The new Apple Vision Pro headset can be a gaming device thanks to DualSense functionality and support for lots of Apple Arcade titles.
We learned this while Apple was giving an overview of the Vision Pro’s entertainment possibilities during the device’s WWDC 2023 reveal. We saw footage of a person playing NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition with a DualSense controller while wearing the headset. The game appeared in its own dedicated flat window within the surrounding environment, so these aren’t fully immersive dedicated VR games; it’s more like playing normal PS5 games on your PlayStation VR2. The game will have some interactive 3D spatial apps, however, so those kinds of games certainly seem possible. A Unity partnership should also allow more games using that engine to come to Vision Pro.
During this segment, Apple did confirm that over 100 Apple Arcade games will be playable on Vision Pro, but NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition is currently the only title that has been outright confirmed for the headset. I’d love to see games like Fantasian and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate get Vision Pro support. We also don’t know if Vision Pro will support any Bluetooth controllers other than Sony’s DualSense; hopefully, it’ll have the same controller compatibility as normal iPhone and Mac devices. Considering that the Vision Pro intentionally does not have a dedicated controller, that would definitely be a useful feature.
Outside of that, gaming didn’t have too much of a presence during Apple’s Vision Pro reveal. Apple did tease that this is “only the start” of gaming’s presence on the device, suggesting that more video game experiences are in store for Vision Pro as the platform evolves over time. Gaming on Mac is evolving too, as that platform just got a dedicated game mode and will welcome Death Stranding: Director’s Cut in the future.
