Owlchemy: Vision Pro Marks a Significant Leap Towards Mainstream VR Adoption

Rumor suggests that Apple's Vision Pro is preparing for international shipment outside of the US, three months after its American launch. Bloomberg reports that the VR headset could be available in several global territories as early as next month, following the firm's Worldwide Developers Conference. The high $3,500 price point has made the Vision Pro a niche product, but global availability could boost demand. This is good news for developers supporting the Vision Pro, including Owlchemy Labs, which announced in February that it would port VR hits Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator to Apple's headset. CEO Andrew Eiche states that the studio's strategy has always been to have its games on as many platforms as possible, regardless of their size. Eiche believes that the Vision Pro represents a significant step towards mainstream adoption, with its low friction and user-friendly interface, such as auto-adjusting lenses and no need for room setup. The Vision Pro works with hand tracking, eliminating the need for controllers, which Eiche sees as a strong selling point. He thinks it marks a shift from VR being a specific use case to a general computing use case. Sandra Marshall, Owlchemy's newly appointed COO, agrees that reducing friction is key and that the Vision Pro is a good example of this. Every new headset is expected to be the one that brings VR to the mainstream, but the journey has been long and filled with unanswered questions. The Owlchemy team thinks that what's missing is the reduction of friction and the increase in usefulness, which will lead to an inflection point where the device becomes useful enough for the mainstream. Even the best VR headsets can feel heavy or get hot, and loving VR sometimes feels like justifying oneself. Eiche believes that the usefulness of VR needs to rise, and there will be an inflection point when the device becomes useful enough that the friction is worth it. As developers and enthusiasts, they want to keep their eyes on mainstream adoption but should be less worried about 'Are we there yet?' and more about 'Are we on a path to get there?' The team mentions that VR has to fight misconceptions, such as the idea that it's inherently isolating, and that it takes time for people to get comfortable with new technology. They believe that having more multiplayer games and mixed reality experiences will help VR become more mainstream. Owlchemy has been working on a multiplayer project using hand-tracking, which was announced at Gamescom 2022. The conversation turns to the topic of hype cycles, with Eiche stating that the trend will go the same way it did for VR, with people crashing against the wall of reality. He thinks that the current hype around AI will follow a similar pattern, with people over-applying the technology and eventually realizing its true, more mundane uses.