Apple is releasing its ambitious Vision Pro headphones to consumers today, February 2. There are over 600 apps and games currently available in the visionOS store, with more to come. While Netflix and YouTube don’t release dedicated apps, there are still plenty of apps that could be great to get you started on your Vision Pro journey — and this is an evolving list.
Some of the apps on this list are specific to Apple’s new device, while others will be available for Vision Pro due to its compatibility with other iOS and iPad apps.
Entertainment
Image Credits: apple
The biggest draw for the Vision Pro is its immersive viewing experience, so it’s only natural that major streaming giants and media companies want to support the device. Apple’s headphones feature an advanced surround sound system, a pair of ultra-high resolution micro-OLED displays, Dolby Vision and more. Additionally, it supports up to 2.5 hours of video playback, which makes it potentially useful for movie night.
Flow
Image Credits: apple
Sport
Image Credits: MLB
Videos coming soon
Image Credits: Christian Selig
Cable
Image Credits: apple
Productivity
Image Credits: Microsoft
Will Vision Pro be useful in the workplace? That remains to be seen, but some developers are building productivity apps that will help headset users interact with familiar tools in a new way, from spreadsheets and presentations to written documents and note-taking tools. Both Apple and Microsoft have released their suite of productivity apps for the new device, as have other companies including Box, Notion and more.
Contact
Digital avatars or “personas” are another interesting feature, giving headset users the ability to create a virtual version of their face. (TechCrunch’s Brian Heater walks through the Vision Pro’s face-scanning process here.) Many of these apps support Apple’s persona, which could be an interesting change from the cartoonish avatars you get with Meta’s Horizon Worlds. although they are not yet able to accurately capture a person’s face facial features.
Image Credits: Zoom
Browser
Apps are still missing from Vision Pro including Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and more. However, companies without dedicated apps tell users that they can still experience their platforms with the browser version. There’s also “Virtual Mac Display” so you can use your Apple headset as a massive 4K screen to view all your tabs.
Social
Want to try Discord, among other social apps and messaging, in Vision Pro? Sure why not? This list is pretty small at launch – and we doubt Meta will roll out support for its apps anytime soon – but hopefully more will be added over time.
Games
Image Credits: apple
When most of us think of an AR/VR headset, we immediately associate it with playing fun games. Apple thankfully didn’t shortchange us on this front and there are more than 250 games from Apple ArcadeThe catalog is available at launch. There is also support for game controllers such as PlayStation DualSense and the Xbox Wireless Controller.
- Super Fruit Ninja
- Cut the rope 3
- Lies of P
- Synth Riders
- NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition
- Sonic Dream Team
- TMNT Splitted Fate
- LEGO Builder’s Journey
- What about golf?
- Jetpack Joyride 2
- Wylde Flowers
- And much more!
MUSIC
Many music apps offer unique experiences on Vision Pro, including the ability to watch a VR concert featuring opera singers, pianists or even the legendary rapper T-Pain. (We think that sounds pretty cool.)
Image Credits: It’s playing now
News
Some people like to read physical newspapers and others prefer to be updated with a device that looks like ski goggles on their head. In any case, we do not judge.
Usefulness
Maybe you want to know the weather today from a sassy chatbot. Maybe you’re a pilot who wants to see live traffic data in a real-time aviation environment. Here are some of the utilities you might want to check out.
Image Credits: apple
Plan
Creatives have some interesting applications to choose from when it comes to design. Adobe’s text-to-image tool, for example, lets you place generated images in real-world spaces as if they were a virtual poster. You can also explore Lowe’s interactive 3D scenes and customize the kitchen of your dreams.
Shopping
Whether you’re looking for an alternative shopping experience like using J. Crew’s app to examine the texture of clothes up close, or you’re playing Super Ninja Fruit and want to order a smoothie, these are the shopping apps worth trying.
Meditation/Mindfulness
When you think about it, both meditation and virtual reality involve escaping from reality, so why not use Vision Pro to get away from it all?
