Apple has reportedly partnered with Sony to deliver support for third-party hand controllers on the Vision Pro headset. The two companies started having discussions earlier in the year and have since come to an agreement to add Vision Pro support for Sony’s PlayStation VR controllers, according to Bloomberg.
Although Vision Pro supports Xbox and PlayStation 5 controllers, they lack the six degrees of freedom necessary for precise VR gaming experiences.
This demonstrates Apple making a further push towards embracing gaming, which deviates from Vision Pro’s initial focus on creating a product geared primarily toward productivity and immersive viewing.
While Apple is not expected to release its own controller, the Bloomberg report revealed that the company spent several years developing a “wand” controller for the headset. This device is comparable to the Apple Pencil and offers precise control. It signals Apple recognized the limitations of hand and eye gestures early on when making the Vision Pro. Yet, the company decided to abandon it the fear that it would increase costs and confuse developers.
The report comes at a time when Apple has sold fewer than half a million Vision Pro headsets, with many customers reportedly returning the device or using it less than anticipated, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Apple is said to be considering a lower-budget version of the $3,500 headset that would offload computing power to the iPhone and feature less advanced capabilities as part of its effort to broaden the product’s appeal.
While the Vision Pro has won praise among critics, it has struggled to achieve widespread consumer traction. In an October interview with The Wall Street Journal, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the challenges: “At $3,500, it’s not a mass-market product. Right now, it’s an early-adopter product.”
Beyond the issue of controllers, content development remains a challenge as developers may hesitate to pour resources and money into creating games for an unproven gaming platform. And while there are some Vision Pro games available on the App Store, few have made a meaningful impact. In contrast, Meta’s Quest headsets lean on exclusive gaming to drive demand.