to access the stream separately.

I’m still getting used to the gestures. I feel like it’s a little messy in the control panel as there are multiple places to access my Mac, from example, and I’d love to customize it, but hopefully in the next iteration.

My Vision Pro is my escape from the world at the very end of a long day, and VisionOS 2 makes it so much easier to do that.

 

[fatTribble]

That’s great to hear! I didn’t do the beta so I’m counting the hours until upgrade time tomorrow!

 

[Rychiar]

Bora Bora would be great if they made the screen bigger and further away like the other Environments. I never use it because it's so small

 

[thatsmyfish]

Bora Bora would be great if they made the screen bigger and further away like the other Environments. I never use it because it's so small

I did notice this but wasn’t sure the rationale behind it.

 

[Disher]

My first reaction is disappointment. This update was going to be the make or break of keeping it or selling it. Looks like a sell! Waited long enough

 

[thatsmyfish]

The only update still coming is the enhanced Mac screen, but this has been well documented for a while.

 

[Macaholic868]

I like all of the improvements but this feels more like a point release than a version 2.0 release. Anybody expecting major improvements or changes will be disappointed but any 2.0 beta tester could’ve told you that months ago.

To me it simply speaks to how little time the development team had between the release of visionOS 1.0 and 2.0 which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the product was just released in February. If we see the same thing with v3.0 next year and that version also feels like more of a point release then I’ll be truly disappointed.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

My first reaction is disappointment. This update was going to be the make or break of keeping it or selling it. Looks like a sell! Waited long enough

Wait, first try VisionOS 2.1 Beta.

 

[Disher]

OK, thanks. I need all the support to keep I can get. The photos spatial was a hugh help to keep.

 

[Rychiar]

had it for months.it makes a world of difference for content watching, just being able to make any video full screen and in any position. I mean that's what I use it for anyways. that was def needed. Hulu, Netflix or anything else that's browser based it finally fully realized

 

[Harvey Zoltan]

Installing the Vision os2 beta was almost the first thing I did after mine arrived. Much better experience than os1. Spatial photos are a delight.

 

[fatTribble]

I realize I’m late to the game not having done the beta, but I’m really impressed and excited about visionOS 2.

The conversion of old pictures to spatial 3D was talked a lot about on here, but I was skeptical it could really be as good as described. It’s absolutely amazing! Like others have described, I find myself spending hours at a time seeing how old and newer pictures look with the conversion. I’m just in awe!

Bora Bora is likely to be the first Environment I use for any length of time. I think all of the Environments are impressive achievement, but for me there is a depressing feeling about them. Bora Bora is bright and sunny. Love it!

The new hand gestures are a nice upgrade. It took me awhile to get used them, but I think the gestures are better than looking up.

BONUS QUESTION: Does anyone know if the data from the LiDAR sensor is being used for the spatial conversion of more recent photos? I ask because photos taken on newer iPhones seem especially good with respect to the 3D effect.

 

[Ghost31]

had it for months.it makes a world of difference for content watching, just being able to make any video full screen and in any position. I mean that's what I use it for anyways. that was def needed. Hulu, Netflix or anything else that's browser based it finally fully realized

Hey just curious. I dont have a Vision Pro yet but what do you mean by full screen? Like using the browser in the movie theater environment?

 

[jclardy]

I like all of the improvements but this feels more like a point release than a version 2.0 release. Anybody expecting major improvements or changes will be disappointed but any 2.0 beta tester could’ve told you that months ago.

To me it simply speaks to how little time the development team had between the release of visionOS 1.0 and 2.0 which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the product was just released in February. If we see the same thing with v3.0 next year and that version also feels like more of a point release then I’ll be truly disappointed.

In terms of usability it is a huge upgrade. The gestures completely change using the headset, no longer do you have to reach up to your head 5 times to launch apps, and swipe through ten pages to get your workspace setup properly. And your apps can persist reboots. Huge QoL changes.

That said...2.0 is what 1.0 should have been, and in reality that is what we are getting, what the software should have been at launch. It's only 7 months post launch, so I personally have no complaints about that.

 

[Macaholic868]

In terms of usability it is a huge upgrade. The gestures completely change using the headset, no longer do you have to reach up to your head 5 times to launch apps, and swipe through ten pages to get your workspace setup properly. And your apps can persist reboots. Huge QoL changes.

