Written by Yono
In this era of rapid digital achievement, Apple’s new product, Apple Vision Pro, has already been published on the market. Even though I watched this product launch event last year, I am still stunned and shocked by the hands-on review I see now. Fortunately, Apple keeps its rules: focus on the user experience. That’s why many people buy this product even though the price is about $5000 (CAD). It sends me back to my undergraduate virtual reality project designed for Kyoto tourism.
I used Unreal Engine Blueprints to realize those functions (I believe the blueprints were only designed for developing a demo). I was satisfied with my work in programming. However, I knew this project’s interactions were not smooth or creative enough. I had no idea about guiding tourists to appreciate virtual scenes engagingly built as the real world. But I don’t think we can attribute this to a lack of technology. Or can we? Most digital media products are published on the market, and their interaction paradigms are still struggling in 3D or 2D. It means that no killer app inspires developers or designers to realize or create a new type of interaction.
I have watched and read numerous videos and articles that are Apple Vision Pro reviews. Obviously, for the UI design and product design, Apple is keeping its advantage – trying its best to make users feel better. Thus, the disadvantage of VR interaction could be considered a “limitation” rather than a “flaw.” In my opinion, Vision Pro has already reached the peak of achievement. Maybe in the future, we will need more users and a boarder market to accumulate treasured experience and learn knowledge from many generations of products. There is no denying that VR and others, such as AR and MR, are cutting-edge technologies in the digital media field, so we should be more patient and wait for those products’ iterations.
History could be a mirror that can help us find some clues. Nobody could imagine how amazing a game could be when encountering a first-generation game like Tetris. The incredible performance of computers, the vivid gaming scenes, the entranced storytelling, and the brilliant game mechanics all stand out as groundbreaking developments in the evolution of games.
At the same time, the development of new technology has made me consider the following moral and legal problems. During these days of experience using ChatGPT, one thing confused me: it indeed became “lazy.” After research, the reason for this phenomenon is that this product is struggling with sensitive content and legal issues like copyright. It is unavoidable when new technology is on the way to commercialization. Personally, as a game developer, it cannot affect me directly, but it is still worth learning and considering deeply.