That said...2.0 is what 1.0 should have been, and in reality that is what we are getting, what the software should have been at launch. It's only 7 months post launch, so I personally have no complaints about that.

Good points. I think I’ve already forgotten a bit what 1.x was like having been a 2.0 (now 2.1) beta tester since the 2nd or 3rd developer beta was released and a tester of some of the 1.x betas available before that.

I have no complaints about visionOS 2. These are still very early days in the visionOS lifecycle. As somebody who owned the OG iPhone it’s pretty amazing when you think about what it’s OS looked like back in the 1.0 - 2.0 days. I remember rocking an Edge data connection with no 3rd party apps available without hacking the phone and no basic SDK from Apple yet to give 3rd party devs a way to officially create them. The term “jailbreak” was just starting to be thrown around in the iPhone community back then. I remember what a novelty it was when I followed the instructions to hack the phone and got a copy of the the first 3rd party app I ever tried running. It was a flashlight app 😉

 

[goldmac2006]

Y’all will the Vision Pro demos run on visionOS 2? Anyone demoed it since it was released?

Update: nvm I did the demo yesterday. Only new things were interface changes and the new environment.

 

[Rychiar]

Hey just curious. I dont have a Vision Pro yet but what do you mean by full screen? Like using the browser in the movie theater environment?

The giant environment filling theater screens as opposed to the smaller closer windows you can move

 

[HDFan]

Other things that I noticed with VisionOS 2:

1. The wobble of the focus point is greatly reduced. You can see it if you turn it on in Accessibility settings.

2. Shutdown is much faster

 

[subjonas]

Other things that I noticed with VisionOS 2:

1. The wobble of the focus point is greatly reduced. You can see it if you turn it on in Accessibility settings.

2. Shutdown is much faster

What do you mean by focus point? Do you mean windows/objects wobble less now? I had heard from everyone that they’ve always been very stable.

 

[Rychiar]

What do you mean by focus point? Do you mean windows/objects wobble less now? I had heard from everyone that they’ve always been very stable.

they have always been very stable... if anything the only instability I've ever seen is since the recent build of 2.0😂

 

[HDFan]

What do you mean by focus point?

If you turn it on in Settings > Accessibility > Interaction > Pointer Control

you will see a dot where the VP is focusing. Previously when playing a game such as Spireblast the landing zone (boxes) that you had to focus on to select were about the size of the focus dot. Since the dot wobbled you would often select the wrong box. I also noticed it when entering in the password on boot. Previously the wong number would be selected sometimes due to the wobble. That problem has now gone away.

 

[ps3zocker]

Is it just me or is the home indicator / status bar / control center when you hold up your hand blurrier than other UI elements? I feel like you have to "hold" it quite far from your eyes for it to appear sharp. Especially the battery percentage can be hard to read sometimes. No reason for it to be so small.

 

[axantas]

Is it just me or is the home indicator / status bar / control center when you hold up your hand blurrier than other UI elements? I feel like you have to "hold" it quite far from your eyes for it to appear sharp. Especially the battery percentage can be hard to read sometimes. No reason for it to be so small.

Are you talking about this one? Yes, the elements you are not focusing at do get blurrier. In that image I am focusing the battery symbol. Pretty neat techique. It acts like our eyes, the sharp zone of our eyes is quite small. Everything outside it, is rather blurry. We do not see it because it is not in our focus. Taking a screenshot reveals the weakness of our viewing capacity.

If you "step back" you are able to focus at a wider angle - so to say.

 

[TallGuyGT]

To me the most disappointing thing was that they have not made any more of their own apps visionOS native. How do they expect to inspire developers when so many of their own apps are the iPad versions. It's really an embarrassment.

 

[goldmac2006]

To me the most disappointing thing was that they have not made any more of their own apps visionOS native. How do they expect to inspire developers when so many of their own apps are the iPad versions. It's really an embarrassment.

One reason I am holding off on Vision Pro for another year… it seems to not be as developed. Many of users also want to use their industry level apps from Mac and iPadOS like F360, AutoCAD, Xcode, and other platforms like Final Cut Pro and ansys without having to mirror their Mac or iPad screens through AirPlay. Add SolidWorks to the mix as they need a macOS and visionOS app in the future as well! We can pair a Magic Keyboard and our Bluetooth peripherals like a Magic Mouse or AirPods on the Vision Pro, as well!

It would be nice to use visionOS gestures and immersive spatial experience to see our models and apps in action in the real world, y’all!